Earth Week at ARU: events for students and staff

2–6 March 2026

Close-up of children holding a planet-style ball at the beach

We've organised a range of events and initiatives to help students and staff get involved with sustainability.

Some events need to be booked beforehand: follow the booking links to reserve your spot.

Happening at ARU

1–31 March, all campuses

  • To enter, sign up to ARUgreen and submit your photo using the Biodiversity Photo Competition activity. Entries are open until 11.59pm on 31 March 2026

Our popular Biodiversity Photo Competition is back. Whether you’re a hobby photographer or just take the occasional phone snap, we want your submissions! While there is no strict theme, if you need inspiration, you could use the theme Spring has Sprung.

The top three photos will win gift vouchers to the value of £100, £50 and £25. Voting takes place on ARUgreen from 1–14 April. Winning photos will be featured on ARU sustainability social media and our staff and student intranets.

Wednesday 4 March, 1pm, online

Curious about planetary health and sustainability in the curriculum? Want to see how you or your course could get involved? Join our friendly session to learn more about the Green Heron Audit.

The Green Heron Audit is ARU’s student-led initiative exploring how planetary health topics are embedded across our courses. It highlights where great work is happening, identifies opportunities for improvement, and gathers useful resources to support staff and students who want to make positive change.

Originally developed with the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Social Care, the project is now expanding – and we’re excited to welcome new student groups and courses to take part in 2026/27. This is your chance to find out whether your course could be next.

Everyone is welcome! Come along if:

  • you're looking to boost you CV with green skills, gain project experience, or help shape a greener future for your course and career
  • you want support with embedding sustainability into teaching, or are considering offering a Green Heron project to your students
  • you simply want to learn what the audit is all about.

You don’t need any previous knowledge – just drop in, listen, ask questions, and explore what’s possible.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

  • the purpose and approach of the Green Heron Audit
  • key insights from five completed audits
  • how students and staff collaborate to drive meaningful change
  • simple next steps if you’d like to begin an audit in your own course or department.

This event is part of the Education for Sustainability Community of Practice Talk series.

Questions? Please contact our EfS Coordinator, John: [email protected]

Monday 2 – Friday 6 March2026, all campuses

Celebrate Earth Week by cycling to campus and taking part in our popular Dr Bike sessions.

Book a 15-minute slot to get your bike a safety check and minor repairs from our expert mechanic. Sessions are free, and open to all students and staff – whether you're a keen cyclist or an occasional rider.

Dates are:

  • Cambridge – Monday 2 March, 9.30am-3pm
  • Chelmsford – Tuesday 3 March, 9.30am-3pm
  • Writtle – Wednesday 4 March, 9.30am-3pm
  • Peterborough – Friday 6 March, 9.30am-3pm
  • Police bike marking is also taking place from 11.30am-1.30pm. No booking required

Wednesday 4 March, 2pm, Writtle (meet at the campus library)

Step into the wild side of Writtle with our hedgehog wildlife walk, a guided experience designed to bring you closer to the hidden lives of one of the UK’s most beloved species.

During this relaxed and informative walk, you’ll:

  • learn about the surrounding landscape and why Writtle is an important haven for hedgehogs
  • explore campus habitats, from hedgerows to green corridors, and discover how these areas support wildlife
  • find out how you can get involved in activities that help boost hedgehog numbers on campus and beyond
  • hear tips on how to make gardens, neighbourhoods, and shared spaces more hedgehog friendly.

Optional activity: litter pick

Want to start making a difference straight away?

Stay on after the walk for a friendly group litter pick, helping keep the campus safe and welcoming for hedgehogs and other wildlife.

Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a student looking to get involved, or simply curious about the wildlife around you, this event is perfect for all ages and experience levels.

Friday 6 March, 1pm, online

Did you know that 85% of the world’s chalk streams are found in England, yet only 5% are protected, and as recently as 2019 just 17% were in good ecological condition? These globally rare ecosystems are quietly disappearing, and they need our help.

This talk will introduce us to The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project (GCCSP). It brings together ARU and Cambridge City Council in a collaborative effort to better understand and protect these fragile waterways.

As part of the project, trained volunteers collect regular water samples from local chalk streams, which are analysed in ARU laboratories for key nutrients such as phosphate, ammonia, and nitrates.

This citizen-science approach allows us to build a robust, long-term evidence base on water quality.

By combining field sampling with laboratory analysis, you'll gain practical scientific skills and a deeper understanding of how nutrient pollution impacts these globally rare ecosystems.

Our monitoring has already revealed concerning trends. Phosphate and nitrate levels are significantly higher than ideal baseline conditions, increasing the risk of eutrophication. This leads to excessive algal growth that smothers the water surface, blocks light, suppresses aquatic plants, and ultimately reduces oxygen levels, putting fish, invertebrates, and chalk-stream specialist species at risk. Sediment deposition is a further challenge: reduced flow from channel straightening, aquifer abstraction, and climate change allows fine sediment to blanket gravel beds that are vital for invertebrates and fish to spawn. Regular monitoring across multiple sites is time-intensive and relies on committed volunteers following careful sampling protocols to ensure high-quality data. That’s why we are always looking for new student and staff volunteers.

