University of Westminster celebrates and encourages sustainability at Repair Fair

The Repair Fair was dedicated to nurturing environmental awareness and encouraging action, both on campus and in everyday life, through reusing and repairing. The event hosted a range of stalls and workshops designed to promote waste reduction. 

These included a sewing workshop led by The Seam that taught the basics of seam repair, button replacement and simple hemming, and a session with Bikeworks, who ran a Dr Bike session to service students and colleagues' bikes and offered on-site fixes. The Sustainability Team ran a stall to discuss sustainability initiatives and opportunities at the University of Westminster with students and colleagues.

The Repair Fair was co-organised by the University of Westminster Sustainability Team and the Quintin Hogg Trust (QHT)-funded Student Sustainability Team. Aleyna Aynur, a student on the English Literature BA Honours course, is part of the Student Sustainability Team and works to engage fellow students in sustainability and sustainable practices. She ran a How Bad Are Bananas game which compares the carbon footprint of everyday objects and activities.

Dularee Goonetilleke, a Sustainability Coordinator on the Sustainability Team, said: "I was thrilled to see students and colleagues engaging in our workshops and activities. It is so important we consider our personal impact and adjust some of our normalised habits. The Repair Fair was a fantastic way to start a conversation about waste, reuse and recycling."

Aleyna Aynur said: “The Repair Fair provided an amazing opportunity for students and staff to engage in meaningful discussions and share insights on waste, reuse and recycle! All activities and games were great fun and prompted us to reflect on our environmental footprint."

The University of Westminster has a strong focus on waste reduction, reuse and recycling. For the 2023/24 academic year, the University aims to achieve a 99% diversion from landfill, which can be aided by the consumer behaviour changes emphasised at this fair.

This event directly contributed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and 13: Climate Action. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Find out more about sustainability at Westminster in the University's Sustainable Development Goals Report.