NUS Student Green Fund Bid- University of Birmingham Guild of Students 1.

Project title: Food Sustainability on Campus Growing, Consumption, Attitudes & Behaviour 2. Executive summary This proposal aims to promote food sustainability and environmental awareness, whilst creating ethical jobs and volunteering opportunities at the same time. The programme will be based on three activities: 1. A sustainable food-growing scheme on campus, whereby volunteers can grow a range of their own organically grown fruit and vegetables on currently redundant land. 2. A VegBox delivery service will provide students with fresh and sustainable produce. Corresponding recipe booklets will also be produced. Ready recipe bundles will be sold in University franchises, using the produce. Further to this, a fruit and vegetable stall will be run on The Vale, the Universitys largest first-year student accommodation hub. 3. A vegetarian cooked food outlet. Alongside these different aspects of the project, food-waste disposal advice will be provided with different containers available for purchase, cooking demonstrations of sustainable recipes will be organized with videos produced, and there will be educational campaigns that raise awareness about food and how it relates to issues surrounding healthy living and sustainability. Five year financial plan summary: Summary Revenue Direct Costs Overheads Operating profit

Year 1 5625 -4000 -44,528 -42,903

Year 2 71,000 -52,205 -45,662 -26,242

Year 3 107,625 -64,805 -41,085 1735

Year 4 127,800 -72,365 -41,201 14,234

Year 5 127,800 -72,365 -41,177 14,258

It is anticipated that the business will generate a profit from year 3 onwards and our target is 12% operating profit by year 4. The initial investment of 266,226 over two years will cover: 1) losses in the first two years 2) Initial capital outlay 3) Further green initiatives including workshops, promotions and internships 4) Funding contingency 3. Students union leading the proposal The University of Birmingham is a Russell Group university in Birmingham, West Midlands. The institution is made up of five Colleges: Life & Environmental Sciences, Medical & Dental Sciences, Engineering & Physical Sciences, Social Sciences and Arts & Law). The activities are split over two campuses, with the majority of those taking place at the Edgbaston Campus. The Guild represents 28,000 students, with 60 FTE staff members (including 250 part-time student staff), and an annual turnover in excess of 4m. The Guild of Students has put increasing emphasis on ethical and environmental issues in recent years, which demonstrates our commitment to environmental sustainability: We have gone from strength to strength in the Green Impact award receiving Bronze (2008/09), Silver (2009/10) and Gold in 2010/11 and 2011/12. We then went on to take part in and successfully attain Green Impact Gold Standard Excellence in April 2013, through our work towards Greening the Curriculum.
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We campaigned for three years for our university to commit to affiliating to Workers' Rights Consortium (WRC). In November 2012 they made the commitment to sign up to the WRC, taking a firm stand on garment sweatshops in their supply chain and being amongst the first ten universities in the UK to do so. The position of VP Democracy and Resources has, as of this year, revised the title to VP Democracy, Resources and Sustainability. A 1000 environmental pot has been created this year which any students wishing to undertake environmental projects can apply to. The Guild have supported the establishment of the Green Bike Project on campus (a bicycle shop run by students as a cooperative opening this year) through giving advice, lobbying the university, and funding tools and other equipment. An Ethical, Environmental, and Procurement Policy was developed and passed this year. Also, through the University of Birmingham we have completed a number of energy-saving projects. Some of them were funded by the SALIX Fund (UK Gov), and include: a new boiler room (750k), sealing of all external windows (20k), changing of 250 light fittings to LED alternatives (4.5k). 4. Other organisations involved

The Guild is forming partnerships with a number of organisations as well as various departments, groups and academics within the University to deliver this project. These organisations include: Northfield Ecocentre; a Birmingham based charity which teaches and promotes sustainability through energy advice services and community food growing amongst other activities. They will play an advisory role, and we will support each other via mutual promotion. The partnership will be managed by regular contact with a designated member of staff/student volunteer with their different Community Engagement Co-ordinators Growing Birmingham: a local food-growing organisation which focuses on allotments, community orchards and parks, and the role of technology in the future and development of sustainable food activities in urban areas. We are looking to gain advice, share best practice, engage in mutual promotion, and offering workshops and volunteering opportunities from these organisations. We will also subscribe to the NUS-led Student Eats project. The Guild's Conservation Volunteers Society, which will be crucial in our attempts to make the area of food production into a beneficial location for local wildlife and ecosystems. The University's Student and Staff Grow Club. For advice, engagement and promotion. 5. Contact person for the proposal Leander Jones Job title: Vice-President Democracy and Resources Guild of Students, Edgbaston Park Road, B15 2TU 0121 251 2337 Email: vpdr@guild.bham.ac.uk

Name: Address: Phone:

