Wednesday 28 September 2011

Student Environmental Champions starting next week



A voluntary action group on sustainability issues http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

We are working on action based initiatives around waste and recycling, housing and energy efficiency, sustainable travel, fairtrade, environmental tasks litter picks, green police and many more exciting ideas.

This project is a partnership between http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/, SVC and Keep Cardiff Tidy with the aim of making Cardiff a cleaner, greener, safer, more optimistic place filled with civic pride. The projects will work in partnership with the wider community and various supporting organisations.

Current projects you can get involved in:

Everyone is welcome to join us on any of these Tuesdays for a community door knock raising awareness of waste and recycling responsibilities

OCTOBER 2011

4th 11th 18th 

4.30pm

3rd floor Students union lounge just outside the ARC and sabbatical offices

And/or

Thursday 27th October – Hallo-clean a Ghostly themed litter pick with the Cathays Youth & Community Centre – free tea and cake provided after some ghoulish litter picking fun http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/Halloclean%20-%20Eng%20&%20Welsh.pdf

Meeting at 2pm Cathays Youth & Community Centre

36, Cathays Terrace, Cardiff, CF24 4HX

Sunday 9th October – for a litter pick and river clean up meeting at the Llandaff Rowing Club at 10am. Meet at the union for a free transport to and from the pick

The litter pick is in partnership with Cardiff Rivers Group http://cardiffriversgroup.blogspot.com/

Llandaff Rowing Club

Bridge Road, Llandaff, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF5 2PT

Any students interested please come along to our stall at the Student Volunteering Fayre (SVC) on Monday October 3rd, (Cardiff Students Union 5.30-8pm) where you can find out more about the project and sign-up an interest

Sign up through the SVC Office on the 3rd floor of the Students’ Union

Tel: (029) 2078 1510 / 1494

Email: svc@cardiff.ac.uk

Web: www.svcardiff.org

Any non-students and community members please help us raise awareness of everyone’s social responsibilities by joining us on our door to door knocking days.

Monday 26 September 2011

Kitchen re-sale raises £490


The second kitchen utensils re-sale from items collected in the KCT Get It Out For Cardiff campaign has raised a staggering £490

Cardiff students picked up a range of kitchen bargains including saucepans, plates, bowls and mugs for as little as 50p each.

Thank you to all the Raise And Give girls who helped set up and made the tills ring with their cheerful sales and smiles.

Also a huge thank you to Cardiff Students Union; Nick and Chris for hosting such a great event, even the Cardiff Uni Dragon mascot picked up a fiery bargain.

Our running total now stands at over £600 with one more sale on Friday 7th October at Cardiff Students Union, Solus/reception 9am. All money raised is being donated to charity.



@cardiffdigs canvas bags were in hot demand

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Welcome back and Cardiffdigs update

With the first fresher fairs at UWIC on Monday and with more students returning and being welcomed back into Cardiff each day it seemed like a good idea to welcome everyone back with a quick update about how cardiffdigs.co.uk has been spending it’s summer.

Funding

I am pleased to say that we have secured funding for the Student Liaison Post for three years. Kieran McCann, Student Liaison Officer gave a presentation to the University Quartet (made up of the three university vice chancellors, deputy leader of the council and corporate director) and thanks to our partnership working we have now secured three years of continued funding to work on the actions contained in the Student Community Action Plan.

Get It Out For Cardiff results

The scheme to collect and re-use unwanted items that previously would’ve been destined for the streets or landfill has been a resounding success with over 7.5 tonnes of items collected at halls of residences and the Students Union.

Kitchen bric-a-brac such as utensils and cutlery has been collected for resale

http://cardiffdigs.blogspot.com/2011/09/cardiffs-student-population-responded.html

The scheme also included extra waste collections in Cathays, Roath and Gabalfa over 3 weekends in June with the good news continuing as the amount collected was reduced from 225 tonnes last year to 211 tonnes. The recycling rate also improved from 28% to 31%.

