Meet your candidates: Environment and Ethics Officer

Meet the candidates running to be your next Students’ Union Environment and Ethics Officer in this year’s spring elections.

Olivia Collins

I am for a more transparent and sustainable community here at Warwick. 

I am for proactive and innovative change on and off campus, in our material spaces, but also in our communication, to do our bit as a leading university to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

As a carer for the elderly, hearing their experiences revealed more than ever how different our world is now. Having witnessed the regret they feel for not appreciating the open spaces in my home in East London, which are now disused industrial sites- I felt compelled to pursue changes.

Why are you running for this role?

I was brought up as an unapologetic working class woman, who is not afraid to ask difficult questions, which I believe is the unwavering approach we as a community need to impose on the immediate climate crisis. As a believer in communal responsibility and acting on that responsibility- and so in light of the growingly unavoidable climate crisis we are all in, I feel compelled to make a positive impact on Warwick University and its community’s approach to the environment.

What, in your opinion, most needs changing at Warwick?

With any institution, group or individual- honesty is the best policy. So why do I still have so many questions about what Warwick is doing to address the climate crisis, and what is it doing as an institution to make sustainable and ethical decisions? It is the absence of transparency that I believe needs to change, leading to more student and community input in these issues, and a more developed communal awareness on where Warwick stands.

What has been your favourite memory from your time at Warwick?

After being isolated for so long, I am sure I am not alone in relishing the opportunity to make friends. Coming to university, the first in my family to ever make that leap, I felt an enormous amount of anticipation, and my flatmates and course community did not disappoint, and in a corny way I don’t think I have ever laughed so much.

Tarun Dixit

With the graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and PG in M.B.A. (Marketing and IT), I’m currently pursuing MSc in Supply Chain and Logistics Management from the University of Warwick. I already have more than 7.5 years of relevant experience, including a managerial role in various organisations. At multiple positions, I worked in marketing, planning, engineering, procurement, erection, infrastructure development, energy efficiency, Information Technology, etc. I always had an opportunity to implement and develop, policies and tasks to make some significant difference in the organisation or society. While working with the energy efficiency sector, I closely worked with external environmental agencies like UNDP and UNIDO to successfully develop sustainable [candidate exceeded word limit]

Why are you running for this role?

The above details are just a brief about myself, which shows my clear intentions and devotion to working on present environmental issues to have a safe and healthy future. My previous experience and knowledge with white and blue-collar job conditions give me clear insight into the deteriorating environmental conditions and how to control and reduce this in a sustainable manner. As a student officer, my precise aim will be to help the university develop and implement more environmentally and ethically sound policies and raise awareness among university students [candidate exceeded word limit]

What, in your opinion, most needs changing at Warwick?

At Warwick, important polluting factors that need to be taken care of are minimising waste (by not buying polluting materials like plastics and use of recyclable products), pollution (by less taxi on campus and more use of bicycles after grocery shopping from TESCO or ALDI), litter (avoid cigarette butts on the road which create toxic plastic pollution) and even promoting smoking in smoking zone only.

What has been your favourite memory from your time at Warwick?

When I saw the snowfall for the first time on the Warwick campus, the campus looked more beautiful. During that period, students enjoyed playing with a snow ball and making the distinct shape of snowmen.

Hannah Micuta

Hi, I’m Hannah (She/Her),

Our Earth is being pushed to its limit. That’s why a vote for me is a vote for:

The Climate – I will continue urging for fossil fuel divestment, and ensure the university is on track to achieve, if not exceed, carbon neutrality by 2030.

Sustainable Food – I will demand more vegetarian/vegan options, and food waste bins.

Zero Packaging Waste – I will push to end single-use packaging in food outlets.

An Ethical Campus – I will investigate opportunities for using ethical suppliers of cleaning products and paper.

Solidarity & Motivation – Green Week will inspire activism and spark conversations on climate colonialism.

Why are you running for this role?

I recognise that most of us want to act on environmental injustices, but lack the time or opportunities to do so. I therefore want to make it easier for everyone to make a change, through providing food waste bins and plastic-free options, for example.

My unique experiences leading conversations on waste management between students and the Estates team, and co-creating a play about environmental degradation at Warwick, make me excited and prepared to take on the role.

What, in your opinion, most needs changing at Warwick?

The distrust across political divisions – left v. right, privileged v. less-privileged, vegan v. omnivore.

I know I come with my own biases, we all do, so I will create supportive roles for people of BAME, low-income and LGBTQ+ backgrounds to share their ideas and concerns with me.

I believe university provides a unique opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives. I will therefore create events for all to engage in topics like reducitarianism and climate colonialism throughout Green Week.

What has been your favourite memory from your time at Warwick?

Honestly, just a good old game of Mafia with my flatmates in first year. We’d sit and watch YouTube or play games in our kitchen for hours, and they would always know when I was lying… The best night was when we somehow ended up *learning* how to use my friend’s unicycle… an essential university skill.

Asset Zhakupov

Candidate did not respond

Weijun Zhou

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Disclaimer: candidates’ answers have not been edited. The opinions featured here do not reflect the opinions of The Boar.