2017 Finalists

The Green Gown Awards 2017 UK & Ireland Finalists’ Brochure and Guest Directory (Guest Directory from page 75 and onwards. Also available to download from the foot of the page).  

 

This year’s UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards’ finalists are proving post-16 education is at the forefront of the effort to deliver solutions to the most pressing global challenges of our time.

We are delighted to be able to share with you a snap shot of the all the Green Gown Awards 2017 Finalists’ projects which have been put together in the Finalists’ Brochure. It is truly an inspirational read and as well as providing an overview of each project, it also includes words of advice from each institution on their top project learnings. The Awards’ ethos is to share and promote sustainability within the tertiary education sector. Apart from being of great interest, we hope it inspires you to implement similar projects at your own institutions. We wish to thank all the Finalists’ for providing this information and we wish them all the best of luck on 15 November at The Monastery, Manchester where the winners will be announced. 

Case studies and short videos are being collected from all the Finalists and we will let you know when these will be available on the Sustainability Exchange. 

Having been a leading participant in the United Nations negotiations to develop 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development – the UK and Ireland must fulfil its commitment to deliver the Goals. For this to happen, it is clear from the hundreds of applicants to the Green Gown Awards that the Government must invest more in the solutions being developed in our Higher and Further Education institutes. They are leading the way as agents of change within our communities at home and abroad.

After a tough judging session, the applicants have been whittled down to 113 finalists across 15 categories. These projects range from electric pool cars to music albums dedicated to climate change. They include ambitious zero carbon targets, pioneering new ways to create heat sources from waste and the largest Passivhaus building in the UK.

The finalists represent nearly 1.5 million students and just under a quarter of a million members of staff leading the way with their commitment to the global Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs).

Some are ensuring sustainability is at the heart and stomach of their kitchens. Others have looked at the journey fashion products take from raw materials to final garment; worked internationally making sustainable differences in sanitation; and enabled students to learn about biodiversity by anthropomorphising animals on social media. The variation and creativity is heartening and reflective of sustainability forcing its way up the list of global priorities.

This year, applicants were tasked with outlining how their sustainability projects incorporated the global SDGs for the first time. All applicants listed at least one SDG they were delivering. Two thirds (66%) of this year’s finalists - making it the most popular - listed ‘sustainable cities and communities’ as an SDG they are delivering. Meanwhile just under half (46%) are working towards ‘responsible consumption and production’ and one in two put forward projects that improved ‘quality education’. There are also some surprising development goals being tackled in tertiary education, with 37% stating they are delivering against the ‘climate action’ SDG and one in four delivering ‘industry, innovation and infrastructure’.

Between the finalists, the projects touch on every department and permeate across the whole curriculum. They are conducted by students, staff, academics, external stakeholders and can be found all across the UK and Ireland. These initiatives are a shining example of the power post-16 education possesses and the seriousness with which it takes its responsibility in creating a better world and a new generation of leaders.

Iain Patton, Chief Executive at EAUC, said: “With EAUC’s new strategy to reposition and align sustainability around key institutional priorities and challenges, this year’s Green Gown Award applications reflect the potential of sustainability to solve the sectors most critical problems. Every day, tireless environmental and sustainability leaders across the UK and Ireland are driving change and making sustainability just good business. The Green Gown Awards exist to give them the recognition and platform they need to do even more.”

The winners will be announced at the prestigious Green Gown Awards Ceremony taking place at The Monastery, Manchester on 15 November, in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester. Book your place here.

The list of the 2017 finalists can be found below with the Finalists' Flyer and Press Release.

GREEN GOWN AWARDS 2017 LIST OF FINALISTS

Best Newcomer

Borders College - Flushed with success! A UK first in sustainable energy from waste water

MidKent College - We can see the wood from the trees!

Northumbria University - Improving sustainability together – our success story (so far…)

Southampton Solent University - Environmental and sustainability strategy – Waste improvement project

 

Carbon Reduction
Category Supporter: The Energy Consortium

Goldsmiths, University of London - The Energy Detectives – investigating and solving energy waste across campus

Newcastle University - Newcastle University’s car(bon) reduction

Northumbria University - From carbon ambitions to carbon success

The College of West Anglia - Greening West Anglia

The London School of Economics and Political Science - Achieving carbon reductions above and beyond the basics!

The University of Nottingham - Medical School carbon reduction strategies

University of Chester - Lights, solar, action!

University of Reading - Smashing 35

Community#

Anglia Ruskin University - Sustainable Sainji: A community focused learning partnership

Ayrshire College - The Older Adult Group

Coventry University, The University of Warwick and Coventry City Council - Green Week takes Coventry by storm (or soup)

Durham University - Green Move Out

Durham University - Van Mildert College Outreach

Sheffield Hallam University - Snug not smug

Students’ Union at Bournemouth University - Down by the river- BU students connecting the local community to wildlife

University of Bradford Union of Students - Choices 4 all: Get out be active

University of Brighton - Community21 – Embedding the University of Brighton School of Architecture and Design into a local and international sustainable development network

University of the West of England, Bristol - Hands on Bristol - Live architecture lab

 

Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change#
Category Supporter: Scottish Funding Council

Aston University - Embedding sustainability at Aston University

Canterbury Christ Church University - Building a sustainable future: From start to beginning

Goldsmiths, University of London - Continually greening Goldsmiths

London Metropolitan University - Going above and beyond!