Get it Out scoops Green Apple Award

The Keep Cardiff Tidy partnership that includes cardiffdigs.co.uk have scooped a Green Apple Environment Award in recognition of their on-going contribution to helping the environment through the Get It Out For Cardiff Campaign. The waste management team and Kieran McCann (cardiffdigs.co.uk/Student Liaison Officer) is to be presented with their Green Apple Award trophy at the House of Commons

Waste changes

Cardiffdigs has been giving its full support to waste management to ensure the changes in waste are fully understood and well advertised: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm

You’re In Now What

Just shy of 5,000 social marketing posters have been distributed, via letting agents and landlords/landlords forum, PACT meetings, Students Unions and accommodation offices. It will be used as a full page poster in both the Retro and Gair Rhydd at the start of term and has been well received by the community and stakeholders receiving it.

It provides advice and assistance on the four main issues that concern students: Neighbour relations, Rubbish and recycling responsibilities, Security and Health and safety. Please affix, display and distribute this poster to help facilitate an easier, safer, greener transition for students into the private rented sector and into the community with heightened awareness of social responsibilities. If you haven’t received a poster you can still download it from: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/download.htm

You’re In Now What – Glamorgan

Our You’re In. Now What? poster has been adapted and produced for our student neighbours in Treforest. It has been printed and distributed by their student safety partnership, the union and university.

Environmental Champions

cardiffdigs.co.uk and waste management have set up a voluntary action group on sustainability issues in preparation for the start of term. http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/environmentalchampions.htm

We are working on action based initiatives around waste and recycling, housing and energy efficiency, sustainable travel, fairtrade, environmental tasks including river clean up’s, green police and many more exciting ideas.

This project is a partnership between www.cardiffdigs.co.uk, SVC and Keep Cardiff Tidy with the aim of making Cardiff a cleaner, greener, safer, more optimistic place filled with civic pride. The projects will work in partnership with the wider community and various supporting organisations.

Kieran McCann and Lucy Prisk are leading on this on a city wide basis and student led initiative. Student have the opportunity to join the group at the SVC fair on the 3rd of October and initially volunteers will look at the waste and recycling changes through door knocking education awareness on the 4th 11th 18th October and then broaden out to include various other environmental initiatives.

Meeting with new sabbatical officers

cardiffdigs.co.uk has now met with all the new relevant sabbatical officers across the three unions, it is exciting to see they are keen and raring to go and have pledged their support with our work, we look forward to working alongside them this year.

Freshers Fair

Cardiffdigs will be attending all freshers fairs so come along and say hello to us on our stand – you might even receive a free cotton re-use bag, keyring, security alarm or poster plus all the student living and housing advice you will ever need for your time here in Cardiff.

Student Safety Partnership

The group has produced a partnership leaflet ready for the start of term with the support of cardiffdigs to ensure our students are aware of safety and security issues and to help them ‘BE Safe’

Additional licensing

Having met with the new sabbatical officers and given them a brief overview of additional licensing it has been decided to run a training session for the new recruits so they are fully briefed on licensing prior to housing advice weeks.

Lock it. Hide it. Keep it.

cardiffdigs is fully endorsing and being endorsed by the police and their Lock it. Hide it. Keep it. campaign and have been working closely with the police over the summer to ensure the start of term runs as smoothly and safety as possible.

PACT

cartdiffdigs has been in attendance at various Partnerships And Communities Together meetings across the city updating the community of recent events and giving out the You’re In posters to help the transition at the start of term.

QR codes and Twitter



cardiffdigs and our media guru Richard Mills have been incorporating QR codes into our literature and posters. They are called Quick response readers and are used by smart phones. They look like a barcode and when scanned take you to a website or associated feature. We have also been tweeting all our good news so don’t forget to follow us @cardiffdigs


Unity news

The 6th edition of Unity news was circulated and the next edition is due around November – A new easier reader for the publication has been installed on the website. http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/unity.htm

Subscribe to e-news

A subscription service to cardiffdigs and the website and Unity news has been set up using mail chimp mailings. Sign up here

It’s been a whirlwind summer but the hope is that we can start the term in a positive way and continue the positive work throughout the year to empower our communities and work to our motto of helping create and contribute to a cleaner, greener, safer, healthier and more optimistic city and lifestyle. Thank you to all our partners and stakeholders who have been sending in updates and assisting with ensuring the term gets off to a positive start.

