For me, sustainability is not just about saving the planet \u2013 it\u2019s also about making life better, calmer, and sometimes funnier. Every time I get close to nature, I feel a mysterious healing power. Once, standing in the Sahara Desert under a sky full of stars, I felt both tiny and deeply connected to something bigger. The next morning, I tripped over my backpack while running to catch the sunrise, which taught me another lesson: nature is beautiful, but it does not provide health insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I worked as a tour guide in the Scottish Highlands, I expected the hills to get boring after a few weeks. Spoiler: they didn\u2019t. They were like influencers who never repeat outfits \u2013 green in spring, glamorous in summer, golden in autumn, and minimalist in winter. Watching those changes made me realise that nature is the ultimate content creator, and sustainability is simply about making sure the show never gets cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In daily life, I hate wasting things, so I often try to give objects a second life. \ud83d\udce6 Moving boxes have become makeshift tables and pen holders. Old clothes? I stitched them into a colourful rug that now sits proudly in my living room. Friends sometimes laugh at my \u201cDIY chic\u201d style, but honestly, it\u2019s IKEA without the hex key. Sustainability doesn\u2019t have to be boring \u2013 it can be creative, practical, and surprisingly fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also love stories of people who prove that small actions matter. My favourite is Jadav Payeng, the \u201cForest Man of India,\u201d who planted trees every day for decades and ended up creating a whole forest. \ud83c\udf33 If one man can grow a forest, then surely my recycled rug counts as a mini rainforest in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, living sustainably as a student has its own comedy. I\u2019ve become a master at chasing student discounts \u2013 sometimes asking \u201cDo you do a student discount?\u201d before I even say hello. It\u2019s sustainable for my wallet if not always for my social confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my student flat, I\u2019ve also learned that saving energy is a group project. I once proudly announced I was switching off all the unused plugs \u2013 only to discover I\u2019d unplugged the WiFi router and become the least popular person in the building. Another time, I tried taking \u201cshorter showers to save water,\u201d but got so stressed about the ticking timer on my phone that I forgot to shampoo. Apparently, eco-friendly and absent-minded is a dangerous combination. But these moments remind me that sustainability isn\u2019t about being perfect. It\u2019s about trying, laughing at the mistakes, and learning to do better next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I first arrived in the UK, I thought \u201cSubway\u201d meant the metro. \ud83d\ude87 After 30 minutes of searching, I found\u2026 a sandwich shop. My collection of tote bags has also grown to an impressive jungle. I buy one almost every time I forget to bring one, which means I now own enough to start a shop of my own. If you ever need an emergency tote, I\u2019m basically a walking storage unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then there\u2019s food. I hate wasting it, so I experiment with \u201ccreative leftover cooking.\u201d Sometimes it\u2019s genius (curry fried rice is now my speciality). Sometimes\u2026 less so. But nothing goes to waste, and at least my vlog audience gets entertainment out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cycling has been another adventure. I started biking more to be greener and healthier, but my sense of direction is terrible. Let\u2019s just say I now know corners of Canterbury that don\u2019t appear on Google Maps. Sustainability: 1. My navigation: 0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joining SGO feels like the perfect way to bring all these pieces together \u2013 the inspiring moments, the creative hacks, and the ridiculous mistakes. I want to show that sustainability doesn\u2019t have to feel intimidating or guilt-driven. It can be quirky, personal, and full of stories that make people smile. Through blogs, vlogs, and events, I\u2019d love to make sustainability feel like something we want<\/em> to do, not something we have<\/em> to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m really looking forward to meeting many of you. Let\u2019s make this year full of good ideas, funny stories, and greener choices. And if you forget your tote bag? Don\u2019t worry \u2013 I probably have three spares with me already. \ud83d\ude09\ud83d\udc9a<\/p>\n\n\n\n By Huiwen Wang, SGO Projects Officer<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hi everyone! \ud83d\udc4b I\u2019m Huiwen, and I\u2019m thrilled to be joining the Student Green Office this year. \ud83c\udf3f I\u2019m a PhD researcher at CCCU exploring how AI can support students\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":331329,"featured_media":20582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,66],"tags":[334,366,1822,1942,1954,2014],"class_list":["post-20578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-green-office","category-sustainability-engagement","tag-canterbury-christ-church-university","tag-cccusustainability","tag-sgo","tag-student-blogger","tag-student-green-office","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"authorName":"Bethany Climpson","featuredImage":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/669\/2025\/09\/image.jpeg","postExcerpt":"Hi everyone! \ud83d\udc4b I\u2019m Huiwen, and I\u2019m thrilled to be joining the Student Green Office this year. \ud83c\udf3f I\u2019m a PhD researcher at CCCU exploring how AI can support students\u2019 […]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/331329"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20578"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20594,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20578\/revisions\/20594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/669\/2025\/09\/image-1.jpeg\")
Everyday sustainability (a.k.a. DIY IKEA) <\/strong>\ud83d\udee0\ufe0f<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Student-life sustainability <\/strong>\ud83c\udf92<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Funny mistakes (a never-ending series) <\/strong>\ud83d\ude02<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Looking ahead <\/strong>\ud83d\udca1<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n