6. Funding request summary Funding is requested as follows; Year 1 140,799 Year 2 125,427 Total 266, 226

Capital items %

49,400 20%

In kind-contributions secured: Total 242,718 The use of four large disused glass houses for growing vegetables (160,000) The use of one large polytunnel. (8,000) 3 acres of outdoor land (50,000) Guild staff time (17,518 over the first two years) Free business advice/consultancy (7,200)
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7. Rationale for project The main aim of this project is to change the behaviour of students at the University of Birmingham to adopt a more positive attitude towards food sustainability and healthy living. We aim to not only raising awareness of sustainability issues on a global scale, but to give students ownership and the ability to make an impact on these issues on a local level. We want to see a change in the way students think about food and the choices they can make surrounding growing, buying and cooking food in a sustainable and healthy way. Moreover, the educational workshops and the teaching of skills, such as cooking and making healthy food choices, directly link in the food-growing scheme with sustainable development of the individual. These are skills and lifestyle choices that will not only shape their development into adulthood but also shape wider society as they move on and share their practices and skills with peers and future younger generations. We want to see an increase in environmental awareness and engagement with tackling environmental and ethical issues on campus and within the community. The project also seeks to bring back disused space on campus by making use of the currently abandoned glasshouses, polytunnel, and disused land. While we have not yet conducted extensive market research, there is strong evidence to suggest there is a market for our programme: We aim to recruit upwards of 150 volunteers a year for the overall programme. We base this estimation on figures from the Student Grow Club run by Winterbourne Gardens at the University. This scheme has 50 places available, which are filled quickly, suggesting that there is a high demand for such initiatives. The Guild have various outlets for promotion such as student media, social media, and the Guild website. Moreover, we hold many large events which can be used as a basis for promotion. For example, we are able to promote these schemes through our Welcome Week events (Freshers Fair alone has a footfall of over 10,000 students); this is an effective way to engage first years particularly. There is currently a fruit and vegetable stand on campus which is very successful with second, third years and postgraduate students. By bringing the food box scheme and vegetable stand to The Vale, the main hub of first-year accommodation, we are directly facilitating accessibility and engaging with a huge network of first-year students. The local pub nearest to campus the only establishment in the local food court that sold burgers and the campus Burrito van, have recently closed down (not for financial reasons), meaning that a gap in the market has opened for a food outlet such as our vegetarian-cooked food outlet. It is also important to note that the visibility of location for the growing space that the University have given us is an excellent promotional advantage. It is next to a critical entry path which leads from The Vale, the largest first-year accommodation area, to University campus. This makes it directly visible to over 2500 first-year students who will regularly walk that way to and from campus to lectures, on-campus activities and events, sports grounds, training facilities and the closest transport links to the city (University station). Moreover, we intend to carry out detailed market assessment at the beginning and throughout our programme (with monthly feedback). This will allow us to tailor the vegetable boxes and the products sold in the food outlet to student demand (and to change with changing market patterns). This research will also be used as a promotional tool. Engaging first years is central to our approach to behavioural change, as research has shown that people are more likely to adopt new forms of behaviour during periods of wider change in their lives. Thus, targeting those who are living away from home for the first time and are in an unfamiliar setting is advantageous as it will be easier to shape their norms of conduct. We expect that students expectations will change and begin to drive the agenda for sustainable change on campus. The Guild have, as of this year, begun to work with CitizensUK the organisation is delivering a training session to the new Sabbatical Officer team this summer on Community Organising. We have been inspired by their methods, and feel that there are many lessons we can draw from Community Organising as an engagement method to achieve behavioural change. This involves mobilising communities or subgroups via targeting opinion leaders and gatekeepers, using social networks and identifying allies to help spread the message.
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Success in the immediate term will look like at least 150 sign-ups during Welcome Week and a substantial number of students who then remain active members of the project throughout the year who regularly participate in and promote activities. The vegetable-box direct-delivery system will be up and running smoothly with at least a 80% satisfaction rating. The fruit and vegetable stall on The Vale will have regular customers and positive feedback, as is the same for the vegetarian food outlet on campus. The programme will be financially self-sustaining overall, with elements of the project creating income to subsidise others. of the project. In the long-term, success of our project will be a change in the behaviour and attitude of a more educated and engaged community, University and student body on sustainability, the way we think about food and the choices we make surrounding growing and cooking food in a sustainable and healthy way. Students will have an increasing and developing interest, passion and know-how for the sustainable development of our campus and community. 8. Aims of project

Aim 1: Change behaviour and attitudes towards food sustainability eating, buying, production, minimising waste and increase awareness of environmental and ethical issues generally. Aim 2: Create a financially sustainable social enterprise that delivers the objectives of the programme. Aim 3: Material changes in student behaviour on campus changing diets via increasing the availability of healthy vegetarian food, and getting people involved in food growing. Aim 4: Increase a practical set of skills which will develop the individual and benefit the wider community (listed in section 13). Aim 5: Bring back disused space on University campus and turn it into productive land that benefits the ecosystem. 9. Project plan

