Green Gown Awards 2015 Finalists announced

WITH 85 motivational and inspiring sustainability projects representing 51 educational institutions across the UK – with a combined student population of 877,513 students – the EAUC is delighted and proud to announce the Green Gown Awards’ Finalists 2015 – all vying for the most prestigious recognition of best practice within the tertiary education sector.

Foodservice Footprint Future-cities-300x236 Green Gown Awards 2015 Finalists announced Foodservice News and Information Out of Home sector news  Yvonne Hawkins Higher Education Funding Council For England HEFCE Green Gown Awards EAUC

 

 

Now in their eleventh year, the Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities, colleges and the learning and skills sectors across the UK. With sustainable development moving up the global agenda, the Awards are now established as the most prestigious recognition of sustainability excellence within the tertiary education sector, as well as the environmental sector.

 

“The Green Gown Awards are a tremendous celebration of significant achievements that improve the quality of life for staff, students and the wider community. These projects really do make things better, improving the student experience and saving money whilst benefiting the environment. The Green Gown Awards is an inspiring enterprise and there is much to learn from what others have achieved.” says Yvonne Hawkins, Director (Universities and Colleges), Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and support partner for the dissemination of the Awards and the case studies.

 

2015 has proven to be another excellent year for applications to the Awards. With 157 applications received across 14 categories, there were some clear category favourites. The top 3 categories representing 43% of the overall applications were; Student Engagement (17%), Facilities and Services (14%) and Carbon Reduction (12%). Once again we have seen a large interest from Scotland – representing 13% of the submissions with Wales a close runner up at 12%. 89% of the applications represent Higher Education and 11% represent Further Education.

 

The individual awards attracted great interest especially with the introduction of the “Sustainability Professional Award” supported by EAUC – open to staff that have the remit for sustainability at a tertiary education institution. It recognises people at any level who have worked hard at pushing boundaries and are doing exemplary work.

 

“Every year the Green Gown Awards rewrite what business as usual looks like for UK universities and colleges. Sustainability makes business sense and this year’s inspiring initiatives prove that sustainability benefits staff, students, the wider community and of course the bottom line. Congratulations to all the finalists for their hard work and we look forward to celebrating their successes.” says Iain Patton, Chief Executive of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC).

 

Stage one applications for the Awards closed in June and a judging panel, consisting of over 90 representatives from the diversity of the tertiary education sector and experts in the various fields, provided a shortlist of entrants – the Finalists. These Finalists are now asked to submit their Stage 2 applications with a deadline in September.

 

The winners will be announced at the Green Gown Awards Ceremony and we are proud to announce that the Green Gown Awards will be coming to Bristol, the European Green Capital for 2015. And not only that, the Awards Ceremony taking place on 26 November, will be hosted in one of the oldest train stations in the world, at Brunel’s Old Station which is now an atmospheric venue which offers a perfect setting for our Awards’ celebrations. Ticket sales are now open.

 

The list of the Green Gown Awards 2015 Finalists:

 

 

Best Newcomer Finalists
Coleg Sir Gâr – ‘Green FE in Green HE’ – a dual sector Group approach Fife College – The Green Vented Hairdressing Salon

Southend Adult Community College – Southend on ‘Seen to be Green’

South-West College – Let’s Green SWC
University of Wales Trinity Saint David – INSPIRE@UWTSD – an institutional approach to delivering sustainability through our culture, curricula, campuses and community

 

Built Environment Finalists

Nottingham Trent University – To be green or not to be green, that is the question University of Bradford – Bright Building – The world’s most sustainable building in the education sector

University of Brighton – The Brighton Waste House

University of East Anglia – Modelling sustainability through intelligent design at UEA

 

Carbon Reduction Finalists – sponsored by SALIX Finance

Coventry University – Carbon Challenge
Dundee and Angus College – Reducing Carbon CO2 – it’s in our D&A
Edinburgh College – Cracking Carbon at Edinburgh College
Heriot-Watt University – Leading Lights! A cost-effective approach to LED street lighting in a campus setting
London Metropolitan University – Proud to be EnviroMET – smashing carbon reduction targets at London Metropolitan University
Oxford Brookes University – Creating a Low Carbon Oxford
The University of Nottingham – NOTT Carbon!
University of Warwick – University of Warwick One (Carbon) Step ahead

 

Community Innovation Finalists#

De Montfort University – OASYS South Asia – solar energy providing opportunities to off- grid rural communities
Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Manchester – Zero Waste- ‘Give it, Don’t bin it!’

