News

Food for thought on campus

A half-hearted comment from one of the University’s chefs has developed into a successful green initiative on Colchester Campus.

Chef Tony Wall said it would be nice if fresh herbs were grown in the green amphitheatre area, overlooked by the kitchen.

With the help of Estates staff digging out an area, a herb garden has been created, boasting a good selection of fresh herbs including sage, bay, parsley, chives and rosemary. It has been a big hit with the chefs who are now able to use the fresh herbs at the University’s food outlets.

In charge of the project is Hospitality Essex deputy manager Mervyn Smith, who is a keen gardener with his own allotment.

‘The idea has been a great success,’ explained Mr Smith. ‘The herbs are being used on a daily basis by the chefs.’

There are now hopes to expand the garden so salad and vegetable produce and be grown too.

Another successful Hospitality Essex green initiative is the insulated mug scheme, with about 1,000 mugs already been sold this academic year. The mugs can be reused at catering outlets, reducing costs for customers, minimising wastage and protecting the environment. It is estimated that nearly 50,000 discounted hot drinks will be sold this year from outlets.

Since November, Hospitality Essex has also replaced bottled mineral with high-quality purified water produced from an environmentally-friendly filtering system on campus. Already, 800 litres of the purified still and sparkling water have been sold in stylish, re-usable bottles bearing the University logo.

Chef Tony Wall and Hospitality Essex Deputy Manager Mervyn Smith in the herb garden

Blades triumph on Derby Day

Essex students triumphed against regional rivals the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the tenth annual Derby Day sports tournament earlier this month.

More than 1,000 students competed in 27 different sports, and the University’s Essex Blades ran out emphatic winners by 30 events to 15.  Epitomising the Derby Day spirit were the men’s football 2nd and 3rd teams who beat UEA’s 1st and 2nd teams without conceding a goal, and men’s lacrosse, who secured their first ever competitive win.

Co-ordinated between the Essex Students’ Union and their UEA counterparts, this was the biggest Derby Day to be held at the Colchester Campus, and saw Essex defending their unbeaten home record of recent years. However, history was on UEA’s side, having won seven of the nine previous tournaments.

Essex‘s competitive sporting profile continues to rise with University athletes performing well in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS)events, including  recent success in rowing, canoeing, and women’s tenpin bowling. The women’s tennis team, men’s basketball and men’s football 1st team all compete in BUCS finals later this month.

The Big Issue supports new Social Venture Academy

Students are being given a unique opportunity to launch their own social enterprise thanks to an innovative partnership between Essex Business School and one of the country’s most successful social businesses, The Big Issue.

The Social Venture Academy (SVA) is an initiative of the Business School’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group (EIG) which aims to support the creation of innovative social and community enterprises in partnership with community groups in Essex.

Students are being invited to submit proposals for the development of new social enterprises, with the best proposals being submitted to a panel of academics and community representatives at the end of this month.

A final shortlist of students will then be chosen who will be mentored by business school academics and social enterprise experts before their proposals are finally pitched to potential funders towards the end of May.

‘Social enterprises represent one of the fastest growing areas of new venture creation, offering real opportunities for people to establish their own social and economic independence. There is much interest in social enterprise creation and growth in Essex and we believe the Social Venture Academy will contribute significantly to this success,’ said Professor Jay Mitra, Head of the EIG.

 

Also in the printed March edition of Wyvern:

• New look for Square 2
• Food for thought on campus
• Events mark poetry residency