Green Gown Awards 2019 Finalists' Brochure

Finalists’ Brochure
Awarding Sustainability Excellence | Since 2004
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Green GownAwards UK & Ireland
Education proving its value to the economy and society
This year’s UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards’ Finalists, representing over 1 million students, 162,000 staff and a combined annual
turnover of £15 billion, are leading the way with their commitment to the global sustainability agenda and proving the value that
universities and colleges bring to the economy and society. The Finalists emphasise an institution’s role in enabling and empowering
young people to tackle pressing global issues to ensure they have a better tomorrow. The Awards provide the sector with benchmarks
for excellence and are respected by Government, funding councils, senior management, academics and students.
For the third year running, applicants were tasked with outlining how their sustainability projects delivered against the global
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 49% of this year’s finalists listed ‘quality education’ as an SDG they are delivering against.
Meanwhile just under half are working towards ‘responsible consumption and production’ and 41% put forward projects working
towards “sustainable cities and communities”. To show the breadth of the impact education has on the delivery of the SDGs, 31%
stated they are delivering against the ‘health and well-being’ SDG, one in four delivering “reduced inequalities” and one third
delivering against “climate action”.
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.
Sharing best practice and dissemination of Green Gown Awards’ initiatives on a global scale
The Green Gown Awards are further enhanced by their ever-expanding international presence. Our delivery partners
can be found on the following pages. Each winner from the regional international categories (Benefitting Society,
Student Engagement and Sustainability Institution of the Year Award) go head-to -head for the coveted International
Green Gown Awards.
We work hard with the many partners of the Awards to ensure the good practices shown from our Finalists are disseminated far and
wide. With a showcase of over 750+ case studies, short videos and infographics from past Winners, Highly Commended and Finalist
entries available from the Sustainability Exchange (www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk), we are sure there is something there to
inspire you.
Partners
Without the financial support and sponsorship from our 2019 partners we would not be able to run the Awards and for this we are
most grateful. We also thank the 100+ expert colleagues who help judge the applications for their time, commitment and valuable
contributions. It is their substantial experience in working with and representing universities, colleges and other providers of tertiary
education, as well as industry experts, that truly make the Green Gown Awards sector-owned.
Finally, we congratulate each of the 101 Finalists. 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
CEO, EAUC – The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education
Peter James
Chair, Green Gown Awards Steering Group, Director of S-Lab and co-founder of the Awards
GET TWEETING ABOUT THE
INSPIRATIONAL FINALISTS
AT @GREENGOWNS
www.greengownawards.org | 01242 714 321 | @greengowns | greengown@eauc.org.uk
Contents
We are delighted to present the 2019
Finalists and share their inspiring examples
of sustainability best practice, together with
some words of advice and encouragement
on lessons learnt along the way when
implementing their projects.
We hope many readers will be inspired and motivated
by these projects. There are 101 Finalists, representing
55 institutions, split over the 14 categories.
finalists
101
categories
14
Judges have the discretion to award up to two category winners based
on the size of the institution. Large/small sized institutions is based on
annual turnover of £50 million or below. This is to recognise that the size
of an institution can affect the size and impact of an initiative. This will
be done when applications are of a high quality, at the judges’ discretion
and is not mandatory.
*The Winning entry will be put forward for the International Green
Gown Award.
CO2 SAVING
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project’ssavingsoveragivenperiod.
KEY
t=tonnes
kg=kilogrammes
%=percentamount=actual/
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Individual and Team Awards
AbouttheAwards 4
SustainabilityInstitutionoftheYear* 66
SustainabilityChampionAward(Staff/Student) 94
2019Judges 5
ResearchwithImpact(Institution) 52
ResearchwithImpact(Student) 90
InternationalGreenGownAwards 9
Supporters 6
Tomorrow’sEmployees 70
BenefittingSociety* 10
OutstandingLeadershipTeam 84
CampusHealth,FoodandDrink 20
TotalReporting 76
CampusoftheFuture 26
Enterprise 32
MoneyforGood 40
NextGenerationLearningandSkills 46
StudentEngagement* 58

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About the awards
The Green Gown Awards underline the value and recognition that winning offers, and
highlight the continued importance of sustainability within the international tertiary
educational sector.
The Green Gown Awards UK and Ireland are administered by the EAUC – The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in
Education and are governed by a cross agency steering group made up of:
- Advance HE
- Association of Colleges (AoC)
- Association of Heads of University Administration (AHUA)
- Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE)
- British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG)
- College Development Network
- Colleges Wales
- EAUC – The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership
in Education
- Education and Skills Funding Agency
- The Education and Training Foundation
- Guild HE
- Higher Education Environmental Performance
Improvement (HEEPI)
- Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)
- Jisc
- Learning and Work Institute
- National Union of Students (NUS)
- Office for Students
- Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)
- Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
- University and College Union (UCU)
- Universities UK (UUK)
The Awards have been supported and sponsored by a number of organisations during their lifetime and huge thanks go to
past and present sponsors (see front cover) and supporters (above).
2019 Judges
The judging panel are representatives of sector organisations and/or specialists in a particular
area. It is their substantial experience that truly makes the Green Gown Awards sector owned.
We thank the judges for their time, commitment and valuable contributions. We would like to
thank PwC UK for their generous hosting of the Stage 2 judging.
AdvanceHE
APUC(Scotland)-Advanced
ProcurementforUniversitiesandColleges
ASRA - Association for Student
Residential Accommodation
AAETOBoard- Association of Adult
Education and Training Organisations
AALTO
AGCAS - Association of Graduate
Careers Advisory Services
AUCSO - Association of University Chief
Security Officers
AUDE - Association of University
Directors of Estates
AUE - Association of University
Engineers
ACTS - Australasian Campuses Towards
Sustainability
BlackSun
BREEAMUKNewConstruction/BRE
Global
BUFDG - British Universities Finance
Directors Group
CampusResponsables
CIWM - Chartered Institution of Wastes
Management
CUBO - College and University Business
Officers
CollegeDevelopmentNetwork
CRUE - Crue Spanish Universities
BEIS - Department for Business, Energy
Industrial Strategy
EnactusUK
EAUC - The Alliance for Sustainability
Leadership in Education
EAUCGroups - EAUC - The Alliance for
Sustainability Leadership in Education,
EAUC Board and Fellow Members
and representatives from regional
Communities of Practice (COPs) and
Topic Support Networks (TSNs)
EmeraldGroup
FutureBusinessCouncil
GlobalAlliancePartnership
GUILDHE
HEFCW - Higher Education Funding
Council for Wales
HEPA - Higher Education Procurement
Association
HOLEX - Adult Community Education
and Learning
IEMA - Institute of Environmental
Management and Assessment
Interface
JISC
LANDEX - Land Based Colleges Aspiring
to Excellence
LearningandWorkInstitute
MarksandSpencer
NACUE - National Association of
College and University Entrepreneurs
NUS - National Union of Students/NUS
Sustainability Advisory/Oversight Board
UNICAGreen - Network of Universities
from the Capitals of Europe
NHSSDU - NHS Sustainable
Development Unit
PRMEUK - Principles for Responsible
Management
ProBeAdvisoryGroup
PwC
RACA - Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
RussellGroup
SALIX
SAP
SCHOMS
S-LAB
SocietyfortheEnvironment
SoilAssociation
StudentHubs
TEC - The Energy Consortium
SRA - The Sustainable Restaurant
Association
Unilever
UNEP/EETU - United Nations
Environment Programme
UCISA - Universities and Colleges
Information Systems Association
USHA - Universities Safety and Health
Association
WRAP
YnysResources

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On September 25th, 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the
planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each
goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. For the goals to be reached,
everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society and people
like you.
We asked each of our Finalists to select up to a maximum of four goals that their application
particularly delivered against. These are shown alongside their individual listings, showing
the impact education has on a global scale.
Sustainable Development Goals
Sign the SDG Accord www.sdgaccord.org
BENEFITTING
SOCIETY
CAMPUS HEALTH,
FOOD AND DRINK
CAMPUS OF
THE FUTURE
ENTERPRISE
MONEY FOR GOOD
NEXT GENERATION
LEARNING AND SKILLS
OUTSTANDING
LEADERSHIP
TEAM OF THE YEAR
RESEARCH
WITH IMPACT
(INSTITUTION)
RESEARCH WITH
IMPACT (STUDENT)
STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT
SUSTAINABILITY
CHAMPION AWARD
SUSTAINABILITY
INSTITUTION
OF THE YEAR
TOMORROW’S
EMPLOYEES
TOTAL REPORTING
SUPPORTING
THE AWARDS
MEDIA
PARTNER
SUPPORTING
AWARD
CEREMONY
SPONSORS
The Awards have been sponsored by a
number of organisations during their
lifetime and huge thanks go to past and
present sponsors. Thank you.