Plymouth University – Restoring Drake’s Place as a Community Space
University of Leeds – Becoming Positive Partners in Society; Sustainability Service and Leeds University Union Partnership Initiative
University of the Arts London -Creative Collaborations//Design+Make

 

Continuous Improvement Finalists#

Durham University – Greenspace – branding the message ‘Every small step leads to big change’
North Warwickshire and Hinckley College – An all-round approach to sustainability University of Brighton – Institutional ‘c-change’ for sustainability

University of Reading – Reading, Steady, Green
University of the Arts London – Building the big picture through collage: London College of Fashion’s Learning, Teaching and Research journey

 

Enterprise and Employability Finalists – sponsored by HEA

Coventry University – Innovations in helping staff and students start up and develop social enterprises
King’s College London – Kings of Commerce: employability for a sustainable Eco-nomy London South Bank University – How Bad are Bananas? The Great Carbon Footprint Game

The University of Nottingham – Enactus Nottingham University of Brighton – Green Growth Platform

 

Facilities and Services Finalists – sponsored by SODEXO

Edinburgh College – eCar Project – Taking the plunge with electric pool cars
Emory University (USA) – The WaterHub – Emory University’s Innovative Leadership in Water Reuse
The University of Nottingham – Helium – Lost in Space
University College London – Campus Logistics – from Strategy to Service

University of Dundee – Greening our F(l)eet
University of Edinburgh – Sustainable laboratories – sharing best practice through peer learning
University of Liverpool – Tackling water scarcity with a tidal wave of efficiencies University of Reading – Greenlands Clean Conscience
University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Modern Meetings @ UWTSD

 

Food and Drink Finalists – sponsored by TUCO

Aberystwyth University – O’r Pridd I’r Plât (from Farm to Fork)
Lancaster University and Lancaster University Students’ Union – Grow it, eat it, live it! – health, sustainability and culture of food at Lancaster University
University of Brighton – ‘Love Food Hate Waste’: Brighton
University of Reading – Making Beer Green
University of the Arts London – Food for Life, University of the Arts London
University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Food for Thought – Our Sustainable Approach

 

Leadership Award Finalists

Professor Frances Corner, University of the Arts London Dr Jane Davidson, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Professor Jeremy Sanders, University of Cambridge

 

Learning and Skills Finalists

Canterbury Christ Church University – The Futures Initiative: Our deep-rooted education commitment to the Rio 20+ Global Sustainability Goals: from seeds to roots South Devon College – South West Energy Centre, providing training and support for a bright future in the Low Carbon Sector
University of Leeds – Joining forces to Create Sustainable Futures
University of the West of England – ‘Raising the baseline’
University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Advocacy in the Anthropocene
University of Wales Trinity Saint David – An Inspired Education

 

Research and Development Finalists

Lancaster University – Centre for Global Eco-Innovation develops eco-innovative products, processes and services
The University of Nottingham – Creative Energy Homes: Low-Energy and Zero-Carbon Housing – a living test-site for energy efficient technologies
University of Cambridge – LEDing the way to greener plant growth
University of Salford – Clever Classrooms in Sustainable Schools
University of the Arts London – Grow a Garment

 

Student Engagement Finalists# – sponsored by SFC

Bristol SU – Learn Act Engage Create: a four-step approach to embedding sustainability into the student experience
Edinburgh College – Edinburgh College Community Gardens and Orchards
Liverpool Guild of Students – Students Lead with a Buzz

The Students’ Union of the University of Central Lancashire – Small Acorns to Large Oaks – Small Scale Student led Sustainability Projects as a Catalyst for Change University of Bradford Union of Students – Cycling 4 All: The Veg Out Patch University of Bristol and University of the West of England – Student Capital: Green Capital : Unleashing the power of Bristol Students

University of Edinburgh – Inspiring student-led action in social responsibility and sustainability
University of St Andrews – Transition University of St Andrews
University of Stirling & University of Stirling Students’ Union – The Green + Blue Space: The University of Stirling’s Environmental Heart

 

Sustainability Champion Award – Staff Finalists – sponsored by TEC

Luci Attala, University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Gwenllian Beynon, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Vincent Montag, Goldsmiths, University of London

 

Sustainability Champion Award – Student Finalists – sponsored by TEC

Anja Fischenich, London South Bank University Charlotte Rebekah Instone, University of the Arts London Margaret Jennings, Goldsmiths, University of London

 

Sustainability Professional Award Finalists* – sponsored by EAUC

Serena Bacuzzi, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College Katy Boom, University of Worcester
David Chapman, University of Warwick
Martin Farley, King’s College London

Nicola Hogan, Goldsmiths, University of London Dr Aled Jones, Anglia Ruskin University
Alex Metcalfe, Canterbury Christ Church University Peter Rands, Canterbury Christ Church University Dr Rosemary Willatt, University of the Arts London

* New for 2015 # Included in the International Green Gown Awards

A list of the organisations represented on the Green Gown Awards 2015 judging panel can be found here: http://www.eauc.org.uk/judges

 

Green Gown Awards 2015 steering group members are:

Association of Colleges (AoC)
Association of Heads of University Administration (AHUA) Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE)
British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG) Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) The Education and Training Foundation
Guild HE
Higher Education Environmental Performance Improvement (HEEPI) Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)
JISC
Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE)
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)
National Union of Students (NUS)
Skills Funding Agency (SFA)
Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
The Higher Education Academy (HEA)
University and College Union (UCU)
Universities UK (UUK)