We want to promote food sustainability, environmental awareness, and create ethical jobs for students. Our plan is as follows: 1. Sustainable Food Growing We are intending to have a sustainable food growing scheme. This will utilise currently disused space on university property to grow fruit and vegetables organically. This area of land will also be used to promote sustainability, for example by encouraging the growth of native plants and the flourishing of wildlife, e.g. through measures such as bird boxes and bee-keeping. The food will be grown and harvested primarily by student volunteers, and will supply the student VegBox scheme (below). A variety of vegetables will be grown the range will be agreed by the volunteers with advice from the project team and our partners. It will be coordinated by one part-time member of staff (Project Assistant), who will, among other things, be responsible for recruiting student and staff volunteers to grow and harvest the produce, coordinating with local urban veg initiatives and sharing best practice, and organising training for the volunteers. Horticultural training will be provided at a discounted rate by the horticultural specialists at the Winterbourne gardens to at least ten people a year these will be train the trainer sessions. The people receiving the training will then be expected to train the rest of the volunteers. The Project Assistant will also be available on-site at least weekly to give growing advice to the volunteers, and will provide other information, such as crop charts, to students. They will ensure the maintenance of the allotments especially important during busy periods for students, e.g. exam time. 2. Sale of food to students using the Veg Box concept We will also be running a VegBox scheme, which will deliver fruit and vegetables to peoples doorstep (or offices) which will be supplied by the growing initiative. The sorting and delivery will be done by student volunteers (with the Project Assistant ensuring delivery if there is a shortage of labour at a given time) using cargo bicycles. The databases, sales and any necessary procurement will be overseen by the Programme Leader, but the aim would be for students to be able to eventually run this element. The University have agreed to provide us with indoor space for vegetable storage. We expect to be able to supply 60-80 vegetable boxes a week initially (if we utilise 1 acre of the land
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provided, plus the poly tunnels and glass houses; we have the option to expand as there are an additional two acres available if the scheme is very successful). This estimation is based on figures from Ideal for All a similar sized growing project locally in Birmingham. If necessary, the food boxes will be supplemented by procurement of locally produced sustainable food. If desired, following feedback from initial trials of the scheme, sustainable locally procured dried and canned vegetarian food could be added to the food boxes, similar to other local models. Students who volunteer in the growing scheme will be able to come and pick their own veg boxes for free (although there will be a limit on size of the veg box). Students who pay for the veg boxes will have the option of receiving free delivery of the boxes to their doorstep, or being able to come and pick their own veg box. The advantages of this latter option are that: they will be able to tailor the boxes to their preferences; they will be able to see where their vegetables are coming from, and gain the satisfaction from being in touch with nature and the novelty of picking their own food, which will make them more likely to continue to choose these vegetables above buying them at the supermarket; it will encourage students to volunteer their time towards the growing scheme. 3. Open a vegetarian cooked food outlet on campus Thirdly, we intend to open a Big Green Eating Machine a vegetarian cooked food outlet adjacent next to the Guild of Students building. This food offer will not only provide students with healthy sustainable food that will act an alternative to the normal commercial options available on campus, but will help engage them with the other elements of our Green food programme via informational leaflets, and cooking demonstrations (below). The pricing of the food will reflect the fact that many students are on low budgets. Additional elements for expansion of programme: A booklet of sustainable vegetarian recipes will be produced and distributed, based on seasonal vegetables. This will provide students with healthy vegetarian recipes to try to combat the culture of typically meat-heavy diets among students. This will also be used as a promotional tool at the beginning of the programme (distributed to all 1st years). Corresponding ready recipe bundles with attached single recipes from the booklet will be sold in University franchises, consisting of food supplied by the food box scheme. The University have agreed to allow the scheme to run a vegetable stall on the Vale (a first year student social/residential hub) once a week, where volunteers will sell loose veg and the ready recipes. Advice on sustainable waste disposal will be offered to students, and boxes/bins will be sold to students who wish to buy them. Cooking demonstrations will be used to promote the scheme. These demonstrations can be filmed (at no cost) by Guild media student groups and directed through all student media channels. The Programme Leader will, with the help of academics develop a series of lectures, seminars, educational workshops, and campaigns around wider issues of sustainability. These will be available to students and also university staff, and will aim to broaden peoples understanding of the purposes of sustainable living in the context of global environmental limits. The three main areas of this programme, as well as the additional elements, are very much integrated, and will be mutually promoting, and mutually supportive in terms of sharing ideas, skills, knowledge of sustainability issues, etc. 10. Partnership plan Our institution supports this programme at a range of levels outlined below: 1. The Pro Vice Chancellor for Estates (one of our referees) and Infrastructure, and the University Sustainability Task Group have offered their advice and expertise on many occasions, throughout preparation of this bid. 2. We have had significant support from the Director of Hospitality and Accommodation Services to support us in delivering events and activities in Halls of Residence, and a commitment to sell
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3.