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Want to be our headline sponsor?
Join us and be a part of the global innovation and problem-solving
power of students, universities and colleges.
This is a unique opportunity to connect with the creativity and impact
of the only global university, college and student sustainability
leadership award.
As Headline Partner of the Green Gown Awards, you will be a part
of the solution. We want you to influence and share student,
university and college global sustainability excellence in teaching
and research, leadership, campuses and employability. Our partnership
will show how students can benefit the quality of life for us all in our
businesses and communities.
Work with us and let’s make a future fit for life.
The exclusivity and prestige of these established Awards, combined
with the commitment and connections of influential applicants make
this a hugely attractive partnership opportunity. We will work with you
to maximise business value through access to entrants and the wider
global Green Gown Award community.
Want to be a part of the solution? We would love to hear from you.
greengown@eauc.org.uk
www.greengownawards.org/green-gown-awards-uk-ireland
In partnership with
International
Green Gown awards
Global presence
The Green Gown Awards, recognising the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges,
are delivered on a regional basis in the UK and Ireland are further enhanced by their international presence. The Green Gown
Awards are delivered regionally in Australasia and French speaking Europe and Canada, as well as in the UK and Ireland. The
International Green Gown Awards, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme, are delivered on a global scale.
They all come together to go head-to-head for the coveted International Green Gown Awards.
The International Green Gown Awards provide benchmarks for excellence and are respected internationally by national
Governments, funding councils, senior management, academics, students and the business community.
International Green Gown Awards
The International Green Gown Awards, supported by the
United Nations Environment Programme, have been awarding
universities and colleges across the globe since 2013.
The Awards cover all aspects of educational institutions – from
their teaching and research, leadership, buildings and food to how
students can benefit the quality of life in the communities around them.
We bring together all the regional winners who then go head-to-head
for the coveted International Green Gown Awards.
Green Gown Awards UK and Ireland
Founded in 2004, the Awards are delivered by EAUC – The Alliance for
Sustainability Leadership in Education. The Awards are open to all post-16
educational institutions further or higher education institutions, work-based
or adult and community learning providers.
Green Gown Awards Australasia
The Awards were brought to Australasia in 2010 and are delivered
by our partners, Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS).
The Awards are open to all tertiary education institutions in Australia
and New Zealand.
Les trophées des campus responsables
The French speaking edition of the Green Gown Awards are open to
all French speaking universities and colleges, schools and specialised
institutes in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemourg and French
speaking regions in Canada. They are being delivered by our partners,
Campus Responsables.
La édition francophone des
For more information visit wwweauc.org.uk/international_green_gown_awards
The Awards are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals and supported by the UN, national governments and education bodies.
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Beneﬁtting
Society
This category recognises the powerful and innovative
ways education institutions are realising their purpose
in today’s society to benefit the lives of individuals,
communities and wider society.
79%of the finalists in this category chose “quality
education” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
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Biodiversity refreshes a campus naturally
This project is about changes to our grounds maintenance
which have slowly but surely transformed the campus.
This has been inspired by and is still informed by academic
research and learning. It has increased our interaction with
the local community and helped us engage with more and
more staff and students.
Starting with a change in grass cutting regimes and
the planting of some small wildflower plots. It led to a
Biodiversity Action Plan being established and a landscape
strategy incorporating biodiversity with a major wildlife
corridor being key elements of the new Masterplan for the
campus. There has been a re-wilding of elements including a
brook and hedges. All this has won recognition with awards
three years running from the Wildlife Trust and also an award
to our ground’s contractor from Horticulture Week.
This year a new woodland trail has been installed with
funding from a Green Infrastructure Grant.
#PassingPositivity Mental Health United
Mental Health United is an ongoing physical activity initiative
that has been developed to improve the mental health and
wellbeing of the students, staff and wider community within
Ayrshire.
In East Ayrshire alone suicide levels have doubled in the last
12 months. In the town of Cumnock, with a population of
12,000, 8 young people took their own lives in a 6-month
period. Many of these young people are students of or have
connections with Ayrshire College via family and friends.
Using sport and physical activity as a ‘hook’ to engage with
the community to highlight the issue and encourage those
who might be emotionally vulnerable, to seek the help that is
available to them.
This was done in partnership with the Kris Boyd Charity. Kris
is a former Scottish international footballer and captain of
Kilmarnock Football Club. Kris started this charity after the
tragic death of his younger brother.
Askham Bryan College
De Montfort University
Cranfield University
Ayrshire College
1. Engage staff and students in wildlife projects - they
become advocates for further actions.
2. Value biodiversity action areas as organisational assets
demonstrating good environmental management.
3. There is a real synergy in combining academic expertise,
campus resources and site management.
1. #PassingPositivity.
2. It’s okay not to be okay.
3. Teamwork makes the dream work.
1. Designing and installing gardens to professional standards
using different teams of staff and students.
2. Raising the profile of horticulture in York by creating a buzz
around our project.
3. Creating a lasting legacy garden whilst developing several
other beneficial relationships.
1. Anything is possible - student volunteers have gone into a
troubled prison and made a difference.
2. Don’t be conventional or limited in your thinking when
looking at work in the community.
3. Successful projects do not need huge sums of money to be
successful.
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Three gardens - one lasting vision
‘In site of the Minster’ is a show garden with a difference.
Show gardens are seldom enjoyed beyond the show but
this garden is designed to have longevity and a much wider,
lasting positive impact in communities as the garden will be
recycled so that it has a permanent community benefit.
The garden is a contemporary representation of York’s
historic landmark. By recreating structural elements of the
Minster and its grounds, a small garden space with a sense of
scale and splendour of the original is created.
The living window is an adaptation of the stained glass
windows whilst stonework and timber buttresses provide the
powerful structural and visual impact. In keeping the formal
and linear shapes of the Minster, each component is delivered
with creativity and quality.
Transforming Life Behind Bars
Transforming Life Behind Bars was a ground-breaking link-up
between De Montfort University and Leicester Prison that
has helped transform the fortunes of the once-troubled jail.
HMP Leicester was the focus of a damning report by the
prisons watchdog, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons, at the
start of 2016 with a legacy of violence and plagued by drugs.
After a chance meeting between senior university staff and
the prison governor, both sides felt that involving student and
staff volunteers in projects and engaging with inmates could
make a difference.
The idea was to create change through projects, including
building a memorial garden, the first-ever orchestral concert
held in a British jail, arts performances, a two-week arts
festival and workshops and a redesign of the visitors’ room
by students.
The result surprised everyone – a 21 per cent reduction in
violence as the prison surged 50 places up the league table
for UK jails.
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Food + Wood
The Fruit Routes initiative is a platform for community
projects connecting the university with the local community.
The activities mainly focus on sustainability and art and try
to enhance the engagements between campus and the town.
One of the most popular activities is the annual fruit harvest
on campus. In partnership with our School of Architecture
academics and students an Apple store was designed as a
focal point of these activities.
Architecture students attended a Summer school where
they were asked to design and ultimately build the store
fulfilling the aim to work towards ‘enhancing and building
communities’ as part of their architecture profession as this
aspect is more important than ever before.
Za’atari - living our future now
The creation of a dress led Helen Storey to Za’atari Refugee
Camp in Jordan, a home to 80,000 people who have fled the
war in Syria since 2012.
In 2016, Helen visited the camp to listen and understand the
nature and challenges of life there. Three years later and as
the first appointed UNHCR Artist in Residence, Helen has
co-created multiple practical responses to the consequences
of displacement and together with the NGO’s and citizens
of this city in the making, is helping enable economic
independence for women and developing a new language of
the spirit.
Keele University
Northumbria University
Loughborough University
London College of Fashion, UAL
1. It was fascinating to see the engagement of two really
different design cultures.
2. The brief must balance the client need whilst allowing
students the freedom to be as creative as possible.
3. Working on the campus with a live project engaging
students is hugely rewarding.
1. Be very ambitious about our world’s future.
2. Extreme collaboration across the HE sector, Industry and
NGO’s is needed to make the changes the world needs.
