Tuesday 18-07-2017 - 10:21

In July TSDSU’s Green Officer Ella Wilkinson took part in a very unusual training event, organised by People & Planet and based at Giants Seat Campsite near Radcliffe, Manchester. Here’s how she got on…

Until a few weeks ago, I had never even heard of People & Planet, it was only through a chance meeting with the People & Planet Society at Swansea University that I even came to hear about Powershift, the annual training event for student activists and societies. So I thought; “why not?!”... Fast forward two weeks and I’m camping in a field with over fifty people I’ve never met before, some of them campaign-hardened activists and others, like myself, completely new to the activist scene (“I just like trees” was an oft-used phrase).

The five day timetable was jam-packed, with workshops ranging from Power and Privilege to Climate Justice to Campaign Strategy – there was certainly something for everyone! Thursday, Friday and Saturday were based loosely around People & Planets three main campaigns; Fossil Free, Sweatshop Free and Undoing Borders, respectively.

The Fossil Free campaign stems from the idea that Universities are generally large investors, and sometimes they invest in things that are harmful, such as the fossil fuel industry. The argument is that with climate change looming and threatening to cause irreparable damage to our planet, and Universities claiming to have their students best interests (and future!) at heart, so Universities should not be investing in fossil fuels. The money, instead, should be used to fund renewable energy technologies. I found all this very interesting, as I had always taken it for granted – here at UWTSD, the University has already committed to divesting from fossil fuels. In other universities across the UK, students are having to lobby their finance teams to demand divestment from fossil fuels.

The Sweatshop Free campaign is similar to the Fossil Free campaign, except it focusses on procurement as well as divestment. For example, massive amounts of environmental degradation and human rights abuses occur in developing countries as a result of the electronics industry – think mining rare earth metals, think production line assembly in crowded conditions with unfair working hours, are you starting to get the picture? Needless to say, with all the computers, printers, projectors and other electronics, Universities have huge purchasing power in the electronics sector. By affiliating to Electronics Watch, Universities can ensure that their equipment is sourced ethically. Why is this important? Well, for one, it’s the right thing to do, but secondly, the UK is home to a staggering number of International Students, many of whom come from the countries where the electronics industry is having a startlingly negative impact – it stands to reason that these students may not want their fees to be spent on electronics which impact negatively on their home country.

The third campaign, Undoing Borders, relates to the issue of anti-migrant racism occurring in the UK today. The fact is that there is a huge industry which profits massively from the deportation of migrants, legal or otherwise. Certain companies exist that run Immigration Removal Centres, where horrific abuse and misdemeanour take place (such as at Yarl’s Wood women’s removal centre), that also provide services for Universities such as cleaning contracts – the argument is to encourage Universities to cease doing business with these companies and therefore stop students money from lining the pockets of those who profit from Borders.

In addition to the 20+ workshops I attended over Powershift, I also took part in daily Regional Planning sessions with other People & Planet (or equivalent) society members from Wales and the South West. These sessions were useful in that we were able to coordinate our campaigns and events, as well as offering advice and support from our own experience of running environmental events in Universities. As a result of this, we have already planned for a regional gathering in Bristol this November, which I am very excited for!

Every evening we were entertained in the most extravagant fashion, with a talent show, ceilidh (traditional dancing) and games night – I had more fun than I ever thought possible on a training event! To top it all off, I cannot finish this blog without first mentioning the food: all vegan, all delicious. Whilst it was a group effort to chop and prepare enough food for the 80+ attendees, it was completely worth it as I anticipated each and every mealtime with excitement. Hopefully that’ll encourage a few of you to join me next year!