A 'QUB Big Spring Clean' on 22 March followed up on Queen's 'Green Week' (Monday 12 – Friday 16 February), held to raise environmental awareness and promote recycling.

QUB Big Spring Clean
At the QUB Big Spring Clean on Thursday 22 March over 40 volunteers came out to help clean the streets of the local neighbourhood. Students and staff used litter-pickers, gloves and bags supplied by Belfast City Council (BCC), concentrating on the area between the Ormeau Road, Agincourt Avenue and Rugby Avenue. The volunteers collected over 50 bags of litter during the course of the morning, before stopping for pizza (organised by BCC in partnership with the South Belfast Partnership Board). The event was organised by Public Engagement, the Estates' Environmental Team and the Students' Union. A short interview with Margarita Petkova (VolunteerSU) and Ryan Feeney (Head of Public Engagement) on Radio Ulster in March helps to explain the rationale and wider context of this event. (Listen here. The interview starts at 2:25:20.)

Green Week 2018 
The Big Spring Clean was a follow-up to Queen's Green Week, highlights this year of which included:

• A tour of the Palm House in Botanic Gardens and a Winter Tree Trail

• An Environmental Quiz hosted by the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Green Teams

• A talk from Kaffe-O's Orla Smyth, who provided an insight into how she runs her business with her own ethics at the forefront, with compostable coffee cups and other environmentally friendly packaging

Botanic Gardens Green Week Tours
On Tuesday 13 February, Queen's staff were invited to Botanic Gardens for a tour led the Palm House gardener, to learn about the plants and the history and heritage of the gardens. On Thursday 25 February, staff were invited back again for a Winter Tree Trail led by volunteer Jonathan Piltchard and craftman gardener Adrienne Armstrong, where we learned about the history of the conifers exhibited in the Gardens. The events were organised and supported by Queen's Environmental Team, Alex McNeill from Belfast City Council and the Friends of Botanic Gardens. Both events were fully booked up and feedback was very positive about the collaboration. More tours will hopefully follow.

You can view a full schedule of 2018 Green Week events here.