GLASGOW UNIVERSITY students took part in an environmental clean up, as part of the SRC Green Day, on Wednesday.

The Green Day, organised by the Students’ Representative Council, hosted a wide range of events throughout the day.

Students were shown the various recycling facilities available around the university, and a Halloween workshop and backcourt clean up were also held.  At the end up of the day students were given goodie bags.

The Halloween workshop joint-organised by the SRC and the Glasgow University Applied Visual Arts Team, helped students to make ‘green’ Halloween costumes out of recyclable materials they had brought along with them.

Scottish Green Party councillor for Hillhead, Martha Wardrop said:  “Efforts by Applied Visual Arts teams to reuse old clothes, paper, plastic and other materials for spooky costumes for Halloween is a fun way to encourage recycling activities.”

The environmental clean up took place in the backcourt of 16 and 24 Gibson Street, Glasgow.  It was advertised as the Save Otago Lane Back Court Clean-up, linking it to the Save Otago Lane Campaign, which was created to protect the lane from a massive proposed development.

Eric Kay, of 3 Westbank Quadrant, Glasgow, is involved in the GOW (Gibson Street, Otago Street and the Westbank Quadrant) community group and helped to organise the clean up.  He said:  “The area close to Otago Lane was chosen to strike accord with students.  The common thread is that people care about this part of Glasgow.”

Mr Kay said there was a good turnout as students were inspired by the successful GOW backcourt clean up.  It was a joint operation with students and residents, and the initial ‘dirty-work’ was done, meaning the next step would be planting things and generally making the backcourt look nicer.

Councillor Martha Wardrop added:  “I am delighted that students are getting involved in activities which help protect the Otago Lane and the green space beside the River Kelvin.”