GREEN NIDO

At Nido Student, we’re always working to do our bit for the environment. In our efforts to go green, we’ve created an agenda for both our students and staff to work towards so we can cut down on the harmful impact on our environment. Right now, the aims of our programme are as follows:

  • Reduce waste, water and energy use.
  • Reuse as many items as we can.
  • Recycle as much waste as possible.

 

During term time, you can recycle any old clothes or batteries you have. Additionally, each of our showers has a flow-restricted head that conserves water throughout the year.

We’ve got the credentials to match, too. With ISO 14001:2004 accreditation to our name, we also won the Green Apple Environment Award as part of a national campaign to find Britain’s greenest companies, councils and communities. For more on the Green Apple Environment Award, see below.

Our commitment to the environment goes beyond just recycling. We love to see our students being more conscious of the environment, encouraging them to ‘precycle’ where they can. Unfamiliar with precycling? It’s where you weigh up the necessity and impact of actually buying an item rather than going straight for the purchase; over time we hope it’ll turn them into more conscientious consumers.

 

Who we partner with

  • Reusable Nido Drinking Bottle – Single-use water bottles are amongst the UK’s most widely-used non-recyclable items – a huge issue in our ongoing environmental efforts. That’s why we give Reusable Nido Drinking Bottles to our residents upon arrival, eliminating the need to buy single-use plastic water bottles.
  • Biopac – We’re not ones to stand in the way of a good time, so Biopac’s biodegradable cups – made from plant starch – are perfect at parties. They even have Champagne flutes for an added touch of class. Plus when you’re done with them, they can be turned to compost to help grow crops.
  • SUGA Yoga – 100% recycled and recyclable, SUGA’s yoga mats actually start out life as old wetsuits! Transformed into environmentally-friendly mats, they’ll help you stay focused and get your stretch on while reducing your footprint in the process.
  • Toast Ale – Beer brewed with bread? That’s what Toast is all about, creating tasty brews using unsold loaves and crusts from bakeries and sandwich makers across the UK, reducing waste in the process. We’ll drink to that!
  • Get Wonky – Get Wonky turns mis-shaped and ‘ugly’ looking fruit and veg into delicious, environmentally-friendly juice that’s managed to save 243 tonnes of wonky produce that would have otherwise been chucked out.
  • Bee Lovely – Every tin of this soft, nourishing lip balm that gets sold is good for the bees, and good for Ghana too, helping increase bee populations and allow farmers to earn additional income from honey. Charity never tasted so sweet.
  • Outdoor Cycle Cinema – A unique cinema-going experience, Outdoor Cycle Cinema puts the power of each screening in your hands, or rather, your legs, as you and the rest of the audience generate the electricity by pedalling on bicycles. Clean, efficient and above all a lot of fun!

 

What else do we do? 

As well as working with all these fantastic companies, our effort to become more environmentally conscious has seen us reduce our plastic usage too! That means we no longer use plastic straws at any of our events, and we encourage all students to bring along their reusable Nido Bottle to cut down on waste.

All students will also receive a free canvas tote bag as part of their Welcome Pack. These chic, environmentally-friendly bits of storage provide a top alternative to plastic bags, plus they look really good on your arm when you’re going to and from class.

Lastly, we’re planning on installing solar panels on our upcoming residences, so we can help save a bit more on our energy use as Nido Green moves forward.

 

Green Apple Environment Award

Competing against more than 500 other nominees, we’re delighted to have won the Green Apple Environment Award. Beginning in 1994, the Green Apple Awards are established as the country’s main recognition for environmental endeavour among companies, councils, communities and countries.

The awards themselves are organised by The Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment group, dedicated to recognising and promoting environmental best practice.

Judges for the Green Apple Awards are drawn from the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management and many other independent bodies.