His name: Neil Jennings. His goal: to save the world. Marc Lechtenfeld finds out how the green campaigner is making Kingston students switch on to saving electricity and the environment.

Neil Jennings, a 28-year-old climate change PhD, went to the North Pole to experience how it is affected by climate change and to measure the depth of the increasingly thin ice.

His trip allowed him to see climate change with his own eyes, whereas the rest of us rely on hearing what other people tell us about it. “If we don’t take action now we’re potentially committing ourselves to frightening changes in our lifetimes,” he said.

Neil’s green activism started with Ben & Jerry’s back in 2005 when the ice cream producer launched a Climate Change College to inspire and mentor young people who want to help find a solution to climate change. 

After his application was denied, he created a campaign to encourage students living in halls of residence to reduce their energy use. Having lined up sponsors for his campaign, the Student Switch Off started at the University of East Anglia and after only one year its halls energy use had been reduced by 10 per cent.
He re-applied for the Climate Change Course in 2006 and was accepted. As one of six chosen college ambassadors he won a nine-month business mentoring programme worth £14,000, plus a £4,500 grant to take his campaign to the next level.

In its second year, seven universities became part of the Student Switch Off to encourage their students to compete in saving energy. This year the number of universities involved has increased to 11 around London, including Kingston University. During Fresher’s Week, 444 Kingston students signed up to become eco-power-rangers, affectionately nicknamed by Neil, the highest student percentage of all London initiatives.

Now, the fight is on: the Kingston hall of residence that reduces its energy usage the most will win a free film screening at Kingston’s Odeon cinema. Clayhill stand the best chance of winning with one in four students already saving energy in the name of the Student Switch Off, followed by Seething Wells, Kingston Bridge House, Kingston Hill and Middle Mill.

But it is not only the students in halls that can win. Every student joining Neil’s Kingston Facebook group stands a chance of winning one of ten weekly tickets to Oceana, energy-efficient gadgets, vouchers for student beans or a Ben & Jerry’s party with free ice cream for 40 of their friends.

Kat Gorham, the Student Union environment and ethical officer, believes the campaign will make a difference to students: “Hopefully, they will remember what they have learnt when they come to live in private accommodation and save themselves some money as well as reducing their impact on the environment.”