4. 5. 6.

fresh produce on the Vale. He also committed the university to being the buyer-of-last-resort for our vegetables. We have also obtained a commitment from the Curator of the Universitys Winterbourne Gardens to provide subsided horticultural training to the project team and student trainers involved in the vegetable growing scheme, who will subsequently train other students engaged in the project. We will be working with the Estates team through their Greens and Gardens team to bring back to use a currently unused area of land. We have identified key academics who we intend to approach for expertise and advice on the Steering group, as well as our educational lectures. We will work with the Green Bike Project in mutual promotion, and will receive maintenance for our Cargo bicycles at discounted rates.

The Guilds strategic vision is to help students get the best from Birmingham which compliments the University theme to provide our students with a distinctive, high quality experience'. We see this project coming into line one of key themes around Fun, by providing safe and affordable spaces, and a varied range of activities such as this project. Environmental sustainability is core part of the University and Guild strategy with a target to achieve a 20% reduction in carbon emissions. This project will assist in this mission by: Influencing and changing behaviours in diet and nutrition, discouraging meat consumption and encouraging vegetarian and vegan options (with a much lower carbon footprint and environmental impact) Reducing travel requirements by basing the allotments directly on campus conveniently located near to the main halls of residences, and delivering food to people's doors via bicycle. Students buying food from the scheme will mean food supplied to campus that is grown organically, without any harmful pesticides and fertilisers. Raising awareness about sustainability issues, thus boosting the success of the other behaviour change schemes run at the university, e.g. Student Switch Off. The Guild is part of the established Sustainability Task Group, which has a stake in achieving reductions in carbon emissions. It is partly through this group that the Guild can influence University behaviours and engage with academic staff and senior management. Further to this, our relationship and influence with the Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and also the Curriculum Review group has seen us influencing academic behaviour. 11. Legacy plan The legacy of the project will be ensured through a number of measures: 1. Developing skills and cementing lifelong attitudes and behaviours in students towards growing their own food 2. Developing a business that makes a surplus that can be reinvested back into growing the programme (15% operating profit target) 3. Institutionalising the programme in the university's agenda by showing its benefits to students, to student recruitment, and reinforcing its sustainability objectives 4. Generating long term commitment to continue the work of the project in the Guild via democratic mandates and Officer training/role descriptions 5. Establishing project partnerships both with the academic community and the local community in and around the University 6. Publicising the programme heavily and allowing opportunities for feedback to ensure it is popular with students 7. Set up a partnership agreement between the Guild and the University to jointly fund a least one staff post. 8. Establish a student allotment society to continue this work 9. Prioritise creating an effective leadership team

The project will help transform student behaviours. From the transition of moving away from home into 1st year University accommodation through into second year living independently in a shared house, behaviours will have begun to change. By growing food we hope to see a change in eating habits, with students becoming healthier and more aware of where their food originates from. Bringing people together into a cohesive and fun manner is something that the Guild already has track record of delivering through its 200+ student groups and societies. We aim to start a student group or society specifically dedicated to this programme, to ensure student engagement in the project throughout the years. This will compliment, work alongside and support the three other environmental societies at the Guild (Conservation Volunteers, EnviroSoc, and People and Planet), who all share similar aims, but target and deliver different kinds of projects. The society will have access to a wide range of student groups resources, as well as a promotional stand at Societies Fairs (attended by thousands of students keen to get involved in activities and volunteering). This is a strong way to ensure continuity within the project and a means to promote directly to and within the student body. This By supporting students to work and volunteer together in a safe and supported way, we hope that the project will help break down barriers to participation, and creating a new and lasting community of food growers. The role of the Vice President Democracy and Resources (VPDR) is due to change to VP Democracy, Resources and Sustainability reflecting the Guilds commitment to ensuring that sustainability is key in the Guilds democratic structures. This will help ensure Officer leadership, and the positions next year for this role and the Ethical and Environmental Officer are being filled by people who are in enthusiastic support of this project. Moreover, continuity can be ensured via Guild Council mandates. A mandate was recently passed for incoming officers to continue the work started by the VPDR on Greening the Curriculum. We plan to do something in a similar vein for this. The VPDR will be a member of both the Steering Group and chairing Management Committee, putting student leadership at the heart of the project and also providing consistency and continuity between the 2 groups. This post will also sit on the University Sustainability Task group and Fair Trade group and will foster a sense of community and provide continuity between all the related interest groups. Financial legacy financial expectations over a five year period:

