Environment Matters: Helping keep our campus green!
Sustainability Workshop underway on Manchester Met Campus
Now we’ve been back on campus a bit more, we decided it was high time our coordinator Louise Milne got out of the lecture theatre and in amongst the wildlife, by volunteering her services to our Environment Team. Here’s how she got on:
Before Christmas I attended one of our environment team sustainability workshops. The workshop took place at the fruit orchard on our Birley campus, outside Brooks Building. There are several fruit trees planted there, including various plum trees, pear trees, apple trees and cherry trees; these were planted 6 years ago by Manchester Met and Hulme Garden Centre volunteers.
During the two-hour workshop our role was to improve the biodiversity of the orchard, this involved tidying up the area around the bottom of the fruit tree and planting Blue Bell bulbs, so that they’re ready in time for Spring. I also planted some Yellow Rattle Seeds between each fruit tree, this flower is semi-parasitic which means it feeds off the roots of nearby grass; giving other plants a chance to grow. To plant this seed, I had to rake the grass to expose the soil, I found this very therapeutic although it was very tiring! After sprinkling the seeds over the soil, everyone would do a little dance on top of the soil, so that the seeds were embedded – this was very funny to watch!
Overall, it was a great to be out in the fresh air away from a computer screen. It was very therapeutic but also good exercise which meant I went home feeling less slob-ish! I would recommend attending a workshop because you can learn something new as well as help the local area look its best. I can’t wait to see the results in Spring 2022!
If you live in Manchester and want to find out more about volunteering, visit: https://manchestercommunitycentral.org/volunteer-centre-manchester
If you want to find out more about volunteering nationwide, visit:
And if you want to find out more about our sustainability values and work, visit:
