Welcome to Lincoln MCR’s Green page. Here you’ll find information about ethical and environmentally-friendly practices we engage in at Lincoln, what you can do as an individual, tips for those living in and out of college, and ways to get involved.
 
Green at Lincoln: What the college does
Lincoln College is actively working to reduce its environmental impact. Current initiatives include:
  • Student Representation: Each year, the MCR elects a Green Rep, who represents graduate students on the MCR committee, and in termly meetings of the Sustainability Committee (a college committee including the Bursar and Domestic Bursar, as well as the JCR Green Rep). If you have any suggestions for improvements that could be made to college facilities, or have an environmental issue you would like to raise, please get in touch.
  • Meat Free Monday: In line with the broader international campaign, food at Lincoln on Mondays is – by default – meat free. While it is possible to sign up to eat meat, students are encouraged to choose the vegetarian option and reduce greenhouse gases. Find the details of Lincoln’s setup here.
  • Reducing waste: In the last few years, college has introduced a booking system for the two meals that were wasted the most often: Sunday brunch, and surplus vegetarian meals. This has greatly reduced food waste. We have also recently installed a new printing system, which automatically prints double-sided and requires students to retrieve print jobs manually, cutting down on paper waste.
  • Recycling: Both paper and mixed-recycling are available at all accommodation sites in College, and there is a central point for hazardous waste disposal (see below for more information). The MCR and JCR Committees also work to encourage recycling in common areas and at events.
  • Eco-friendly design: Lincoln’s latest accommodation site (Little Clarendon) was designed to reduce students’ impact on the environment. Electricity and heating costs were significantly reduced through various measures, such as improved insulation.
  • Avoiding harsh chemicals: The scouts at Lincoln are also aware of and engaged with environmental issues. Special care is taken to avoid the use of harsh chemicals, with alternative environmentally methods (helpfully shared here) preferred.
  • Student Switch-off: The Lincoln MCR and JCR participate in the broader NUS environmental campaign, the Student Switch-off, which aims to educate students about, and engage students with, green issues.
  • Divestment: The MCR and JCR have both passed motions encouraging the College to move its investments away from fossil fuels (with specific emphasis on divesting from coal). Green Reps have also been involved with the University-wide campaign.
  • Solar thermal heating: Lincoln is considering the possibility of heating water in some accommodation sites using roof-mounted solar panels. While this discussion is in its first stages, it is encouraging that all parties are open to the idea.
 
Green as individuals: What we can do 
In addition to the college’s efforts, there are simple steps Lincoln students can take to improve their environmental and social impact. Here is some advice about greener actions we can take. (See the WWF website for more details).
  1. Reduce our meat consumption: Cook vegetarian meals at home, or sign up for the vegetarian dinner option in hall (by 10am the day of).
  2. Reduce heating in our houses: Leaving your room 1°C colder means 10% less energy used for heating. Wear extra layers instead! And if you want to ventilate your room, open the windows fully for 2 minutes instead of leaving them partially open for a longer time.
  3. Reduce the distances we travel: Walk or cycle when you can, and limit the amount that you travel by plane or
  4. Reduce paper usage: Print only what you need to, and try to use paper and wood products (e.g. cardboard) that are recycled, or at least FSC.
  5. Reduce energy consumption: Ensure that lights throughout the house are off before you leave or go to bed. Try to use less hot water, and turn off and unplug electric devices that are not in use.


Green in College: Specifics for Lincoln students 
Below is information about recycling in College. Note, however, that recycling is still very energy-consuming. In order to reduce our carbon and material footprint, we should aim to produce and consume less, and re-use (see below) rather than recycle.

  1. Every kitchen should have a grey mixed-recycling This may or may not be emptied by the scouts. If your scout does not empty it, or if you have recycling that will not fit in the bin, you can find larger bins at the following locations:
    • Main college: In the garage, across from the lodge. There is also glass recycling in the Grove (outside Staircase 10), and there are several bins in the MCR.
    • EPA: In front of Staircase 35 (left side as you enter).
    • Bear Lane: To your left upon entering Bear Lane, before the computer room.
    • Little Clarendon: On the far side of the car park, under the blue and white sign.
  2. Bins for recycling paper are available in the library and all computer rooms. There is also a recycling bin the lodge by the pidges – please use this, rather than a regular bin, for any unwanted mail.
  3. Hazardous waste, such as aerosols and batteries, should not be thrown away like normal rubbish. Instead, dispose of these in the red ‘Haz-Box’ in the college garage (across from the lodge). The box is located in the left corner, near the staff bicycle racks.