Notes: Number of veg boxes sold based on numbers from Ideal for All - a similar sized project locally, which sells 80 boxes weekly. We think 50 is a reasonable target to begin with, and then we will scale up over three years as the scheme becomes more well known. Due to the fact that we won't be able to get the veg box scheme going until January/February of the first year, we budgeted for the first year for the scheme to be running for 17 weeks. In the following years, it will be running for the whole 32 weeks of the academic year. The Project Assistant role will be FT in the first two years, which will be replaced by a 42 week contract thereafter, once the scheme is up and running successfully. The cost per vegetables box will vary from 10-15 approximately, according to the amount of veg available and the desire to offer a variation in the offer (delux vs more basic boxes). 12.50 is an estimated average price that we used for budgeting. The vegetarian cafe will open 5 days a week during its first year, and then we aim to increase that to six days if sales are successful. The opening hours for the sixth day will be based around events at the Guild, e.g. at night time on Saturday during the opening hours of the Fab and Fresh club night. We estimate our number of sales per day on the number of sales of the Burrito van which recently closed down. We will again aim to increase our sales to 150 a day, starting from a more conservative 100 as the scheme is beginning. The average price per item we estimate to be 3.50, based on similar food offers in the local area. The revenue calculations take into account VAT on sales. The depreciation costs are based on estimations by the Guild's Director of Business based on depreciation costs for similar sized units in the Guild. 12. Reach, outcomes and impact statements Project Reach statements: 300 students engaged in food growing across the funded projects over the two years; 2,770 food boxes sold over the first 2 years; 50 academic/ community partners engaged over the two years Project Outcome statements: An 15% increase in student participation in positive environmental actions, such as the food grow project, and other environmental student group memberships; An 20 % institutional increase in student awareness of environmental initiatives, and 10% improvement in curriculum activity on sustainability ; An increase of between 10-15% adoption of pro-environmental behaviours with students; Students who graduate from the University are able to articulate that they have the understanding and skills to take positive actions on sustainability; Students involved in the grow project are more employable being able to demonstrate and articulate the skills and confidence they have developed after being part of this project. Project Impact statements An increase in the LiFE and Green League scores at the University Students adopt green attitudes, behaviours and habits that persist beyond their time in higher education Institutional leaders become more engaged in sustainability, resulting in a more holistic and mainstream approach to sustainability across the institution Student governors, course reps, and academics become more engaged in sustainability, resulting in more courses with embedded sustainability content Institutions become more receptive and collaborative to student opinion and demand on sustainability issues, and act accordingly Institutions integrate sustainability into their graduate attributes Long-term impact (behavioral change)
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Practical knowledge & new skills: see section 13 Health dietary habits: organic and nutritious food, growing and cooking your own meals Food campaigns and educational seminars - sustainable development awareness Measurability of impact = participation in scheme, sustainable food sales, student opinion surveys on sustainability issues, measuring behavioral change 13. Added-value themes Enhancing student employability Students will be taught a number of skills which will be of increasing importance in an economy undergoing transition (with increasing environmental limitations and the imperative to adapt). Skills in sustainability are, according to a recent survey conducted by the Higher Education Academy, of increasing importance to employers, and are considered as part of graduate recruitment. The skills which students will learn include: Horticultural skills surrounding urban food production (training provided) For those volunteers who go on to train other volunteers, they will gain skills in training others and presenting information Increased awareness and understanding of environmental and ethical issues (via educational workshops and lectures) Knowledge about sustainable waste disposal (advice and different bins provided) Knowledge about which foods have high and low impact on the natural environment For those students who are involved in working on the databases, sales and procurement for the veg boxes, they will gain basic knowledge about running a business Increased practical knowledge amongst students in sourcing food sustainably Team working and collective decision-making Knowledge about protecting wildlife Cooking skills (via lessons and demonstrations and recipe bundles) Moreover, we will include these volunteering opportunities as contributing to the Personal Skills Awards a scheme well respected by employers. Engaging hard-to-reach students The food growing scheme in particular does this. It provides a social activity which is different to those which currently dominate student culture in Birmingham which revolve around drinking alcohol, going clubbing, etc., which tend to appeal only to the cohort of more typical (e.g. young, British, non-religious, undergraduate) students, and which exclude others. This is important not just for the activity itself, but to combat isolation among harder-to-reach students, which tends to be significantly higher due to their unwillingness/inability to partake in the more mainstream student activities. Participating in such a growing scheme will likely have the positive effect of building a sense of community for those who are more marginalised in university. The scheme will help to build bridges between different types of students from different backgrounds around a common interest, which will help ensure campus cohesion as well as a sense of inclusion. The glasshouses give us the ability to grow exotic produce, which will garner a more inclusive environment for international students. Cooking demonstrations can be organised around this produce. Moreover, horticultural therapy is prescribed by the NHS to many people with mental illnesses and to facilitate rehabilitation from drug addiction. The food growing programme can provide a relaxing environment and therapeutic activity to students with depression, anxiety, and a host of mental health problems. Building community bridges and strategic community partnerships We will build partnerships with the local community primarily via the organisations and networks we aim to collaborate with, as listed above. This will entail sharing advice and expertise between those who are involved in this programme and people working in community projects. There will also be scope for mutual support in terms of promotion, providing opportunities and delivering educational seminars, e.g. people from the Northfield Ecocentre, academics. We will also offer internships to local young people over summer, and will seek to expanding the schemes up to the community if they are successful.