3. A new language of the spirit is coming – we just need to
keep each other company – Inshallah!
1. Identifying community legal needs for access to justice has
generated greater engagement and policy reform.
2. Collaborating with existing community actors can
promote wider reach and sustainability of projects.
3. Developing unique and innovative skills has enabled our
students and partners to transform access to justice.
1. Start small and let things grow.
2. Develop mutually beneficial partnerships to ensure project
longevity and the best outcome for all.
3. Keep the project central to the School’s mission.
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Community Legal Outreach Collaboration Keele -
‘CLOCK’-ing up 9,000 volunteering hours to provide
access to justice to 4,000 people
The Community Legal Outreach Collaboration Keele
(CLOCK) is a sustainable collaboration of law schools, courts,
law firms, charitable and public sector services, which works
to promote, assist and monitor access to justice. Access to
legal aid has been significantly cut across England and Wales,
increasing the number of individuals in court without legal
advice or representation struggling for access to legal justice.
CLOCK was launched in 2012 by Keele Law School. Law
students have since clocked up 9000+ volunteer hours
through this innovative initiative, providing vital help
and support to disadvantaged communities. Through
collaboration with partner organisations, CLOCK has
provided legal research, policy work and community legal
education to people in need. CLOCK has been cascaded to
15 UK Law Schools, supporting more than 4,000 litigants
in person, and securing legal aid reforms. CLOCK was
launched internationally in 2017 through the All India
Access to Justice Strategy.
Student Law Office - facilitating access to justice in the
North East
First established in 1993, Northumbria’s Student Law Office
was one of the first legal clinics in the UK. Since then, its
activities have grown exponentially, providing free legal
advice and representation to approximately 300 people each
year through the work of our students.
The Student Law Office breaks down the barriers between
academic study and real world engagement to make a direct
contribution to SDG 16 – providing legal representation and
access to justice to those who might otherwise have none.
The SLO works closely with Partners to maximise its impact
as well as questioning and challenging current practice to
influence law reform.
The projects of the SLO not only provide Quality Education
to our students through experiential learning and
professional insight, but also address inequalities within
education and social mobility – enabling a diverse range of
students to advance their careers regardless of their own
background and networks.
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ScienceX - taking science to new audiences
ScienceX was a pop-up festival organised by The University
of Manchester’s Faculty of Science and Engineering. Through
this event we hoped to engage ‘non-traditional audiences’,
namely those who wouldn’t usually seek out a science
themed event; who may feel that going to university or
pursuing a career in science or engineering are not realistic
options for them; and to generate interest and enthusiasm
for the world of science and engineering in local people and
families.
To reach this audience, we developed an exciting programme
of 17 hands-on activities, including slime stations, dancing
robots and a flight simulator, and took them ‘on the road’ to
a popular regional shopping and entertainment centre where
visitors would not expect to find science.
Over 180 staff and student volunteers had more than 25,000
interactions with visitors across two days in March 2019, and
data showed that we engaged with our intended audiences.
Visitors described ScienceX as “fun” and “inspiring”.
University of Chester
The University of Manchester
1. Consider ‘unusual’ partners and think outside the box – it
creates opportunities to engage with new audiences.
2. Have a clear and worthwhile mission and others will be
more enthusiastic about supporting it.
3. Keep evolving projects, reaching further and trying new
things for the greatest positive impact.
1. One idea and a few people is all it takes to start something
big.
2. People are unlikely to use a disposable cup if they see their
colleagues cleaning them!
3. Keep saving the planet, even if it’s cleaning out old dairy
products…
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Caring Cups for the Chester community
The Caring Cup project was designed and implemented by
the Green Impact team in the library to simultaneously reuse
single use coffee cups discarded in the library and provide
support to the homeless community in Chester. In the first
three months the team collected 1,705 coffee cups, with a
total of 10,196 collected in the library up until April 2019.
The team collected, cleaned and reused the cups for planting
seedlings as part of VeggieFest and handed out 250 Caring
Cups in the first week of term in which students and staff
could collect their loose change. Along with other fundraising
activities the team raised £1,042.79 that was donated to the
local charity ShareAid helping to provide support to the local
homeless community.
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Digital Ambassadors
Digital Ambassadors aimed to increase the level of digital
literacy in Edinburgh through specialised classes and public
drop-ins. As we see everyday tasks like shopping, banking
and paying bills move to online platforms, digital literacy is
becoming an increasingly necessary life skill. Yet, according
to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, 1 in 5
adults in Scotland lack essential digital skills.
During this project, approximately 20-30 volunteers
from across the University of Edinburgh, including staff,
undergraduates and postgraduates, gave one-to-one tuition
in basic digital skills such as emailing, using the Internet for
shopping and staying safe online.
In the past 9 months, the project has hosted 44 events
across Edinburgh, reached approximately 200 members
of the public. In its third year, the project has grown and
made an impact on digital literacy, increasing confidence in
individuals’ use of digital devices and befriending in the local
community.
Swansea University
The University of Edinburgh
1. The importance of mutual learning and understanding
between university volunteers and members of the public.
2. The importance of considering benefits to society when
developing programmes.
3. Extendinglearningopportunitiesbeyondtheclassroomsand
empoweringthemtomakeimpactintheircommunities.
1. We planned, engaged with others, listened, acted and kept
our eyes on the prize!
2. Our people are our biggest asset - work, listen and learn
from them, and see the benefits.
3. We had a communications strategy in place for each step
of the way.
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
CO2t SAVING
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SEEChange-deliveringsocial,economicandenvironmental
benefitsbybeingananchorinthecommunity
SEE Change - original, forward thinking initiatives which
have brought real economic benefits through training and
employment opportunities. Our strapline ‘Everyone can use’
is true for all of our sustainable travel initiatives.
Many of these are ‘firsts’ - for Swansea, nationally, and, in
the case of our crowdfunded bike hire scheme, the first in the
world.
Swansea Santander Next bikes - first bike hire scheme for
the region In-house Ride Leadership programme - first
of its kind in Wales; Public Cycle Workstations - first to
be installed in Swansea; Gold Cycle Friendly Employer
Status - first business/organisation in Wales; Commercial
24 hour bus service linking communities to the rail station
and local hospitals and providing local employment - first
in Wales; Greened our fleet changing over to hydrogen/
electric; Community partnership chairing the Swansea Bay
Sustainable Travel Planning Forum.
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WestLothianCollege:Menintochildcare/forestclassroom
Scotland needs around 11,000 new childcare practitioners if
it is to meet the Scottish Government’s pledge to provide 30
hours of free childcare to disadvantaged two-to four-year-
olds of working parents by 2020. The childcare sector has a
huge gender imbalance with only two per cent of the nursery
workforce being men. This compares to 7 per cent in Portugal
and 23 per cent in Denmark.
WestLothianCollegehasbeenawarded£22,600bytheScottish
FundingCounciltosupportaMeninEarlyYearsprojecttohelp
addressthegenderimbalanceintheearlylearningandchildcare
workforce.TheMeninEarlyYearsprojecthopestobothhelp
meettheneedfornewpractitionersandaddressthisimbalance
byincreasingthenumberofmenapplyingforandsuccessfully
completingScottishSocialServicesCouncil(SSSC)registered
qualificationsinearlylearningandchildcare.
We blended the creation of a forest classroom alongside the
promotion of men into childcare to enhance recruitment and
showcase the males currently studying childcare at West
Lothian College.
University of Glasgow University of Strathclyde
West Lothian College
1. There’s an opportunity for everyone to learn outdoors!
2. It is possible to make an exciting learning environment
using entirely recycled materials.
3. This was “the best school-day ever!” said one pupil visiting
our Forest Classroom!
1. Effective adaptation cannot be done in isolation and
requires a regional partnership approach alongside
national and local efforts.
2. Pooling of financial resources in a partnership approach
increases buying power and prevents duplication of effort.
3. Sharing learning can accelerate progress.
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Climate Ready Clyde - a partnership for a climate
resilient city region
Climate Ready Clyde is a cross-sector initiative funded by
15 member organisations (including both the Universities of
Glasgow and Strathclyde) to create a shared vision, strategy
and action plan for an adapting Glasgow City Region. The
partnership is co-creating Scotland’s first regional Climate
Change Adaptation Strategy and Action by:
• Developing the UK’s first public Climate Risk and
Opportunity Assessment for Glasgow City Region.
• Providing capacity building and support to members to help
them champion adaptation in the City Region.
• Providing and promoting climate leadership.
• Coordinating adaptation activity across Glasgow City
Region.
• Facilitating delivery of adaptation actions where feasible –
for example through project development and delivery.
18 19
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TEC Innovation Centre, 1 Devon Way, Longbridge Technology Park, Birmingham, B31 2TS