There are many ways to get involved: from field sampling and lab work to data analysis, communications, and advocacy.

Looking ahead, 2026 marks the launch of our new erosion-pin and sediment-trapping volunteer roles and we’d love you to be part of it.

Beyond volunteering, everyone can play a role in protecting chalk streams: by reducing household water use, supporting sustainable land management, and raising awareness of the pressures facing these vulnerable ecosystems.

Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 March, Cambridge

Join our student-led Sustainability Society for a two-part workshop.

On Tuesday 3 March we'll be making natural dyes from acorns, onion skins, stinging nettles and more.

On Wednesday 4 March we'll be using the natural dyes, enjoy leaf-printing on your very own tote bag.

If the weather is on our side, we will make our way to the greenhouses to work outside. If not, we will be inside the Students' Union.

This session will be fully accessible. Let us know if you struggle with anything and we can make arrangements to better your experience: email [email protected]

Tuesday 3 March, 1pm, online

In the past few months, the Planetary and Population Research Group has been working on a strategy aimed at promoting planetary health within ARU research activities.

In this context we're delighted to invite you to our Community of Practice onboarding event. The event is designed to explore the connections between environmental change, human health, and community wellbeing. It will also showcase opportunities to join our community of practice and other related initiatives.

Thursday 5 March, 1.30-3.30pm, Cambridge

Sow and Grow is an opportunity to get outside and support your wellbeing through nature. Learn practical and creative earth-centred skills, including growing your own fresh food, and connect with other student in the Cambridge campus garden.

As part of Earth Week, you can get a taste of what  Sow and Grow is all about.

No gardening experience needed – just bring your enthusiasm!

To find out more about Sow and Grow please email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Thursday 23 April, 12pm, online

  • How to join: fill in our short form. We will get back to you with the two chapters of the book that we will be focusing on. We'll also provide video links addressing the book's main topics as an alternative

Join our online book club on sustainable living. This spring, we’ll be diving into Change Everything by Natalie Bennett – a book that promises to present a clear, hopeful vision for rethinking society during a time of political, economic, and environmental instability.

We'll look at new ideas such as universal basic income and free lifelong education, plus talk about community‑driven political action.

Held twice a year, our book club is an informal, friendly and supportive space to connect with others, and imagine better futures together. We’d love for you to join us.

Wednesday 4 March, 7pm, Writtle (followed by an early-morning meet-up on 5 March)

We will meet at The Baa at 7pm on Wednesday 4 March for the evening survey, and again at 7am on Thursday 5 March.

Take part in an evening survey for newts in the historic campus moat at Writtle, highlighting the importance of local biodiversity and hands-on conservation.

Using torches and bottle traps, you'll be able to carefully monitor the water for signs of newt activity while learning about amphibian ecology, habitat requirements, and the role wetlands play in healthy ecosystems. We'll be leaving the bottle traps overnight and checking them the following morning.

This event offers a practical opportunity to connect environmental theory with real-world conservation practice, encouraging awareness of protected species.

Friday 6 March, 10am-12pm, Cambridge

  • How to join: email [email protected] to secure your place. You're welcome to drop in on the day, but registering helps us to plan for numbers

Plastic pollution, from choking wildlife to littering the countryside, is intensifying, and microplastics are now infiltrating ecosystems and even our bodies. Yet labels like bioplastic, plant-based, and biodegradable can be confusing: many aren’t recyclable, lack clear decomposition timelines or require industrial composting to break down.

Through this interactive workshop, Dr Dannielle Green will explore the science behind these buzzwords. Through hands-on sorting exercises, you'll see how mixing plastics contaminates recycling and why 'green' claims can be misleading. Learn how microplastics form, and discover practical strategies to reduce plastic waste and make informed decisions.

Spring 2026, Cambridge

  • Register your interest: complete our short form to hear about upcoming activities and our collaborations with local organisations

Interested in local volunteering opportunities for a more sustainable, greener and wildlife-friendly Cambridge?

Our first activity will take place this Spring and involve habitat enhancements at Logan's Meadow, Cambridge. It may include building new shelters and nesting opportunities for wildlife by constructing dead hedges.

Other activities are being planned, so get in touch if you're interested in volunteering at similar events.

Questions? Please contact our Community Engagement Ambassador, Sarah: [email protected]

Thursday 5 March, 2pm, online

We're thrilled to invite ARU students and staff to a compelling session led by Simon Chubb, Head of Sustainability at ARU. This talk will delve into the complexities of addressing the University's carbon and sustainability goals.

Highlights:

  • zero carbon ambition: Understand the importance of our carbon reduction goals, the challenges we face, and the successes we've achieved at ARU
  • future expectations: Learn about our future plans and how they align with broader industry targets
  • impact on students: discover how these sustainability efforts will shape the educational journey of our students and inspire them to be future leaders in sustainability.