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Supporting social enterprise Social enterprise used to pay the costs for the scheme, which will compete with commercial profitseeking ventures. Students will learn related skills in the process. 14. Supporting the movement This project will benefit students by introducing them, within their student union, to new ideas about food sustainability, and encouraging students to adopt positive behaviours and habits towards the environment and their health whilst at University. The skills they learn will also enable them to go on to make a positive contribution to the local community and wider society. The broader work of our students union will benefit from this project by bridging the gap between the University and the union through partnership and participation. Moreover, by us running a popular project, and by helping the university meet its sustainability targets, it also gives us greater leverage in future discussions and negotiations. It will also be an effective means of engaging a large number of students in the Guild as a whole, and is likely to spark interest in our other campaigns and ideas as a whole. The project will help strengthen the students union movement as a whole by enhancing and contributing to the image of students unions as enablers of sustainability, and by providing food outlets and delivery schemes with sustainable produce, we are strengthening the students union movement as recognised leaders in green supply chains. It will support the Environmental and Ethical strategy plan by being a project delivered to an excellent standard with dedicated and enthusiastic staff and student volunteers, with reviews in place to make sure our work is efficient in strategy and relevant in vision. The project will focus on student participation and the educational workshops and volunteering opportunities will develop skills which contribute to the employability of students. Since we have achieved the Green Impact Students Unions Excellence recognition, this project is a way for our union to remain engaged with the movement and strive to challenge ourselves even further by going on to achieve greater objectives in areas of sustainability otherwise underdeveloped within our local community. The project will increase our profile by creating new platforms to engage with communities and external organisations through partnerships and promotion. This project engages directly with student officers and staff within our union, encouraging pro-active participation and leadership, and we will strive to communicate and market all successes of our work efficiently and with energy. Further to this, our project is a direct way to reach out to all students and contribute to the student union movement by engaging not only with a large number of first-year students by the location of the food allotments and vegetable stand on The Vale, but by having an accessible food-outlet directly on campus, and running the food-box delivery scheme in and around campus so that 2nd and 3rd years can engage with the project too. 15. Monitoring and evaluation plan Monitoring activity will take place as follows: Project - Monthly satisfaction/evaluation forms completed by the volunteers will be collected on site - these will be collated into a spreadsheet on a monthly basis, by the project assistant. Veg boxes- students who purchase veg boxes will be asked for their email address and sent a link to complete a feedback form on line. These forms will be monitored on monthly basis by student staff within the Marketing team, and monthly summary reports produced for the project team. Food Offer - as part of the Guild regular monitoring of services, regular mystery customer audits will take place at the Food offer. This will be collated and summary reports produced 3 x per term, by student staff within the Marketing team. Evaluation activity will take place as follows: Launch events- in years 1 and 2 a short survey will be developed to measure baseline attitudes and student understanding and awareness Freshers Survey- the Guild will build questions into the annual Freshers (1st years only) Survey regarding attitudes to sustainability, and understanding and awareness of the project. This Survey
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will also collect details from students who state they are interested in learning more and/ or becoming engaged with the project. This will be delivered through the Marketing team, and our 3rd party research company, Alterline. Evaluation year 1 and 2 -the project will commission an team from the university to undertake evaluation of the project at the end of year 1 and year 2. 10% of the budget has been set aside for monitoring and evaluation activity. The Guild has significant experience of regularly researching activity and attitudes with its members. The Guild works with a 3rd party supplier, Alterline to monitor and evaluate attitudes and behaviours within the student population. The Guild regularly reviews services and events to gauge customer feedback through surveys, face to face focus group activity and questionnaires to gain qualitative and quantitative data from its members. 16. Marketing, communications and media plan Target audiences - students at the University of Birmingham, particularly: Students on a budget Students that are concerned about ethical and environmental issues; Hard-to-reach groups in the university Sub-groups in the university (via targeting 'opinion leaders' community organising techniques); Arts, Humanities and Social Science students with more time outside of teaching hours; First year students, particularly those living on the Vale; Staff at the University Local community (visibility of scheme and offering advice and help to those wanting to do similar things, maybe) Students who are keen to volunteer Students interested in sport and health Key messages to target groups: Learn about where your food comes from Learn about environmental sustainability Learn how to live cheaply and healthily Have fun in a different way (without alcohol etc.) Learn skills to enhance employability Join a community of like-minded people PR Opportunities and Engagement methods: Visibility of programme: veg stall on central area of the Vale, land for growing next to path used by thousands of students; food outlet in central location next to the Guild of Students building. Community Organising: as explained in section 7. Utilising existing environmental societies for their networks and promotion Start a new student society Publicised launch events with high profile individuals in attendance and media coverage. Giving students ability to participate in decision making where possible, e.g. with food offer, or with vegetables grown, to gain buy-in. Volunteering Fair (September 2013): the project could advertise volunteering opportunities and the other ways for students to get involved in project. Go Green Week (February 2014): The project will partner effectively with other marketing efforts. Community Day (June 2014): The project could promote the scheme to the wider community at this event (approx. 12,000 attendees).
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Summary The Guild of Students will utilise its many established communications channels to effectively reach key stakeholders with an overarching message, and to target individual stakeholder groups with tactical messages throughout the project. These channels include the Guilds website; a dedicated section will house information on the project and will be updated frequently, the project will also be given a homepage presence. Key messages and updates throughout the campaign will be disseminated via Guild social media profiles. Supporting materials will be produced, where appropriate, using the Guilds in-house marketing team. Marketing collateral will include: flyers, posters (to be displayed within the Guild building both in print and electronically on screens, and across campus), and video production. Making use of the access to University communications channels, key messages and campaign updates will also be issued to the Universi tys central marketing department and spread via its student portal, website, and e-communications. Lastly, the Guild will call upon local media outlets, in particular the Birmingham Mail which the Guild has built and maintained and positive relationship with. Reporters at the Mail and other local press including the Birmingham Post, Express & Star, BBC Midlands Today, Central News and BBC WM, Sustainability West Midlands (online), Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (online) and other environmentally and volunteer specialist sites will all be included on any press release distribution list. Related key words will be provided to the Guilds existing press monitoring service, Precise, in order to collate coverage of the campaign and used to celebrate the projects developments. 17. Key milestones chart Key milestone Establishing leadership team and regular meetings Completed Sept Anticipated Outcome(s) Review of strategy and timings in detail based on objectives - crucial for effective implementation of scheme, allocation of budgets and agreeing responsibility Start getting sign-ups

