Page 9 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2024

 

 

 

 

 

Page 9 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2024
P. 9

GENERAL NEWS



              •   The QMHA team is looking for    bags and pencil cases to sell to raise   much carbon has been sequestered
                 funding to install an anaesthetic gas   money for the school.       as part of using nature friendly farming
                 recapture unit. 5% of the gases are   We have implanted a bra recycling   practices. This will assist the  in
                 absorbed by the patient with the rest   scheme on site to take unwanted   reaching our net zero target. As part of
                 emitted to the atmosphere. Despite    or unloved bras and raise funds for   this, two opportunities have been offered
                 the QMHA ceasing to use nitrous   pioneering breast cancer research.   to the  and other local university
                 oxide, anaesthetic gases still have a                               students to undertake soil sampling and
                 high global warming potential, the LBIC  We donated the furniture from the    biodiversity monitoring. 24 students took
                 has trial in place to recycle lab plastics.   83 bedrooms in College Grove to   part in the monitoring
                 This is a circular economy project   charities. Everything from beds to   We have had two successful applications
                 where the lab items are granulated    curtains was reused, with approximately   to the Woodland Trust to obtain funding
                 and made into other lab items.   90% of the items in the halls being   for trees. 400 trees will be planted
                                                  donated rather than disposed of, saving
              •   Anatomy have changed processes   us £25,000. The charities were:   around the silage clamp barn at Boltons
                 to reduce the amount of single                                      Park Farm. Over 200 wild harvest trees
                 use items used in teaching       •   British Heart Foundation.      and shrubs will be planted to create our
                 including gloves.                •   Crisis UK.                     first silvopasture area at the farm. This
                                                  •   Ronald McDonald House.         will provide living barns for animals and
              •   An Education Memorial           •   YMCA.                          also provide fruit and nuts to produce our
                 Programme has been established,   •   Herts Welcomes Refugees.      own jams, jellies, wines and more.
                 which allows owners to donate    •   West Silvertown Village Community
                 their pets bodies for teaching or   Foundation food pantry.         To encourage pollinators and support
                 research purposes. The occasional                                   our biodiversity strategy, we left areas
                 cadaver is now being received    We reused/rehomed around 90%       of grass unmown on the main lawn at
                 and being embalmed. Previously,   of items from the QMHA temporary   Hawkshead to support No Mow May.
                 the dog cadavers had been        offices. Some of the furniture has been   Funding has been secured from the
                 coming from the US so this will   reused in the new Eclipse offices but    British Geological Society to undertake
                 significantly reduce the carbon   we have also:                      further soil monitoring as part of
                 footprint for anatomy.
                                                  •   Given 1.2 tonnes of furniture to   our Farming for Carbon and Nature
                                                    students/staff and local charities  programme. The monitoring will give us a
              WASTE
                                                  •   Collected pens to be recycled   more accurate picture of how stable and
              A roof has been installed over the silage   through our Terracycle box  at what depth carbon is in our fields. 
              clamp at the farm to reduce rainwater run   •   Given 200 textbooks to students    students will be offered the opportunity
              off to the lagoon at Boltons Park Farm to   via the library            to assist the British Geological Society to
              reduce the amount of slurry needing to                                 undertake the sampling.
              be disposed of due to restrictions posed   •   Donated items to the  archives  As part of the Student Learning Centre
              by the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone and   •   Found homes for 16 dog bowls  development, a new wildflower
              will include rainwater harvesting.
                                                  BIODIVERSITY                       meadow has been created leading to
              We have donated seven abandoned                                        the new reception area. The contractor
              bikes to Sue Ryder in Welwyn        The  is taking part in a pilot   donated rolls of wildflower turf which we
              Garden City.                        scheme run by Students Organising   are using to create additional wildflower
                                                  for Sustainability called Farming for   space outside the TRACI building next to
              Bags of fabric including COVID face   Carbon and Nature. This provides
              masks and old uniforms have been    opportunities for students to take annual   the QMHA car park.
              donated to a school to make bunting,   soil samples to provide data on how
























                                                                                                                     9
   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14