Author: Shannon McLaughlin

The DIY plant pots are made out of recycled materials to reduce the amount of waste heading to landfill and reduce the amount of new plastics that we need to buy, even if they can be recycled.

Cutting up the empty bottle of your favourite drink into two halves can provide a mini-greenhouse effect to trap heat and help your plants grow to their full potential. We may not be able to go out into nature at this time but we can bring it to us ❀🌹🌻🌼🌷🌺.

Lot of items in your household can be transformed into plant pots, such a lunch boxes, yogurt pots, biscuit tubs and glass jars. This may also give new life to all those pasta sauce jars we have stacked up! 🍝

Making your own DIY plant pots is also a fun activity than can be done with all the family. It may also be a perfect distraction or just something to keep you occupied, especially during times like these.

So get your creativity flowing and your green thumbs out! Tweet how you get on @ https://twitter.com/BioGreenTeamQUB

Find us @ https://edpuzzle.com/open/bapanot

As you probably know Tanisha Waring and I had organised a conference dedicated to Climate Change, to be held on Thursday 19th March 2020. However, due to the outbreak of Covid-19, we took the decision to reschedule this event for next term.

In the meantime and given that the University isn’t conducting face-to-face lectures or any type of teaching, the Bio Green Team at the School of Biological Sciences will host a series of bi-weekly videos and quizzes that will run for the next 12 weeks to outline and encourage climate action, despite the current situation we are facing. 

I hope these videos (not created by me, or the school, but are hosted on a virtual teaching platform) will help us here at the School of Biological Sciences to continue our work to promote sustainability and change at Queen’s University Belfast.

A new session will be released every Tuesday and Friday, with the first video on Friday 20th March and the last on Tuesday 2nd June!

Stay safe everyone and look after each other.

Students on the second floor of the QUB School of Biological Sciences Building have been reusing plastic containers and coffee cups to make planters to grow chillies! From plastic bottles, sweet containers to foil trays, we use it all.

It all started from a chilli plant which grew 3 chillies; one was eaten and two had their chilli seeds removed to make more chilli plants. Chilli seeds were placed into a used muffin container (below) to build a DIY greenhouse to allow germination of the seeds and after a few weeks, we had lift off!

Stay tuned, other plants are on the way! Pepper seeds have been quietly germinating in an old lunch box! Watch this space…

Worms go bananas for bananas!

The worms at the School of Biological Sciences have been reported to be going bananas for bananas. They love the stuff! One bystander, witnessed a clew of worms attempting to conspire to rob the school of all worms on the premises. The attempted robbery was foiled when, after extensive negotiations, the Bio Green Team delivered bananas to feed the mass of hungry worms.

Be on high alert when consuming bananas near the worms and report any suspicious activity to the Bio Green Team! For a list of delicious worm food, see the list below and be careful of what you eat, for you never know when a worm is lurking….

***This is a fictional writing piece***

***Worms have not committed any crimes and are not dangerous***

No, worms don’t count towards your 5 a day (so please don’t eat them) but here are 5 cool facts!

1. The Latin name for the Tiger Worm is Eisenia fetida but may also be called red wigglers!
2. There are 28 native UK worm species
3. They love to eat your food waste, including: fruits, vegetables, bread, cakes and egg shells
4. Tiger worms live 6-24 months
5. Worm casts (poo) are rich in calcium, which is important for nitrogen absorption in the soil

We would like to welcome the newest members of the BioGreen Team to the School of Biological Sciences: The Tiger Worms!

15 tonnes of food as wasted annually in the UK. Most will end up in landfill, producing methane, which is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Food waste has been a key point of concern throughout the school and consequently, this academic year, reducing food waste will be a key focus of our green campaign.

The green impact team obtained funding from the school of biological sciences to install a wormery that would enable the school to reduce food waste while also creating compost and organic fertiliser that can be used for the SBIO garden and the Elms garden project. Tiger worms were chosen specifically for their appetite and reproductive properties.

A food collection bin was put in place on the 2^nd floor of the School of Biological Sciences to trial the wormery.

So far the worms are enjoying their new home, especially all the food they get to eat their way through.

Stay tuned for more updates on our worms and don’t forget to keep it green!

You’ve found the QUB BioGreen Team blog, nice one.

We aim to empower staff and students within the School of Biological Sciences (and beyond) to reduce their environmental impact by encouraging, rewarding and celebrating practical environmental actions and improvements.

This blog is dedicated to highlighting initiatives occurring throughout the school that aim to promote sustainability, including; social, environmental and economic.

Follow us on twitter @BioGreenTeamQUB or Email at smclaughlin44@qub.ac.uk or twaring01@qub.ac.uk

Thanks for stopping by and we hope to see you again!