3 4 5 6

Soft launch for the food growing and veg box schemes. (Stall at Fresher' Fair; advertising at other Welcome Week events) Market research for cooked food outlet (in conjunction with annual Guild market research). Training for 10 people by horticultural experts Preparation of land for the food growing scheme Hard launch of the food growing scheme

Sept/Oct 2013 Promotion & to tailor products sold to students based on demand. Supports training of volunteers when the food growing scheme starts Land ready for food growing, allowing the scheme to commence after the launch High profile launch attended by the Vice Chancellor, local politicians and M.P.s, and other well-known local figures & media Cooking demonstrations and recipe bundles prepared as examples of what is to come & also promotes the Veg Box Scheme Establishes how much can be supplied via veg growing scheme for provision of veg box, based on number of volunteers Procurement for additional veg if needed Buying equipment Gathering volunteer interest in veg box delivery and sorting Two launches due to harvest times. Re-launch in September with emphasis on first years during Welcome Week.

Nov 2013 2013 Nov 2013 Nov/Dec Jan/Feb 2014

Preparation for veg box scheme: space, procurement, and equipment

2014 March/April

Hard launch of Veg box scheme. Veg stall on the Vale opens, recipe booklet ready (mutually promoting initiatives)

2014 May, Sept 2014

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Hard launch for the cooked food outlet Bi-weekly cooking demonstrations launched (for one year only)

High profile and well publicised to generate interest for scheme Promotional tool for the catering unit and the 2014 October programme as a whole 2014 Sept

18. Gantt Chart

19. Project team Project team Programme Leader (FT) Project Assistant (FT for first two years, and 42 weeks a year thereafter) VP Democracy & Resources VP Sport VP Activities & Development Ethical & Environmental Officer Facilities Manager (experience in supporting delivery of green impact award for 5 years, experienced line manager, experienced in delivery costed projects on budget and on time) Curator Head of Grounds & Gardens Sustainability and Environmental Advisor 1 x Academic member of staff 1 x representative from local community partnership groups 20. Project leadership, governance and accountability The Steering Committee (membership below) will be responsible for the oversight, financial, reputational and progress of the project, ensuring it is meeting its project aims, and will provide advice, guidance and support. It is envisaged that the Steering Committee will meet at least quarterly and in the month preceding the requirement for the Quarterly report to NUS. This group will approve the Quarterly reports and will provide the check and balance to the Management Board. The Steering Committee will be chaired by the President, who as the lead Student Officer will be the accountable officer. As the Vice Chair of the Trustee Board this role will prove an important link. The Guild Chief Executive and Student Community Welfare Manager will also be a member of this Committee to ensure the long term continuity between the Guild Officer group year on year. The Quarterly reports
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Project funded Yes Yes