Campus Health,
Food and Drink
This category recognises innovative campaigns across
institutions that show creativity and consideration
for how healthy food and drink is procured and served
and ultimately how behaviour change and where
appropriate, health and wellbeing, has been encouraged
across staff, students and the broader community.
100%of the finalists in this category chose
“responsible consumption and production”
as one of their project’s top SDG’s
20 21

Cardiff Metropolitan University
King’s College London
Heriot-Watt University
Dundee and Angus College
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
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Reverse vending at Heriot-Watt University: A pioneering
Deposit Return Scheme
Heriot-Watt University has run a successful Deposit Return
Scheme at the Edinburgh Campus since 2013.
The scheme, one of the longest-standing reverse vending
projects in the UK, places a 10p refundable deposit on the
sale price of cans and bottles sold at the campus, redeemed
via reverse vending machines that guarantee high quality and
source-segregated materials for recycling.
With over 700,000 PET bottles and 200,000 aluminium
cans collected since 2013 (the equivalent of the weight of
20 original Minis!) the scheme has made a very tangible
contribution to on-campus sustainability, while acting as
a demonstrator for an approach that will soon be adopted
nationally.
Putting planet before profit
It’s not all about saving money and reducing carbon. It’s
about educating people on how to live more sustainably,
what the impacts are of the disposable culture we live in, and
show people how small, simple changes can actually make
a big difference to not only the environment as a whole, but
their individual lives.
DA College has extended its successful food waste project
by installing a second composter, stopped selling bottled
water and installed Water Stations, and removed all single
use hot drinks cups from our catering service. This has
removed in the region of 20,000 single use plastic bottles,
and 130,000 disposable cups from the system.
We are trying to change an embedded disposable culture.
People have to understand that convenience over climate is
no longer an option.
1. Given the right information and prior warning, staff and
students are willing to give anything a chance.
2. Consultation and taking on board suggestions, helped us
put together effective forward thinking initiatives.
3. Full backing of our Executive team has been pivotal to our
success.
1. Great plastic free progress, not plastic perfection but
changing perception of single-use plastic on Campus.
2. A small nudge towards change can make a difference to
behaviour. Loving the alternative helps!
3. We all know what is right, but plastic can prove difficult in
already established routines.
1. Give chefs formal plant-based food training so they are
knowledgeable and prepared for creating dishes.
2. Shout about being a 100% plant-based café on social
media, so everyone knows you’re there!
3. Make sure front-of-house staff are briefed to answer
questions on ingredients and plant-based food.
Chilly’s - helping you stay hydrated while you are
educated!
During Go Green Week in Feb 2018, Cardiff Metropolitan
University invited staff and students to put forward their
Sustainability ideas for Campus change via a ‘Campus Pledge
Tree’. The top suggestion was to reduce single-use plastic on
Campus. The Catering outlets were identified as the highest
use areas of single use plastic; bottled water / soft drinks
and single-use takeaway food containers. Market research
led to a collaboration with Chilly’s Bottles - with discounted
rrp. Re-usable bottles available for purchase on site and the
increase of free water vending machines on Campus with
Hydrachill. The 500ml fit perfectly under the free chilled water
vending machines, with the Chilly’s keeping the water chilled
for up to 24 hours.
Since April 2018, 3,531 Chilly’s have been sold with the
demand for an additional 3 free water vending machines and a
reduction in recycling of 82,028 kgs from April 17 – March 19.
This switch equates to a saving of 167 water bottles per person
in a year, so Cardiff Met has facilitated the saving of 3,531 x
167 = 589,677 water bottles.
Opening a plant-based café at King’s
In September 2018, King’s Food, King’s College London’s
internal catering provider, opened a fully plant-based café in
the newly refurbished Bush House.
Since joining the Sustainable Restaurant Association in
2016, King’s Food have gradually introduced sustainability
initiatives into their business. They encouraged staff to think
about sustainable practices, and to propose radical ideas to
reduce their carbon footprint – and it was an idea from a staff
member that led to the opening of the plant-based café.
The plant-based café has already brought a number of
benefits to King’s. It makes plant-based food and drinks
readily available, making it easy for everyone to make
positive changes. It shows commitment to sustainability and
has raised awareness of plant-based diets at King’s. Finally,
it has enabled our chefs to change the way they think about
food, and to challenge themselves and each other to develop
new plant-based dishes that can be served at the University.
1. As ever, collaboration is key!
2. Always look for the next innovation to help give your
project fresh impetus.
3. Consider research linkages to your project – there can be
real synergies.

Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
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Good food: Promoting healthy, sustainable and
affordable food
The University of Edinburgh is committed to socially
responsible and sustainable food practices and takes a whole
institution approach to food and its connection to health
and sustainability. We aim to contribute to sustainable food
systems that enrich society and our natural environment.
In August 2016, we approved our first Good Food Policy to
drive progress in five key areas: sourcing, provision, practice,
research learning teaching and leadership culture.
The policy highlights our commitment to providing
healthy, sustainable and affordable food to the University
community. We aim to support staff and student-led
projects and research to enhance food social responsibility
and sustainability in Edinburgh.
Since 2016, we have made significant progress in improving
access to drinking water on campus, establishing a charge on
single use coffee cups, assessed sustainability risks in supply
chains, provided cookery classes to students and ensured
more vegetarian and vegan catering options on campus.
1. We didn’t realise how prevalent palm oil is in our everyday
life and day-to-day products.
2. We learnt that not all palm oil is bad, only the way it is
farmed.
3. By making a simple change this can start a chain reaction.
Doing it the Chester Way - championing sustainable
Palm Oil
The University of Chester has taken the lead in the Higher
Education sector in championing the use of Sustainable Palm
Oil. The University achieved champion status as part of
Chester Zoo’s Sustainable Palm Oil Challenge, which aims to
create greater demand in the UK for sustainable palm oil. Our
Catering team has worked closely with its suppliers to ensure
that every food or drink product sold across the institution’s
catering outlets contains only sustainably sourced palm oil.
Whilst reviewing the ingredients of all the food purchased,
the group quickly discovered that palm oil was a hidden
ingredient in many products and external suppliers could not
always trace its source when asked. The University asked its
suppliers to pledge their support by making changes in either
the products provided or in sourcing of ingredients.
The University has its own Artisan Baker and their recipes
have been changed to ensure that everything they create
uses sustainable palm oil.
1. We must go above and beyond to implement change.
2. Sustainable Public Procurement Tool (SPPT) –
sustainability risks are complex.
3. We need to reflect what our staff and students want.
Prifysgol Bangor University
Schumacher College
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Conscious food choices for sustainable living
Food is central to learning at Schumacher College. We are
a vegetarian organisation and grow much of the fruit and
vegetables we eat, and we have a small flock of chickens and
ducks. On our five and half hectares we also grow beans, nuts
and a small amount of grains such as amaranth and quinoa.
As a learning community all staff and students are
encouraged to take their turn in the kitchen and gardens to
help harvest and prepare food. It is this hands-on approach
that stimulates debate about healthy food choices and how
we consider supply, sustainability and seasonality of produce.
For the food we cannot produce, we seek out local suppliers
where possible, attempting to minimise food miles and
carbon impact.
We also encourage our learning community to eat a wide
variety of edible plants, flowers and herbs for their beneficial
properties and we compost leftover food.
1. Making conscious choices in how we source and eat our
food is educational and empowering.
2. There are social, cultural, creative and organisational
benefits of eating communally.
3. Conscious, sustainable eating strengthens relationships
and develops partnerships with other organisations.
1. People make the right choices when given clear, consistent
information – no need to oversimplify messages.
2. People want to get involved and collaborate; they are just
waiting for that opportunity.
3. Involve, collaborate and integrate with stakeholders at the
beginning – diverse experiences are invaluable.
Think Before You Drink (Ystyried Cyn Yfed)
Bangor University’s Think Before You Drink Campaign is a
set of waste prevention and reuse initiatives encouraging
sustainable consumption across all our catering outlets.
Similar waste prevention, reuse and recycling initiatives will
follow throughout the year.
The University wanted to lead by example and empower
individuals to understand the consequences of their actions
and make sustainable choices in their daily lives.
Think Before You Drink aims to prevent, or at least reduce,
the number of straws used across campus by making them
available on request only; prevent unnecessary waste
by removing all single-use drink stirrers from our outlets
regardless of material and replacing them with reusable
metal spoons; promote the water refill scheme thus reducing
the need for single-use water bottles; and, promote the use
of reusable cups in order to reduce single-use coffee cups.
Think Before You Drink is a collaborative campaign led by
the University’s Catering team, the Sustainability Lab and
the Students.

Campus of
the Future
This category recognises pathfinding campus and learning innovation.
Traditional campus and learning processes are challenged and advances in internet
connectivity, artificial intelligence and augmented reality have scope to transform
campuses and learning into more immersive and more sustainable experiences.
100%of the finalists in this category chose “good health
and well-being” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
26 27
Category sponsor

Northumbria University
University of the West of Scotland
University of the West of England
UCL
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UWE Beeline
The 2019 FRENCHAY BEELINE project is an eye-catching
scheme to bring nature into the heart of the University. The
planting is based on a theme of “Edible Pollinators” allowing
our staff, students and visitors access to free herbs, fruit
and vegetables, while also helping to enhance biodiversity
across the campus.
The project consists of 30 locations across UWE’s Frenchay
Campus and aims to attract both pollinators and people
using the tag line “Follow the Bee”. Each site has plans
to include all of our four key elements; Perennial Edible
Pollinators, Seasonal herbs/vegetables/flowers, Fruit trees
and an Engagement space. The project is managed using our
four key principles of; Home grown, Accessible for all, Zero
waste, Demand led.
Planting schemes have been designed around ten key Edible
Pollinators, this core planting is then supplemented by
seasonal edibles and high performing pollinator plants on a
continuous basis throughout the year, dependant on staff/
student demands.
UCL Student Centre - A truly ‘outstanding’ building for
21st century learning!
The new UCL Student Centre exemplifies the flexible,
adaptable and sustainable space needed for our evolving
style of education. It was designed from the ground up with
the needs of students at its heart – providing multiple spaces
for personal and group study as well as numerous services
which support students through their time at UCL. Open
24/7 and 365 days a year, it is a place to learn in as well as a
place to learn from.
The £67 million/ 5,764m2 building demonstrates
sector-leading sustainability performance, with a
confirmed BREEAM Outstanding award. Key achievements
include excellent building fabric performance with natural
ventilation; zero carbon technologies such as ground source
cooling and UCL’s largest solar array; and adoption of
circular economy principles through the use of low impact,
highly durable materials. It also provides natural planting
throughout the building to enhance human wellbeing and
support urban biodiversity.
1. Designed by students, for students - we put students at
the heart of the project!
2. Despite budget and programme pressures, we maintained
our focus on delivering life cycle benefits.
3. We created a knowledgeable and highly focused client
team to deliver best practice in sustainability.
1. Improvements in our environmental sustainability, a
modern, attractive campus, and effective space utilisation.
2. A student centric study and socialisation space across
Campus is key to student engagement and participation.
3. We’re driving investment in intelligent building solutions
to protect the future of our ever changing campus needs.
1. Communication and consultation with staff and students
were fundamental to the success of this project.
2. Sharedspacesoncampusremovebarriersforstaffand
students,creatingformal/informalcollaborativeopportunities.
3. Engagement with partners on the business park and wider
community encourages shared use of facilities.
Building the future through the lens of a student
Northumbriaformedthe“TransformingtheStudentExperience”
as a transformational project to deliver a real change to the
way in which the University delivered support services for
students - seeing life through the “lens of a student”.
With the development of the multi-million pound “Student
Central” transforming the 1969 Library into a space designed
to bring all student-facing services together into one central
area, creating an “Ask4Help” team, offering centralised access
to most of support needs, all from a single professional point
of contact on each campus. Investment and development
continued in our estate with £26M of capital additions made
to buildings, infrastructure and equipment. The investments
support and strengthen both student experience and research
activity, with the construction of a new £8.3M Computer
and Information Sciences building, a world class home for our
1,200 Computer and Information Sciences students and 85
staff. And the delivery of new £7M world class Architecture
studios and building extension, to the 18th century Sutherland
Building.
UWS Lanarkshire Campus
Summer 2018 saw University of the West of Scotland (UWS)
open the doors of its new Lanarkshire campus - one of the
UK’s most modern and inspiring learning environments. The
culmination of a two-year project and £110M investment, it
represents a step-change in the delivery of higher education
and is truly fit for 21st century learning and teaching.
Sustainability is at the heart of UWS Lanarkshire. From its
design, to its focus on health and wellbeing, appreciating that
quality of learning is impacted by quality of the environment.
It is powered on 100% renewable energy from a nearby
windfarm and features rainwater harvesting technology,
resulting in one of the greenest campuses in the UK.
The campus’ modern teaching spaces moved away from
traditional lecture layouts, and the integration of innovative
technologies has enabled UWS to stay at the forefront of
developments in higher education pedagogy.
1. Using the passions of our staff in specific and specialised
areas has helped make this project a success.
2. Being allowed to develop at our own pace, we have a
sustainable project we can improve and develop over time.
3. Staff have been empowered to “try it” - this has resulted in
us having far more successes than failures.
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University of Worcester
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1. Include students, staff, governors and the local community
in developing your vision.
2. Little by way of innovation occurs in isolation.
Collaboration is key.
3. Inspiration lets people feel motivated to balance economic
efficiency, social equity and environmental accountability.
Redundant retail to dynamic art - SKA Gold
refurbishment of a listed building
Since its beginning, the University of Worcester has lived
its motto: “inspired for life”, expressed through a culture of
friendliness, creativity, effectiveness and inclusion. We have
deliberately chosen to develop our estate differently, creating
places that are conducive to cooperation and success. The
proactive involvement of our students and staff and the
accessibility of our facilities have an impact on the world
outside the university. We strive to be an exemplar of a
community-engaged university.
The Art House has brought to life one of Worcester’s most
iconic buildings making it accessible, efficient and improving
the well-being of its users. Constructed in 1939 as the first
car showroom for Lord Austin of Austin Motors, the north
facing rooflights makes it a most suitable venue for its new
purposes providing a magnificent facility for art and design
students and community creative projects. It is a centre for
children’s creative camps as well as a magnificent space for
the University’s many art and illustration students.
Supporting
our members
with learning
innovation
jisc.ac.uk
Founded by HEEPI, the Green Gown Awards are administered by the EAUC. For more information please visit www.greengownawards.org.uk.
Disclaimer: The information provided within this publication has been provided solely by the applicant as defined by the Awards through the two stage process. No member of the
Green Gown Awards team or steering group will be liable for any misrepresentation.
WANT TO KNOW WHO
THE WINNERS WILL BE?
Then book your ticket for the Green Gown Awards’
Ceremony taking place on Tuesday 26 November at
the National Science Museum, Glasgow
Book online at www.greengownawards.org/green-
gown-awards-2019-ceremony
Proudly supported by:

Enterprise
This category recognises social, social media and sustainable
enterprise as key ingredients of contemporary education to
ensure a supply of education leavers who can rise to the 21st
century’s economic, environmental and social challenges.
71%of the finalists in this category chose “industry, innovation
and infrastructure” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
32 33
Category sponsor

City, University of London
Nottingham Trent University
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
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Transforming LCF Short Courses inside and out, from
sustainable fashion courses to sustainable procurement
practices
Short Courses has transformed inside and out.
We offer sustainability-focussed courses, integrate
sustainability into non-specialist courses, and have changed
our operations to give a complete sustainable experience for
our staff and students.
We have built on existing structures to bring sustainability to
a specialist, and non-specialist, audience through our courses,
and have great student feedback.
We have empowered our staff at all levels so that everyone
can feel involved and motivated to make positive change.
International Fashion Showcase
The International Fashion Showcase (IFS) nurtures and
presents work from the most exciting fashion talent from
around the world. Working in partnership the British Council,
British Fashion Council, London College of Fashion, UAL and
Somerset House, it provides a tailored programme for 16
emerging international designers, including a bespoke online
Business Development Programme lead by London College
of Fashion and a creative residency within Somerset House
Studios in London.
IFS culminated with a free public exhibition during London
Fashion Week, 11-24 February 2019 at Somerset House,
showcasing the work developed by the designers in a
compelling series of installations exploring urgent issues in
fashion, sustainability and new ideas that are shaping fashion
globally. Somerset House saw 8,400 visitors attend IFS
during London Fashion Week.
1. Cross-collaboration between the IFS partners, teams at
LCF and new interfaces for blended learning.
2. Continuous monitoring and evaluation.
3. IFS can be the springboard to international recognition.
1. We changed how sustainability in business is thought of by
students.
2. We realised students are more receptive to learn from
hands on experience.
3. Our message changed to make sustainability an integral
value in start-ups.
1. Students have amazing ideas that can have a big positive
impact on their community (local or global).
2. Meaningful collaboration and co-creation produce the
greatest impact.
3. Working with students to build their skills and confidence
is a winning formula.
The GreenSpark Award
The GreenSpark Award encourages and supports students
and recent graduates (up to two years after graduation) to
develop sustainable business ideas and apply innovation to
real world problems. It is run as a two-phase competition
that challenges budding entrepreneurs to develop businesses
that deliver positive social impact and/or tackle key
environmental issues we are currently facing.
GreenSpark is a collaboration between the Enterprise
Education team and the Sustainability team and has
successfully been running for 3 years. In this period, the
number of sustainable business ideas across all of City’s
entrepreneurial competitions has increased from 21 in the
2016-17 academic year to 73 in 2018-19.
The increase in numbers also translates into successfully
launched ventures; EatChay, 2017 winners, are now one of
London’s most popular vegan food outlets, Wearth, 2018
winner, is creating a digital marketplace to help consumers
buy sustainable goods and Shellpod Shampoo, 2019
winners, are preparing to eliminate plastic from the toiletries
industry.
NTU Enterprise Week - empowering the sustainable
innovators of the future
We are very proud of the work we do to empower our students
to tackle sustainability issues they see around them head-on,
learning practical skills that maximise their employability.
One way we do this is through collaborative events such
as Enterprise Week, which is designed to encourage the
entrepreneurial spirit, by upskilling our students through a
series of workshops, progressing to presentations in a ‘Dragon’s
Den’ style panel, culminating in an awards ceremony.
Students have the opportunity to win funding towards making
their business idea a reality. During this week, sustainability is
a key theme and particularly innovative and exciting ideas are
rewarded with a ‘Green Dragon’ category prize. In the 2 years
we have run this, we have had over 100 students take part.
The top prize in 2019 was awarded for two first-year students
who devised a ‘Bandersnatch’-style immersive video game,
called Riscord. This allows the user to get a taste for what it is
like as a school student experiencing cyber-bullying, and also
covers themes such as gender identity and mental health.
1. We made fast, meaningful changes, by upskilling ourselves,
changing what we do and what we say.
2. Working on sustainability engaged us in a meaningful,
collaborative project.
3. Inputting and sharing sustainable practices with our
stakeholders and talking and thinking green!

University of Leicester Wiltshire College and University Centre
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
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Apple Project
We are students on a Foundation Studies Course at Wiltshire
College and as such, we are all young people who have not
thrived as we should in a conventional educational
environment, due to diverse issues such as mental health
difficulties, complex learning difficulties or challenging home
lives and more. We have established the Apple Project
at Wiltshire College to make and preserve apple juice.
We’ve challenged discrimination and negativity by making
something delicious that everyone wants a taste of.
This project is in partnership with Wiltshire Wildlife who
managed a community orchard in Devizes. The apples fell on
the ground and rotted. A plan was devised to glean a third of
the apples for juice, use another third for community and
leave the remaining third for the wildlife. We told the
National Union of Students and they have been providing
us with invaluable mentoring and training assistance in our
mission to preserve food, educate about food and keep food
local and tasty.
Partnerships for sustainable enterprise: Rethinking
Carmarthenshire’s economy together
The project is a collaborative place based approach to
engendering sustainable enterprise aptitudes in our students,
achieved through a partnership between Carmarthen
Business School and Carmarthenshire County Council’s
Economic Development Department. Together we have
been providing students with the opportunities and
support to develop confidence, creativity, innovation and
entrepreneurial aptitudes which will help them be the
positive change agents of the future.
The collaboration, gives students the opportunity to work
on live projects, internships and research which will benefit
sustainable regeneration in the county. It also offers them
the opportunity to gain mentoring and advice from business
advisors, develop their own business ideas and gain the
confidence to grow as social entrepreneurs. The project has
also enabled Carmarthen Business School and its students to
contribute to real change within its community by engaging
students in authentic, rather than abstract projects that
benefit the region.
1. As we came together as a new partnership, openness,
transparency and regular dialogue were essential.
2. We realised that by working together we could achieve
much more.
3. We wanted to ensure that we achieved real benefits for
students and the region.
1. The University has expertise and skills that local
businesses want so collaborations are a win win.
2. Students enjoy getting involved with the local community,
particularly in an expert role!
3. Use the wider definition of sustainability (SDGs) to
encourage innovation.
Innovation for good: Social Impact Ambassadors Audits
Are you in business for good? This is the double-edged
question we ask our local SMEs as we offer them a unique
opportunity to increase their efficiencies and innovate their
processes.
The University of Leicester Innovation Hub trains students
to deliver free Sustainability Audits, to help businesses
embed sustainability at the core of their operations. As
Social Impact Ambassadors, students are trained to
audit the businesses’ practices around waste, water,
procurement, travel, community, food sustainability, energy
and biodiversity, and generate reports for each business,
outlining strengths and the steps they can take in order to
further reduce their carbon footprint, make cost-savings and
contribute to the UN SDGs.
The audit enables students to have meaningful impact on
the local business community in a practical way to address
sustainability and bring in new innovation. The report also
helps connect environmental services across Leicester and
helps SMEs to reduce their environmental impacts.
1. We have learnt about the part we can play in improving
sustainability of food waste.
2. We’ve observed the impact fresh air and nature can have
on addressing mental health issues and wellbeing.
3. We have been able to add extra value to foundation
learners study programme.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE
ABOUT OUR INSPIRING 2019
FINALISTS?
As the ethos of the Awards is to ensure
the lessons and examples of good practice
are shared within the sector and beyond,
regionally, nationally and globally,
we work with all our winners, finalists and
regional partners to produce case studies
and short videos around their projects. Our
current showcase of 750+ case studies
and short videos can be accessed via the
Sustainability Exchange.
To find out more, visit:
www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk
Sharing Best Practice
The Sustainability Exchange