Re-using in a city like Oxford is fairly easy. Listed below are some convenient ways that you can cut down on waste by re-using or donating.
  1. Charity shops are common in Oxford. Donate books, clothes, and other items that are in good condition to cut down on landfill waste and support these charities. Also consider actively reusing by buying from charity shops; this is a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly way of making purchases, and even if you’re not comfortable with pre-worn clothes or shoes, shops often sell other items such as books or kitchen-ware. Some options near College include:
    • Oxfam: A well-known organisation, there is a Oxfam bookstore across from college, and another Oxfam on Broad Street.
    • Helen and Douglas House: An Oxford-based children’s hospice with a charity shop in the Covered Market (near Ben’s Cookies).
    • British Heart Foundation: With proceeds going to combat cardiovascular disease through research, this charity shop is slightly more out of the way (either go to the Westgate Centre and turn left immediately before New Look, or go down St. Aldate’s and turn right before G&Ds).
  2. Alternatively, at the end of the academic year, pick up a charity bag from the lodge and fill it with things in your room that you don’t use/ wear/ read or – if you’re leaving Lincoln – can’t take with you. Then deposit these at pre-arranged pick-up points, where they’ll be collected by the charity.
  3. Our Charities team organises events such as clothing- and book-swaps, facilitating re-using within the MCR. But there are also online websites that facilitate this for a wider community, some of which can be found here.
  4. At the end of each term, collection boxes are placed throughout college so that individuals can donate non-perishable food items to food banks. Rather than throwing food away, leave items for others who need them.
 
Green while living in Oxford: Specifics for homeowners and tenants 
We recognise that not all Lincoln students live in college. Those who live out are still entitled and welcome to use the college’s facilities. In addition, here are some specific links to help those living in Oxford.
  1. Heating and energy use: See the Oxford City Council’s advice here. Particular points of interest may include:
    • If you are a homeowner, the Council suggests the Energy Saving Trust as a good resource.
    • If you are a tenant, and you feel your rented property is cold, draughty or hard to heat, your first port of call should be your landlord: ask them to carry out some basic energy efficiency measures. Explain that these measures save both energy and money.
      • Moreover, there are many grants and incentives available to private landlords in Oxford. From April 2016, under the Energy Act, landlords will be unable to refuse reasonable requests for energy efficiency improvements (see examples here) when such grants are available. In the meantime, see if any of these encourage your landlord to act.
      • If this is unsuccessful, you can contact the Council for further advice. If they deem that your house is ‘excessively cold’, they can compel your landlord to pursue certain measures.
  1. Recycling in Oxford: An overview (specifically for students) can be found here. Or check out the “Recycling for Oxfordshire” website.
    • Enter your postcode here to find out when recycling will be collected in your area. This page describes what can be put in each bin to be collected by the council.
    • If you’d like to recycle something that isn’t collected at your home, check whether it is accepted at a public bring bank in Oxford, and find your nearest one.
  2. Re-using and donating:
    • Besides the charity shops in the centre of town (listed above), there are many more in Cowley and in Headington, as well as a few in Botley and Jericho. To find one near you, see this map.
    • If you are moving out of your house and have furniture that you won’t take with you, consider donating it to Emmaus. This charity – which supports individuals at risk of homelessness – will collect the furniture from your home and sell it on at their shops in Headingtonand Cowley. Also consider buying second-hand furniture if you’re moving into a house, to cut down on costs and waste!
    • If you have a garden, consider home composting, even on a small scale. It’s quick and easy, improves your garden, and cuts down on kitchen waste.


Being Green: Getting involved!
If you want to be involved in social, environmental and/or ethical projects during your time at Lincoln, feel free to get in touch with the MCR Green Rep! Alternatively, see the links below for some useful starting points:

Lincoln College divestment initiative

The following motion was recently passed at an MCR General Meeting (Trinity Term 2016) and subsequent proposals were made to College. Further updates concerning this initiative will be posted on this page.

Updating College investment policy regarding fossil fuels
This paper concerns Lincoln College’s investments in fossil fuels. The paper itself is based on a motion passed at an MCR General Meeting. A similar motion was also discussed and met with wide approval from the JCR, but was unable to be voted upon as a JCR member felt that this motion would violate a previous motion mandating the JCR not to take political stances.
 
The level of Lincoln College’s investments in fossil fuels has been consistently on the MCR and JCR agenda for a number of years, and Lincoln College has already acted upon students’ concerns. This paper outlines a number of proposals for further action, which the Finance Committee is kindly requested to consider recommending to Governing Body.

  1. Divestment Worldwide and within Oxford
    1. There is a general consensus that only a small proportion of the world’s fossil fuel reserves can safely be burned without risking irreversible climate change.
    2. In light of this, there is now a global movement for divestment from fossil fuels, endorsed not only by organisations like the United Nations and individuals such as Barack Obama, but also by financial institutions – including the World Bank, the Bank of England, and Standard and Poor’s – that warn that markets have so far failed to adjust to this fact, leading to a ‘carbon bubble’ that could leave investors in oil, gas, and coal ‘stranded’ when the value of these commodities collapses.
    3. Many higher education institutions have divested from fossil fuels to varying degrees. For example:
      1. Stanford University “will not make direct investments of endowment funds in publicly traded companies whose principal business is the mining of coal for use in energy generation”1
      2. The University of Warwick “will move the £1m of its investments in coal, oil and gas from its £14m endowment as soon as possible”2
      3. The London School of Economics has “divested from coal and tar sands companies, and pledged not to invest directly in any fossil fuel companies in the future”3
    4. The current investment policy of the University of Oxford, as determined by Council’s instruction to Oxford University Endowment Management, is to “maintain the position of holding no direct investments in coal or oil sands companies and avoid any future direct investments in either”.4
    5. In June 2015, Wolfson College made the decision to mirror University policy, and divested £42 million from “companies that derived a majority of their revenue from the exploration, ownership or extraction of thermal coal and oil sands”
3. Divestment at Lincoln
3.1. The College’s current position on fossil fuel investments is:
3.1.1. that the College’s two Investment Managers will be asked by the Bursar to calculate the exposure to fossil fuel investments on a biannual basis;
3.1.2. that the Sustainability Committee will continue to monitor and explore possibilities for steadily shifting investments away from carbon-intensive assets and toward low-carbon opportunities.
3.2. In August 2015, the College’s cumulative investment in fossil fuel companies amounts to approximately £683,000 – or 2% of the college’s total investment.

  1. Why  it is important for Lincoln to have a socially responsible investment policyDivestment is Important at Lincoln
    1. A commitment to avoid any future direct investments in Divestment from fossil fuel companies can act to temper consumption of fossil fuel reserves in two ways:
      1. by directly reducing the potential funds – and therefore activities – of fossil fuel companies;
      2. by setting an example for other consumers and investors.
    2. It is important to discuss socially responsible investment policies divestment vis-à-vis Oxford colleges, and not just the University, as the College’s combined endowment of £3.8 billion is roughly 4.5 times larger than that of the University, and could have significant impact according to 4.1.1.
    3. If Lincoln College were to update its policy regarding investment in fossil fuel companiesdivest to some extent, this would encourage divestment similar actions not only by other Colleges at Oxford, but also more broadly, given its status as an institution at a university with a global reputation, as in 4.1.2.
    4. Some level of divestment from fossil fuels would be an act of responsible investment that would mitigate risks of irreversible climate change, and of being ‘stranded’ in the future (see 2.2).
    5. Updating Lincoln’s investment policy with regards toSome level of divestment from fossil fuels would not be out of line with College’s obligations as a charity, because:
      1. there is no significant financial detriment to divestment, and it avoids the risk of the investments becoming stranded assets (see 2.2);;
      2. the College could lose support from potential beneficiaries – specifically, current students and alumni – if it does not invest ethically in this way;.
      3. it would mitigate the risks of irreversible climate change, maintaining the long term future of the college.
 
5. Proposed Action
The MCR proposes that:

  1. Members of the Finance Committee update the College investment policy on this issue, using matching the policies of Wolfson College’s and the University,’s to ‘maintain the position of holding no direct investments in coal or oil sands companies and avoid any future direct investments in either’policies (i.e. removal of direct investments from companies that derive a majority of their revenue from the exploration, ownership or extraction of thermal coal and oil sands) as a minimum standard;
  2. The Bursar communicates this change in investment policy to the College’s investment managers;
  3. The Bursar publicly announces the updated investment policy on the College website, through a news article or other appropriate means;
  4. The Bursar actively works to encourage other Colleges to take similar actions.
 
These proposed actions do not necessarily supersede the actions already being undertaken, in particular the biannual reporting of the proportion of investments contained in fossil fuels.
 
In addition, the MCR and JCR Environment Representatives will work with the OUSU Environment and Ethics Representative to mobilise support for divestment among colleges more generally.
 
References
1 http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/may/divest-coal-trustees-050714.html
2 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/university-of-warwick-divests-from-fossil-fuels
3 http://blog.peopleandplanet.org/blog/2015/11/26/press-release-london-school-of-economics-divest-97-2m-from-coal-tar-sands/
4 http://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/fossil-fuel-divestment
5 http://oxfordstudent.com/2015/11/15/wolfson-divests-from-fossil-fuels/