Page 9 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2024

GENERAL NEWS

• The QMHA team is looking for bags and pencil cases to sell to raise much carbon has been sequestered
funding to install an anaesthetic gas money for the school. as part of using nature friendly farming
recapture unit. 5% of the gases are We have implanted a bra recycling practices. This will assist the RVC in
absorbed by the patient with the rest scheme on site to take unwanted reaching our net zero target. As part of
emitted to the atmosphere. Despite or unloved bras and raise funds for this, two opportunities have been offered
the QMHA ceasing to use nitrous pioneering breast cancer research. to the RVC and other local university
oxide, anaesthetic gases still have a students to undertake soil sampling and
high global warming potential, the LBIC We donated the furniture from the biodiversity monitoring. 24 students took
has trial in place to recycle lab plastics. 83 bedrooms in College Grove to part in the monitoring
This is a circular economy project charities. Everything from beds to We have had two successful applications
where the lab items are granulated curtains was reused, with approximately to the Woodland Trust to obtain funding
and made into other lab items. 90% of the items in the halls being for trees. 400 trees will be planted
donated rather than disposed of, saving
• Anatomy have changed processes us £25,000. The charities were: around the silage clamp barn at Boltons
to reduce the amount of single Park Farm. Over 200 wild harvest trees
use items used in teaching • British Heart Foundation. and shrubs will be planted to create our
including gloves. • Crisis UK. first silvopasture area at the farm. This
• Ronald McDonald House. will provide living barns for animals and
• An Education Memorial • YMCA. also provide fruit and nuts to produce our
Programme has been established, • Herts Welcomes Refugees. own jams, jellies, wines and more.
which allows owners to donate • West Silvertown Village Community
their pets bodies for teaching or Foundation food pantry. To encourage pollinators and support
research purposes. The occasional our biodiversity strategy, we left areas
cadaver is now being received We reused/rehomed around 90% of grass unmown on the main lawn at
and being embalmed. Previously, of items from the QMHA temporary Hawkshead to support No Mow May.
the dog cadavers had been offices. Some of the furniture has been Funding has been secured from the
coming from the US so this will reused in the new Eclipse offices but British Geological Society to undertake
significantly reduce the carbon we have also: further soil monitoring as part of
footprint for anatomy.
• Given 1.2 tonnes of furniture to our Farming for Carbon and Nature
students/staff and local charities programme. The monitoring will give us a
WASTE
• Collected pens to be recycled more accurate picture of how stable and
A roof has been installed over the silage through our Terracycle box at what depth carbon is in our fields. RVC
clamp at the farm to reduce rainwater run • Given 200 textbooks to students students will be offered the opportunity
off to the lagoon at Boltons Park Farm to via the library to assist the British Geological Society to
reduce the amount of slurry needing to undertake the sampling.
be disposed of due to restrictions posed • Donated items to the RVC archives As part of the Student Learning Centre
by the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone and • Found homes for 16 dog bowls development, a new wildflower
will include rainwater harvesting.
BIODIVERSITY meadow has been created leading to
We have donated seven abandoned the new reception area. The contractor
bikes to Sue Ryder in Welwyn The RVC is taking part in a pilot donated rolls of wildflower turf which we
Garden City. scheme run by Students Organising are using to create additional wildflower
for Sustainability called Farming for space outside the TRACI building next to
Bags of fabric including COVID face Carbon and Nature. This provides
masks and old uniforms have been opportunities for students to take annual the QMHA car park.
donated to a school to make bunting, soil samples to provide data on how

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