Biodiversity
Biodiversity is about the variety and variability of life on earth. We all contribute in one way or the other to biodiversity. At the University of Sunderland, we try and encourage biodiversity in many ways.
Grass on campus
As the grass is cut frequently it is unnecessary to remove most of the risings off-site. Benefits of risings left on site are they return valuable nitrogen and trace nutrients back to the soil and help form humus to loosen hard soils, making oxygen and nutrients available to grassroots and helping to retain moisture.
All green waste generated is locally recycled and brought back to the University grounds for use, therefore closing the loop on this waste. Benefits of recycling all green waste include energy conservation, reduction of air and water pollution, reduction of greenhouse gases and conservation of natural resources.
Bird boxes
As part of our environmental sustainability agenda, we collaborate with the National Trust who facilitated the assembly of small boxes for use on our campus.
This provided an opportunity for our staff to do something different for an hour in an informal, relaxing environment, with no previous experience of DIY required. This type of activity is linked to improved mental wellbeing through learning, creating something and feeling part of our campus community.
The boxes (29 in total), which were sited around the campus, are aimed at targeting the following species: House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Rob Pied Wagtail.
