University of Winchester students have accused bosses of ‘greenwashing’ in a protest over its £24,000 life-size Greta Thunberg sculpture after they ignored calls to ban beef and make buildings more energy efficient.
Protesters staged a demonstration on campus at the university, accusing the ‘upper echelons’ of ignoring its self-proclaimed commitment to the environment and and ‘wasting money on meaningless statues’.
Among their demands are a drive to remove beef from the canteen menu, make vegan options cheaper as well as to make the buildings more energy efficient.
The university hit the headlines in March 2021 when it unveiled the statue of Thunberg, believed to be the first life sized depiction of the 20-year-old.
University of Winchester students have accused bosses of ‘greenwashing’ in a protest over its £24,000 life-size Greta Thunberg sculpture (pictured)
Protesters want the university to remove beef from the canteen menu, make vegan options cheaper as well as to make the buildings more energy efficient. Pictured, the statue
Locals expressed bemusement as the Swedish activist has no connection with the Hampshire city, while students said it was a waste of money.
The then President of the SU, Megan Ball, said the erection of the sculpture showed the issues of ‘unimaginable financial impacts’, staff redundancies, library cuts and a ‘crippling mental health crisis amongst students’ were ‘not priorities’ of the university.
In the latest demonstration, Members of the Labour Society, the Allotment Society, and the Sustainability Society gathered at the West Downs Centre – where the statue was built – to show their discontent.
The demonstration was centred around the three main demands of reinstating sustainability and social justice as key university values; make real short and long term commitments to these values; and stop greenwashing students.
A third year archeology student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘I am discontent with the uni because I came here understanding that they believed in certain values, which I now know are moot.
‘They promised me they care about the environment and cared about social justice, neither of which have fully materialised my entire three years of being here.
‘When I came here, they still had those two values as core values at the university, but those have since been removed for no good reason.’
He explained the university needed to make a ‘meaningful commitment to making a difference’.
The sculpture is believed to be the first life-sized depiction of the Swedish activist since she gained international attention by starting a school climate strike in 2018
Then President of the SU, Megan Ball, said the erection of the sculpture showed the issues of ‘unimaginable financial impacts’, staff redundancies, library cuts and a ‘crippling mental health crisis amongst students’ were ‘not priorities’ of the university. Pictured, the statue being created
‘Take beef off the menu and replace it with chicken and fish if need be. Make your plant based meals affordable,’ he added.
‘Focus on making the university buildings energy efficient and sustainable rather than wasting money on meaningless statues, the meaning of which have been completely wasted on the universities upper echelons.’
A university spokesman said: ‘For many years the University of Winchester has led the way on issues of sustainability and social justice in the higher education sector and we look forward to continuing to do so.
‘These values are embedded in everything we do to provide an excellent educational experience for our students.
‘We are pleased to have now finished the important work to complete our project using £3.1m awarded from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to make our campus more energy efficient and reduce our environmental impact.
‘We are always happy to meet with students to discuss any concerns they might have.’
In March 2021, the controversial life-size statue of Thunberg was unveiled despite being branded a ‘vanity project’ by critics.
Many locals questioned the decision, with some saying a tribute to Kev Collick, the local Big Issue seller, would have been more popular.
It is believed to be the first life-sized depiction of the Swedish activist since she gained international attention by starting a school climate strike in 2018.
The statue cost £23,760 and was funded by the university as part of its £50million West Downs Centre development.
The backlash included Winchester University and College Union (UCU), which called the sculpture, which was commissioned in 2019, a ‘vanity project’.
The £24,000 bronze sculpture of Greta Thunberg (pictured), 18, was placed on Winchester University’s campus to reflect its values on ‘sustainability and social justice’
It said the funding should have been spent on preventing redundancies and cuts at the university.
It added: ‘To be clear our concerns are about the expenditure and transparency of decision making by the university, which have long been opaque, not the subject of the statue.’
The university’s vice-chancellor Professor Joy Carter said at the time that no funds were diverted from student support or from staffing.
She said: ‘The university’s approach to art is to commission or purchase unusual and striking pieces which embody our distinctiveness and values.
‘Greta is a young woman who, in spite of difficulties in her life, has become a world leading environmental activist.
‘As the university for sustainability and social justice we are proud to honour this inspirational woman in this way.
‘We know that many find her a controversial figure. As a university we welcome reasoned debate and critical conversations.
The university’s vice-chancellor Professor Joy Carter said at the time that no funds were diverted from student support or from staffing
The demonstration was centred around the three main demands of reinstating sustainability and social justice as key university values. Pictured, the statue of Greta Thunberg being created
‘We hope her statue will help to inspire our community, reminding us that no matter what life throws at us we can still change the world for the better.
‘That is a message we want all our students and all young people to hear.’
The sculpture, titled Make a Difference, was created by artist Christine Charlesworth and depicts the activist with her arms outstretched.
She said: ‘It is hard to deny her courage and determination. As is often the case with people on the autism spectrum, social interaction is difficult for her.
‘It is therefore even more remarkable that she has been able to forefront the mobilisation of young people in support of global environmental protection and to address world leaders on a face-to-face basis.’
She previously revealed the interview committee for the sculpture wanted Miss Thunberg to be sitting on the ground in a yellow coat – in reference to her attire when skipping school in favour of a solo strike to campaign for better climate policy.
The University of Winchester, which aims to be carbon neutral by 2025, declared a climate and ecological emergency in 2019 and has eliminated all unnecessary single-use plastic across its campus.
Many locals have reacted angrily to the decision, with some saying a tribute to Kev Collick (pictured), the local Big Issue seller, would have been a more popular choice
The university hit the headlines in March 2021 when it unveiled the statue of Thunberg, believed to be the first life sized depiction of the 20-year-old. Pictured, the statue being created
Not everyone in the cathedral city agreed that it was a good way to spend the cash as one critic, Anne Goodchild, said a sculpture of a well known local would have more support.
She said at the time: ‘[What about] Kev the guy who sells the homeless paper in the high [street]…[he’s] definitely a Winchester icon.’
Kev, who is no longer homeless, is a fixture of Winchester’s streets and has supported several charities alongside selling the Big Issue for years.
The 45-year-old, who found himself on the streets after he was put into care as a child, is regularly spotted donning a Christmas tree costume to raise funds for Children in Need.
Another local, Michelle Coombs, added: ‘I think the sculpture itself is very good but Greta has no connection with Winchester, or am I wrong?’
The £24,000 bronze design sculpture of the environmental campaigner – named ‘Make a Difference’ – was commissioned by Winchester University as an ‘inspiration for all students’, and will feature on the new £50million West Downs Centre campus
Another, Simon Dixon, said the statue was a ‘total waste of money’ as others questioned whose ‘bright idea’ it was in the first place.
Mark Robinson acknowledged students at the university may feel differently.
He said: ‘To be fair Greta probably is inspirational to many of the current generation of students and given that it’s at the university I don’t think there is a particular reason for a strong Winchester connection.
‘Usually statues are erected to reflect a long lasting legacy and that will be the test with this one.’
In August 2019, members of Extinction Rebellion organised a ‘Die in’ protest in the affluent Hampshire city where they laid in the middle of the high street to protest against air quality monitoring on local roads.