Hello! My name is Chris Bamber and I am the new Communications Officer for the Student Green Office. I am a first year computing student returning to education after 15 years in which I have worked for many different companies doing many different things. I have never been afraid to try something new. My roles have never been similar either, from the early days working as vegetable peeler (literally) to cataloguing aircraft parts for a multinational shipping company. By far my longest serving profession to date has been that of a self-employed freelance graphic artist which I have maintained on and off for around ten years – mainly servicing the indie house studios around the world. Since coming back to school this is now my hobby as I have always been artistic by nature and love to create. Anyone who is familiar with ‘GameGuru’ or ‘FPSCreator’ has probably at some point downloaded one of my models.

I decided a few years ago that it was time for a change. There was very little opportunity up North and so I decided on and embarked upon a new career path. When I originally left school and went directly into work, I did so with very little in the way of academic qualifications, but to get the job I now wanted I needed a university degree. With that in mind I packed up the family, after a serious discussion about practicalities and future possibilities, and moved over 300 miles from a tiny town near Manchester in order to attend CCCU where I am now happily enrolled in the first year, aiming for a BSc in Forensic Computing and so far, enjoying every minute of it. I also took the opportunity while down here to enrol at the local CCCU Karate Club and additional classes in Mandarin Chinese. Learning a martial art and a foreign language are both on my bucket list and I was very pleased to be able to do this alongside my degree.

Now, you may be thinking computing is not the sort of profession that people would not normally associate with green-minded individuals, but I have always held a fascination for the natural world and having this opportunity to work in such a capacity whilst studying was an exciting opportunity that I simply could not pass by. I have always believed that a difference in the world can be made if enough people make small changes to the way they live. Even something as seemingly insignificant as turning off a light in an empty room or recycling those empty Pot Noodle cups could have a massive impact on not only the environment, but also your pocket. I am also an advocate of renewable energy, especially solar power as a clean, green and truly renewable source of electricity. If does not have to be expensive either. If you are handy with a pair of snippers it is very possible to make a solar powered battery charger for under a tenner! Not only will this keep the remote control for your TV powered and your clocks spinning for free, but it will save the cost of buying replacements every few months.

So that is basically me. In closing, here something to think about. The population of the United Kingdom is roughly 65 million people, roughly a third are of working age. That is 22 million people. If everyone put a penny in a pot every week – one penny – every week that pile would contain £220,000.

Every Week.

One person may do a lot and make little difference, but a lot of people doing a little bit can make an enormous one.