The choice of a foraging bird...

With only 10 days left in full time employment, I'’ve recently had one of the most successful meetings I'’ve had in the entire two years I'’ve been here! I sat at a table with 6 other people, proposing a new scheme for the university and not one person threw up a single barrier!! They ALL agreed! Its extraordinary!

Most meetings I go to end up with so many sighs, head shakes, tuts and reasons not to do something that regularly come away ready to launch myself off the nearest cliff….lateral thought process... the closest cliff around here must be...ooooh um? in Skegness? Does Skegness have cliffs or is it just ferris wheels and bumper cars?

Well, whatever the case, I almost fell off my chair at the amazing amount of positivity and at times like these I think to myself 'sheesh! what am I doing?' Maybe I should stay and make sure all these people keep their promises! It's a major step for the university and it's horrible leaving something behind thatÂ’s actually a giant leap forward.

Should I be giving up a job that is making a positive contribution to the world for purely self indulgent, reasons? Should I endure 30+ years chipping away at the proverbial brick wall for a moment like this no matter how few and far between they are?

...I'’m thinking again…

Maybe it'’s like foraging birds/animals that have to choose between
a) easily accessible food with little calorific return so they need to eat more or
b) harder to reach food, high in energy and rich in essential stuff
Actually, that'’s probably a dumb analysis…the decision has been made and if all goes according to plan, I'll earn more and have much better overall job satisfaction (I hope)

So, just to put you in the picture, I have been trying for some time to get the university to start using recycled paper as the standard stock. We order over 150 tonnes of paper annually - this is probably a conservative estimate - so think how many trees and how much energy we'’d save buying recycled! Until now, we'’ve had several unsuccessful meetings on this topic and a lot of people are still under the impression that recycled paper is inferior. Its not, it used to be, but its come on leaps and bounds! In bulk orders, there isn't even a cost issue unless of course you are buying 100% recycled.

Anyway, without boring you to tears, they have agreed to trial recycled paper over three months in a WHOLE building! Wow!!! If it'’s successful then thereÂ's no reason not to role it out to the rest of the uni.

Now, if I seem a little over excited about something which on the face of it is just a trial, then I have to explain that it's like pulling teeth to get ANYONE to do ANYTHING around here. THIS is like moving mountains. I also suspect no one will remember it was me that pushed for this so I though't I'd record it in my blog! While I'm blowing my own trumpet, I also want to take credit for pushing forward an energy management strategy which miraculously started to take off today too...10 days is all I have! Some jobs are pretty darn thankless and I think more people should get credit for the time and dedication they put into their work.

I'd like a golden light switch or recycling bin commemorating my time here which says "for the girl who switched off" or "Amy's Bin here". However, nowadays you have to stick at a job for 40 years or more just so you can get a gold watch or an extra day holiday so I don't hold out much hope.

Well, only time will tell if this was the right decision... eek!