University of Edinburgh - Zero by 2040 – The University of Edinburgh’s climate strategy

University of Leicester - Leicester: Talkin’ bout our evolution

Employability*

Leeds Trinity University - Industry-relevant work experience for every student at Leeds Trinity University

Nottingham Trent University - Future-proof your career

Perth College UHI - Don’t waste your e-waste

Queen Mary University of London - Green Mary careers week

Queen’s University Belfast - Queen’s University Belfast’s ‘Environmental Leadership Programme’

University of Exeter - Dip, Dabble, Dive and Thrive – integrating sustainability in the extra-curriculum

University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion - Balancing the books: Creating a model of responsible fashion business education

University of Wales Trinity Saint David - Inspiring the future generation - INSPIRE student internships

 

Enterprise* 

Cardiff University - Realising your business potential

City College Peterborough - CommUNITY meet and eat

Imperial College London - Kenya Jiko Stove

London Metropolitan University - The Big Idea Challenge

Manchester Metropolitan University - MetMUnch

SHRUB Co-op Edinburgh and The University of Edinburgh - Edinburgh’s Swap and Reuse Hub (SHRUB) Co-operative

The University of Nottingham - Enactus Nottingham – Creating business, transforming lives

The University of Warwick - Project Baala: A real solution not insanitary - Student led social impact

University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion - Blockchain in fashion

University of the West of England, Bristol - Team entrepreneurship – Students building sustainable businesses

University of Worcester - Green now white bags: Five years skilling students – a University/City recycling collaboration

 

Facilities and Services

Loughborough University - Maintaining the green. Living the sporting dream

Middlesex University - MDX freewheelers

Middlesex University - MDX goes green

Sheffield Hallam University - Closing the waste loop

Sheffield Hallam University - Driving towards a sustainable fleet

Sheffield Hallam University - Greening our printing

The University of Birmingham and UniGreenScheme - University of Birmingham trials UniGreenSchemes resale service and in one year diverts 27,500kg into reuse and saves £45,000

University of Cumbria - University of Cumbria utilise AquaFund to smash sustainability goals for water, CO2 emissions and costs

University of Gloucestershire - Power of the purse: Responsible procurement that reaches our people, projects and partners

University of the West of England, Bristol - Together in electric dreams

 

Food and Drink
Category Supporter: TUCO

Loughborough University - Ditching the disposable for...The Loughborough Cup… Another inspiring winner!

The University of Nottingham - Enactus Nottingham - Foodprint

The University of Winchester - The big Winchester coffee cup innovation of 2016/17: From 3 to 33 in 100

University of Cambridge - Making the right choice easy - Tasty food with a lower environmental impact

University of Chester - Just the VEGANning

University of the West of England, Bristol and The Students’ Union at UWE - Project Fairtrade - Making a world of difference at UWE Bristol

Learning and Skills

Bournemouth University - Greening the screen; facing the challenge of embedding education for sustainable development into higher education media production courses

Nottingham Trent University - Challenge days for challenging times

The University of Manchester - Whole institution sustainability engagement through innovative learning programmes

University of Edinburgh - Vets go green!

University of Gloucestershire - Lighting the way for sustainability: Educating the educators of Europe as beacons of change

 

Research and Development
Category Supporter: SALIX

Student

Zainab Bibi - University of Bristol

Thomas Fudge - Brunel University

Emily Haggett - University of Southampton

Jessica Klaver - University College Dublin

Laura J Salisbury - University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion

Gemma Small - University of Salford

Institution

Oxford Brookes University - The Green Guide to Specification – An environmental profiling system for construction materials

University of Salford - The Energy House

University of the West of England, Bristol - International Water Security Network

Student Engagement#

Ayrshire College - Park Life

Cranfield University - Bottom up, top down, meet with outstanding student engagement at Cranfield

London Metropolitan University - You heard it through the green vine

London South Bank University - Who cares about the Earth? Whole Earth brings a way to communicate sustainability through photography to our students!

The University of Nottingham - When beasties go large: #beastsofUoN

University of London - Reduce the juice

University of Winchester - This changes everything: 11 songs about climate change

University of Worcester - Go Green Week: From campus to city - students lead the way

 

Sustainability Reporting
Category Supporter: PwC UK

City University of London

Queen Mary University of London

The London School of Economics and Political Science

University of Cambridge

University of Leeds

University of Oxford

University of the West of England, Bristol

University of Worcester

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Leadership Award
Category Supporter: Interface

Angus Allan - South Lanarkshire College

Dr David Duncan - University of Glasgow

Chris Jagger - The University of Nottingham

Professor John O’Halloran - University College Cork

Professor Eunice Simmons - Nottingham Trent University

Professor Christine Willmore - University of Bristol

Sustainability Champion Award

Student

Navdeep Dhuti - London South Bank University

Thomas Haines - The Students’ Union at UWE

Indy Sira - The University of Warwick

Staff

Paul Dingley - The Students’ Union at UWE

Bernard Freeman - King’s College London

Dr Sarah Gretton - University of Leicester

Anne Perkins - Aston University

Shaunagh Smith - University of Chester

Dr Michelle Williams - University of Gloucestershire

 

Sustainability Professional Award
Category Supporter: EAUC

Matthew Arnold - University of Sussex

Paul Crossley - London South Bank University

Dr Georgina Gough - University of the West of England, Bristol

Professor Simon Kemp - University of Southampton

Tom Parkes - University of Brighton

* New category for 2017
# Included in the International Green Gown Awards

Established in 2004, the Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities, colleges and the learning and skills sectors across the UK and Ireland as the education sector leads a path to efficiency, employability and better quality of life for us all.

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