Monday 19 September 2011

UWIC freshers Fair


UWIC welcomed its new and returning students back into Cardiff with their Freshers Fair today. @cardiffdigs was on hand with waste management to help students integrate into the city with all the housing and living advice they will need and information about their rubbish and recycling responsibilities.


Our funky new cardiffdigs cotton bags and keyrings were a huge hit with the students who responded well to advice about housing, community and rubbish/recycling responsibilities, health and safety recommendations and security issues. Thank you to the Union for the invite and for hosting such a great event. Good luck to all the new students and welcome back to all those returning to Cardiff. Have a great year and don’t forget to follow us @cardiffdigs for all your student related advice.


First Kitchen re-sale raises £119.26


The first kitchen utensils re-sale from items collected in the KCT Get It Out For Cardiff campaign has raised £119.26 for charity. UWIC students at Llandaff campus snatched up kitchen bargains including saucepans, plates, bowls and mugs for as little as 50p each.

Two more re-sales will now take place at Cardiff Students Union:

Friday 23rd September Cardiff Students Union, Buffers (near Solus/reception) 9am

Friday 7th October Cardiff Students Union, Solus/reception 9am

All are welcome to come along and pick up a kitchen bargain – saucepans, frying pans, cutlery etc, any money raised will be donated to charity.




Students pick up kitchen utensil bargains

Thursday 15 September 2011

Gas Safety Week: Take care, be Gas Safe

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/ are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week



Gas Safety Week is run by Gas Safe Register, the only official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on your gas boiler, gas cooker and gas fire. By law, all gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register, it replaced CORGI.

Gas Safety Week aims to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning.

Your landlord must keep gas appliances supplied for you to use in good condition. They should arrange a gas safety check every 12 months and give you a record of the check. By taking care of your gas appliances properly you are taking care of your home and your loved ones. Follow these top tips to help keep you and your family gas safe:

• make sure only a Gas Safe registered engineer works on your gas appliances

• make sure gas appliances have a regular service and an annual gas safety check

• always check the engineer's Gas Safe Register ID card

For gas safety advice or to find and check an engineer visit the Gas Safe Register website at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk. Alternatively call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Cardiff’s student population responded in style to the call to Get It Out for Cardiff this year

We have three Kitchen utensils and cutlery sales. The first of which is this Saturday:
 
  • UWIC LLandaff Campus, I-Zone from 11.30am

We then have two at Cardiff Students Union:

  • Friday 23rd September Cardiff Students Union, Buffers (near Solus/reception) 9am
  • Friday 7th October Cardiff Students Union, Solus/reception 9am
All are welcome to come along and pick up a kitchen bargain – saucepans, frying pans, cutlery etc, any money raised will be donated to charity.

 
So please spread the word that you don’t need to arrive in Cardiff with any new kitchen equipment it will all be available at heavily reduced prices in the three sales.

 

The space needed to store all these items was considerable but Cardiff Self Storage kindly stepped into the breach and stored all the items.

 



Monday 12 September 2011

Your recycling and waste collections are changing today

Cardiff Council is introducing a new weekly recycling and food waste collection service across the city.

From today the three main changes are:
  • You can recycle even more as you will have weekly green recycling bag and new weekly kerbside food caddy collections.
  • Your recycling and waste collection day will change, the main student areas Cathays, Cyncoed, Gabalfa, Pentwyn, Penylan, Plasnewydd/Roath will be collected on a Wednesday.
  • Your garden waste and general waste will be collected fortnightly on alternate weeks .
 For all your recycling and waste collection advice click here http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm
 to visit our new pages and download the full leaflet and calendars.

 

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Your recycling and waste collections are changing on Monday 12th September

Cardiff Council is introducing a new weekly recycling and food waste collection service across the city.


From Monday the three main changes are:

You can recycle even more as you will have weekly green recycling bag and new weekly kerbside food caddy collections

Your recycling and waste collection day will change, the main student areas Cathays, Cyncoed, Gabalfa, Pentwyn, Penylan, Plasnewydd/Roath will be collected on a Wednesday.

Your garden waste and general waste will be collected fortnightly on alternate weeks

For your student recycling and waste collection advice click here http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/waste.htm
to visit our new pages and download the full information leaflet and calendars.