Funded in kind

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

will also be provided to Trustee Board, who will provide additional oversight and support. The reports will also be provided to Guild Council to encourage engagement and interest in the project with the student body. Project Steering Committee Project Management Board President (chair) VP Democracy & Resources (chair) VP Democracy & Resources VP Sport Community Action Officer VP Activities & Development CEO Guild Ethical & Environmental Officer Student Community Welfare Manager Guild Project Team leader NUS Project Officer Student Eats Facilities Manager Guild Cultural Partnerships Manager (Winterbourne Curator (Winterbourne House and Garden) House and Garden) PVC Estates & Infrastructure (University) Head of Grounds & Gardens (University) 1 x Academic member of staff (Bio Sciences & Sustainability and Environmental Advisor Geography) (University) 1 x representative from local community 1 x Academic member of staff (Bio Sciences & partnership groups Geography) 1 x representative from Birmingham City Council 1 x representative from local community partnership groups The Management Board (membership above) will be responsible for the day to day running of the projects, setting the project objectives, managing the budget, managing the team and volunteers, developing local relationships and partnerships. It is envisaged that the Management Board will meet at monthly and sign off the monthly reports to NUS. This group will report into the Steering Committee, and make any decisions regarding day to day activity in line with the projects aims and objectives. The group will provide the Quarterly reports for the Steering Committee to approve and the Management Board will be chaired by the Vice President Democracy & Resources. As a Trustee of the Guild, and also as a member of other campus environmental and sustainability groups this Officer will also sit on the Steering Committee to provide an important link across all the groups. The Guild Facilities Manager (working closely with the VPDR on NUS Green Impact and the Environmental & Ethical Committee) and will also be a member of this Committee to ensure the long term continuity between the Guild Officer group year on year. The monthly reports will also be provided to the Guild Senior Management team, who will provide additional support. The project will be run through the Guild with appropriate authority delegated in accordance with the Guild Delegation of Authority Policy and Financial Procedure Manual. The Guild has significant experience of successfully running ring fenced separately funded projects on a full co st recovery basis. The Guild currently runs 3 projects of this nature which include: Community Wardens based in the local student community (65k pa); Student Mentors based in University accommodation (350k pa); and Residents Associations also in University accommodation. (500k pa). The budget and financial oversight will also be scrutinised by the Guild Finance Committee and Trustee Board 20. Value for money

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We will be putting everything out to tender where possible, and will seek the best value products, e.g. when buying capital equipment. We will aim to reduce wastage We will reuse resources where possible, e.g. by converting our used cooking oil into energy for future cooking/heat generation. We will grow seasonal vegetables only to save on heating and increase volume. We have negotiated a discount on horticultural training by Winterbourne via group sessions. A select number of volunteers will be trained by professionals annually, who will then be able to train additional volunteers for free. 21. Equality We will have accessible locations for food growing, which will give people who have grown up in cities an opportunity that they may not have had before. Emphasise inclusivity in promotion and recruitment advertising. The path is accessible and we will ensure the site is wheelchair friendly Also refer to Section 13: Engaging Hard to Reach Students 22. Project risks and mitigations 1. Poor quality land The university have assured us that the land has not been used for anything in the past that could have caused substantial soil damage and have confirmed that the land is safe for growing. The land will be tested before use and if the soil is problematic another area provided. 2. Low uptake from students
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4.

5.

6.

7.

We will mitigate against this by identify methods used by similar schemes for engagement and participation. We will look into opening up the scheme to others, e.g. staff, schools (and prospective students), and other members of the community. We will be flexible with timetabling for the programme and make adjustments as necessary We will look to selling individual produce in addition to the boxes. Unable to produce enough vegetables to meet demand We will seek horticultural advice from surrounding allotments/projects and Winterbourne gardens. We will look to change the vegetables we are growing. We will supplement our offer in the short term if required. Not enough students buying our cooked food to generate revenue We will give frequent opportunities for students to feedback on our offer, aiming to be responsive and diversify the products sold as required. Our marketing campaign will give students a sense of ownership over the scheme generate customer loyalty. Unable to source a suitable catering unit. Seek advice from other, similar ventures Seek a suitable contract with the University, which ensures delivery of outcomes Health & safety Seek advice from the University on storage, refrigeration and other compliance standards Ensure compliance on catering legislation and liaise with the Environment Agency Unviable Business Plan Have already consulted heavily with contact of ours Mike Gibbin (MD and board director for international industrial companies such as Spirax Sarco Plc and Comau (Fiat). Now working as a consultant and start up board director) about the business plan to work out details and ensure feasibility. Maintain regular consultation as the programme develops with Mike Gibbin, as well as the Guild's Director of Business, and contacts at the University.

23. Confirmation of approval This application is approved by the President David Franklin, and the Chief Executive, Jo Thomas 24. Other applications The main aim of other proposal is to reduce the energy consumption of student Birmingham. Engagement with either of the projects will teach skills directly and knowledge. The two taken together would have a very powerful impact; massively and shifting the culture at the University of Birmingham towards prioritising sustainability (this our work on Greening the Curriculum), and likely catalysing other initiatives. 25. Letters of support housing in build local irreversibly is aided by

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