As 2025 began, Lincoln College launched a new initiative to turn good intentions into meaningful climate action. In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, 119 members of the Lincoln community signed up for the Sustainability Pledges project - an opportunity to commit to small but impactful lifestyle changes over the first four months of the year.

Participants could choose from five sustainability pledges, each designed to target a specific area of environmental concern:

1. No Domestic Flights

By pledging to avoid domestic air travel, participants took a stand against one of the most carbon-intensive modes of transportation. For perspective, a return flight from London to Edinburgh emits over 300kg of CO2e, compared to just 22kg by train, a saving of 278kg per journey (ScotRail Carbon Calculator).

2. Ditching Takeaway Cups

Each year, over 2.5 billion single-use coffee cups are discarded in the UK alone (BBC). By refusing takeaway cups, participants helped divert single-use coffee cups from landfill.

3. Choosing Second-Hand Fashion

Fast fashion is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, but change starts in our wardrobes. Research shows that if people in major cities limited themselves to just eight new clothing items per year, the fashion industry's emissions could drop by 37% (The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5°C World, Arup, 2019).

4. Refusing Plastic Bags

Despite the UK’s 98% reduction in plastic bag use since the introduction of a charge, 133 million single-use plastic bags were still distributed by supermarkets in 2022–23 (GOV.UK). By pledging not to buy any plastic bags, participants reinforced the importance of reusable alternatives and diverting soft plastics from landfill.

5. Eating More Vegetarian Meals

Just one fully vegetarian day per week can save up to 200kg of CO2 per year (BBC). By committing to a vegetarian lunch and dinner at least once a week, pledge participants contributed to a more sustainable food system.

Voices from the community

Participants spoke passionately about why they joined the initiative:

• “I think it is important for all of us to do what we can. Better everyone being imperfectly planet-friendly, than a few people doing it perfectly.”
• “It was a tiny effort to make in the face of a huge worldwide problem.”
• “I wanted more of a structured commitment to living sustainably; the incentive of the prize was also good (and should be repeated in future years!).”
• “To try to take some tangible steps to make a difference in the climate crisis.”
• “I enjoyed the experience, and it made me more mindful of my choices.”
• “It was easy to take part, and helped me remember to, e.g. take my keepcup to coffee shops, and carry reusable bags to the supermarket.”

Promoting green travel: prize winner announced

As part of the project, one participant was randomly selected to win - a £150 Eurostar voucher that was kindly donated as the prize, promoting sustainable international travel.

Congratulations to Charlie Franklin, a third-year undergraduate studying Chemistry, who was selected as the winner!

Reflecting on the experience, he added: “I thought the difficulty of the pledges was quite well pitched to encourage taking part; some were very easy (I never take domestic flights anyway—though this was already for climate reasons!), and some a little more involved (e.g., some proportion of my meals were already veggie, but I did at least have to think a little bit to make sure I was consistently being veggie at least once a week!).”

Building momentum for change

As one participant summed it up: “It is important for all of us to do what we can. Better everyone being imperfectly planet-friendly, than a few people doing it perfectly.”

Thanks again to all who participated and please keep your eyes peeled for more sustainability initiatives and events at Lincoln!