38 39
Proud to support the
Green Gown Awards 2019
Promoting excellent student and campus experiences
www.cubo.ac.uk
The Elephants in the Room
EAUC-SCOTLAND CONFERENCE
W W W . E A U C . O R G . U K / S C O T L A N D _ C O N F E R E N C E _ 2 0 1 9
26.11.19 • THE LIGHTHOUSE
GLASGOW
CLIMATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE • ADAPTATION
CURRICULUM • SUSTAINABLE SOURCING
REDUCING CONSUMPTION • CLIMATE ANXIETY
DIVESTMENT • OFFSETTING • BUSINESS TRAVEL
INTERNATIONALISATION
SESSION TOPICS INCLUDE
REGISTER

Money
for Good
As anchor institutions in their communities and cities,
universities and colleges wield real economic and
financial power. This category celebrates educational
institutions which are consciously using this power
to drive positive societal, environmental or cultural
change. It recognises those who have taken a brave
step to use their funds to directly support a project
or initiatives that have real environmental, social or
cultural impact.
43%The finalists in this category equally rated
“quality education”, “reduced inequalities”
and “responsible consumption and
production” as their project’s top SDG’s
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Middlesex University
The University of Nottingham
The London Institute of Banking Finance
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Investing for good: Social investment at the University of
Edinburgh
By July 2019, the University had already committed
£1.5million to the Big Issue Invest via its Power Up Scotland
and Social Enterprise Investment Fund 2, which is a group of
subsidiaries of the Big Issue Magazine Group, one of the best
known social enterprises in the United Kingdom.
The University is a partner in Social Investment Scotland’s
£17M Scottish Growth Fund 2, investing a further £1M,
and has committed £1M to Social and Sustainable Capital’s
£25M social housing fund. The investments are used to offer
loans to social enterprise, charities and profit-with-purpose
businesses across a wide range of areas - from social housing
to new models of elderly care, from employment support to
troubled families, from circular economy to support the arts.
The University’s commitments have allowed each fund to
move more quickly and to bring in other investors.
Reaching further in LiFE: Making personal finance
accessible
At The London Institute of Banking Finance, we believe
financial education is key to tackling financial exclusion, so
we created LiFE to offer ‘Lessons in Financial Education’.
Nearly two million adults in the UK do not have a bank
account. Financially excluded people pay a ‘poverty premium’
of £1,300 each year and up to 8.8 million people are over-
indebted. 13 million people do not have enough savings to
support them for a month if they experience a 25% cut in
income. 50% of households in the bottom half the of the
income distribution don’t have home contents insurance and
15 million people report one or more signs of financial distress.
The fact is financial wellbeing impacts mental health.
To address this, we wanted to develop a cost-effective self-
study programme that didn’t require a finance expert to
deliver it. We drew on the expertise of our staff – learning
technologists, our assessment team and relationship
managers. This way we were able to make LiFE affordable for
partner organisations to embed in their own programmes.
1. Impact survey results from our LiFE programme have
literally blown us away.
2. An online programme can reach much further and faster.
3. We have met our aim to be able to help ‘the hardest to
reach’ in society.
1. We didn’t underestimate the demand for positive change
and support.
2. We engaged with our student union at the early stages to
collaborate with contractors to find a solution.
3. We delivered simple, effective and timely communications
to announce and implement the changes.
1. Lead and others will follow.
2. Listentoyouraudience-fromtheoutsetweissuedachallenge
includingourownoperationsattheUniversitycommunity.
3. Watch out for false solutions - the best solutions eliminate
waste entirely rather than substituting one kind of waste
for another.
Your sustainable campus - funding your ideas
Driven by the appetite to reduce the amount of single use
plastic we introduced an initiative to encourage the use of
reusable cups at our food outlets on campus.
In January 2019 we introduced a 5p cup charge for every
drink sold using a disposable cup. These charges were
collected, and the money ring-fenced. Students and staff
are invited to bid for financial awards of up to £1,000 to
implement ideas to enhance and promote “Your sustainable
campus”.
The project is self-funded. Since January 2019 income has
totalled £4,988 and committed over £3,000 to projects.
WasteNott spend more
We must stop throwing so much away, because there is
no “away”. WasteNott sets out to tackle single-use, single
serve and disposables waste across campuses, and in
September 2018 launched a 20p latte levy on all hot drinks
sold on campus. Not only did this mark a sea-change by
asking students and staff to take ownership of their waste
and consumption choices, it created a ring-fenced fund to
explicitly invest in initiatives to reduce waste.
Supported by high profile campaign, WasteNott urges
the University community to reduce dependence on
convenience and disposability and replace with more durable
alternatives or avoid waste completely.
Implementation of a levy on cups saw the proportion of
customers avoiding disposable cups increase to 28% in
the space of weeks, and will create £54,000 to incentivise
refilling, eliminate unnecessary waste and change
behaviours.
1. Investing for impact takes time.
2. Partnerships are key.
3. We have many opportunities to link to our research,
learning and teaching through investments.

University of Liverpool University of Winchester
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
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CO2t SAVING
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44 45
Ethical funds secured for Green building
The University is building a new learning and teaching
building at its West Downs Quarter, Romsey Road. The
building is on a prominent site along one of the key access
routes into the city.
The University of Winchester has embarked on the
construction of what will be a sector leading facility.
Funded by ethical finance the building aims high in terms
of sustainability and wellbeing. The University values are
carefully embedded into the building, much of which the
public will be encouraged to use and enjoy. In doing so, staff,
students and the community will be able to experience
and better understand how sustainable buildings which
encourage health and wellbeing of users.
This project is also one of the first major projects to attract
Green funding from ethical bank, Triodos.
UWE Bristol Community Fund
The UWE Bristol Community Fund awards grants of up
to £3,000 for new projects which connect UWE staff and
students with local communities around Bristol. The projects
we fund create rich, practical learning opportunities for UWE
students and provide positive social, environmental and
cultural benefit for communities.
In 2018-19, the Community Fund supported 14 projects
with £33,629 of funding, providing opportunities for 200
UWE students from all four of our faculties. These projects
have included: A citizen science challenge, collecting and
recording biodiversity data in the city; Using photography to
understand barriers faced by BME communities in engaging
with environmental issues; A filmed debate about women
in engineering, based on a theatre production about Sarah
Guppy; Engaging people in a Bristol neighbourhood in
conversations about air quality; Creating an educational
resource for secondary school students about refugee and
asylum issues. 1. We developed clear aims and criteria for applications to
the Fund.
2. We found it hard to get good feedback from completed
projects, so have made this a clearer condition of funding.
3. We support UWE students to apply to the Fund on the
same terms as staff.
1. A University can have end to end control over its own
water supplies and management.
2. We can save money, influence a utility market and make
ourselves sustainable at the same time.
3. By being a Pioneer you can inspire others to make the
world a better place.
Self-supply of water services and sustainable water
supplies
The water market de-regulated in 2017, meaning for the first
time, 2 million non-household users of water could choose a
new water supplier to seek better services and lower prices.
The University of Liverpool will become the first university in
the UK to become a self-supplier of water, thereby allowing
It to be in control of its own water supply, save money and
bypass a third-party water supplier.
In this role, the University will become a champion of
sustainability and consumers, as we will be both a recognised
Water Supplier and Sustainability Education Provider, making
us the first Public Sector Self Supplier with a ‘seat at the table’
on the regulatory future of the UK Water Market.
1. We have improved our community engagement.
2. We have learnt about health and wellbeing in buildings.
3. We have learnt how to incorporate ethical values in
everything we do.

