04 January 2023 , 15:12
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University bosses accused of 'wasting' £24k on a to-scale statue of Greta Thunberg have been slammed for "greenwashing".
The bronze depiction of the climate activist was erected last year at the University of Winchester's campus, hitting headlines for the controversial unveiling.
But students have now criticised the tribute as a "meaningless waste of money", saying the university - which has seemingly no connection with the 20-year-old - spent cash on the effigy whilst not making enough changes to reduce its carbon footprint.
The life-sized depiction outside one of the campus buildings has now prompted protests from an environmental group who have accused the Hampshire university of climate hypocrisy.
University bosses spent almost £24k on the life-sized bronze effigy (Getty Images)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.
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Among their demands were a drive to remove beef from the canteen menu, make vegan options cheaper as well as to make the buildings more energy efficient.
"I came here understanding that they believed in certain values, which I now know are moot," said one archaeology student, who asked not to be named.
The £24,000 bronze statue was created to reflect the university's values on 'sustainability and social justice' (AFP via Getty Images)"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."
The University hit headlines in March last year for erecting the statue, thought to be the first life-sized representation of the 20-year-old activist.
Greta's statue has been heavily criticised by students and various groups at the university (PA)Then-President of the student union Megan Ball heavily criticised the move, saying bosses should prioritise the "unimaginable financial impacts" of staff redundancies, cuts to library services and a "crippling mental health crisis" among students.
It's not known what Greta herself, who last week made headlines after her Twitter spat with controversial figure Andrew Tate became two of the most-liked tweets in the platform's history, makes of the statue.
The student protesting added that the university should focus on making its campus buildings more sustainable over "meaningless statues".
"Take beef off the menu and replace it with chicken and fish if need be. Make your plant based meals affordable," he added.
It's not known what Greta herself makes of the £24k statue (Getty Images)"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."
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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."