Next Generation
Learning and Skills
This category recognises achievement in the
development of academic courses, skills and
capabilities relevant to sustainability. These can be
vocational, undergraduate or postgraduate courses
or related to wider purposes such as community
involvement, global or environmental awareness
or to support lifestyle changes.
TOP 2The finalists in this category ranked “quality
education” (63%) and “climate action”
(50%) as 2 of their project’s top SDGs
46 47

City of Glasgow College
The London Institute of Banking Finance
Perth College UHI
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
48 49
Increasing employability in outdoor activities
Following a review of curriculum of existing FE courses
addressed to target employability in outdoor activities, a
new course was developed following sectoral review and
engagement leading to the NC Sport and Fitness (Outdoor),
an SQA course ceasing to be offered in August 2018.
In its place, the year-long Outdoor Activities Leadership
course has facilitated the opportunity for 14 students from
Perth College UHI to increase their employability in the
outdoor sector. Mostly, but not exclusively, enrolled students
are young school leavers, who started the year in September
2018 with the notion that they would like to participate in
outdoor activities but unsure of what opportunities lay ahead
for employment in outdoors.
Having now almost completed the course, these same students
are mostly progressing into employment within the outdoors
thanks to the relevant, numerous and industry-specific
qualifications and certificates gained throughout the year.
Better Lives Unit: Embedding sustainability, diversity
and social responsibility in fashion education
Better Lives is a dynamic blended unit (blended learning is a
mix of online and face-to-face learning) delivered to 1,826
first year undergraduate students and involving 58 members
of staff at London College of Fashion.
Newly developed for 2018/19 it introduces students to the
college ethos known as Better Lives, which is built around the
themes of Sustainability, Diversity, and Social Responsibility.
The unit embeds these themes into the thinking and creative
practice of our students. They work as a collective to consider
how they can become change makers in their respective
disciplines which spans across fashion business, design and
development and media and communication.
The work they undertake during this unit will shape and
disrupt their understanding of the wider world. Not only will
they question and explore their practice during their time at
LCF, they are also asked to consider how future environments
they work and live in can be more sustainable, diverse and
socially responsible.
1. We are teaching LCF students to be the change makers
within sustainable fashion.
2. We are building community across London College of
Fashion through our ethos of Better Lives.
3. We are planting the seed for students to reflect on
sustainability throughout their studies.
1. We gained as much internal/external specialist support
and knowledge as we could.
2. Our innovative approach kept students focused and
engaged for the output of the project.
3. We encouraged students to embed our approach in their
continuing professional practise.
1. Be aspirational with your goals and what you want to
achieve.
2. We conduct surveys as part of our monitoring and
evaluation strategy to measure impact.
3. Never be satisfied - we always look to see what we can do
better or enhance next time.
Jewellery with a conscience
Educational institutions have a crucial role to play in
educating the next generation of makers in sustainability
and Climate Change. Our Jewellery Department has
implemented changes to our Curriculum to include ethical
theory and practice.
We have introduced an eco-awareness week, holding
demonstrations on how to recycle silver and welcomed
suppliers of ethically sourced Gemstones. We have
successfully introduced live projects into all courses
which highlight different aspects of sustainability. This
ensures students are made aware of issues surrounding
Climate Change.
We did this to enable students, not only to design jewellery
as beautiful objects, but use their work as a multi-faceted
platform to inform wider society. As a result of sourcing
ethical precious metals, using safer chemicals, and limiting
our use of the gas torches, we have decreased our carbon
footprint. We feel we can all contribute to help the
environment whilst still continuing to do the things we love.
REACH (Routes to Enhancing ACHievement)
REACH, an initiative launched in February 2018 aimed at
underrepresented student populations to increase diversity
within the banking and finance industry.
REACH is a series of one day, free workshops that encourages
applications from BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic),
women and mature learners to study for a qualification in
banking and finance.
Each workshop tackles the challenges of diversity in the
workplace and rewards they can bring. Essential knowledge
and skills needed for a successful career in banking and
finance, the opportunities available and how to access these
are also covered.
REACH is widely supported by the financial services industry
making the programme highly relevant, interesting and
interactive.
1. We learned how to ensure student engagement increased
retention across a year.
2. We learned what skills and/or qualifications suit our local
employer’s needs.
3. We learned that National Governing Bodies are keen to
support our students and course.

West College Scotland
University of Winchester
University of Bristol
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
50 51
Climate 4 Change
The world is at crisis point, and change isn’t an option
anymore; it’s crucial. It’s time to wake up and smell the
greenhouse gases. These original plays, written by some of
the University of Winchester’s most talented playwrights,
focus on the human stories at the centre of the global issue
of climate change and make us question our own place in the
world.
At the University of Winchester, Climate Change is always
central to our way of working and thinking, and The Arts have
always been key in starting up conversations about the big
subjects.
These four original plays, performed in the heart of the city at
Winchester Theatre Royal, present one small step on the way
to alerting people of the crucial environmental issues facing
us all.
Unleash your potential: Sustainable Futures Online
Course
The Sustainable Futures online course has been taken by over
5,700 people, including over 2,000 students at the University
of Bristol. It uses video case studies of people making a
difference in diverse ways - including homelessness and
housing, microplastics and the circular economy, food waste
and sewage to energy. It uses honest and open interviews
with our video contributors regarding the challenges they
have faced and the way they work with others to avoid the
‘lone hero’ narrative and encourage personal reflection by the
participants about the roles they can take and the challenges
they face.
The online discussions have been extensively used (with
47% of participants actively engaging in them) and created a
highly supportive environment. Feedback from participants
shows that the course has motivated many to change their
behaviour, to engage more in communities and volunteer, to
consider sustainability related career paths, and to take more
care of their own wellbeing.
1. Get a diverse group of contributors involved in the design of
the course content.
2. Use personal stories, not just facts, to really engage the
learners and promote reflection.
3. Consider personal sustainability. The challenges can be
daunting, so support in personal wellbeing and community.
1. We were struck by the determination of the students to
enhance their transferable professional skills.
2. Students are very keen to apply and practice their learning
in a real world setting.
3. Students quickly recognised the importance of the
Sustainable Development Goals to their future careers.
1. Employer and College Academy models are supporting
industry needs.
2. Academy models are enhancing and supporting the
learning experience.
3. College sector must continue to re-imagine the
Curriculum for future Industry requirements.
Student Pathways: Developing professional skills for
sustainable careers
Students care about sustainability. This high level of interest
has led to an increasing number of students and academic
staff asking for experiential learning opportunities for
students. One approach the University has used to respond
to this has been to develop ‘Student Pathways’, an extra-
curricular programme of activities that provide students with
skills development framed around sustainability issues.
Two pathways were delivered this academic year, with one
framed around the Sustainable Development Goals, and
the other on Climate Change. Over 50 diverse students
participated in training sessions and practical activities that
developed a range of valuable employability skills, including
communication, carbon literacy and change making.
Students gained recognition for their efforts through the
Higher Education Achievement Award, but more importantly
developed important graduate attributes which compliments
their academic learning.
Eco Skills Academy
West College Scotland and AC Whyte have established a
unique Partnership through the creation of a Skills Academy
as a direct response to a company identified skills shortage.
The College developed a previously underperforming course
into a recognised industry qualification with a guarantee of
employment on successful completion. The Partnership has
committed to deliver the programme for the next 5 years
which will provide a bright and promising future for College
students. The College is the only College in Scotland delivering
this qualification and providing learners with a unique
learning opportunity. The College identified that upskilling
students to apply thermal insulation would not only embed
sustainability issues into curriculum delivery but also support
the Scottish Government in tackling fuel poverty which affects
an estimated 25% homes in Scotland and around 1.3 million
people. The initiative has involved industry experts in shaping
and directing the curriculum so that it meets the needs of
the regional economy. For AC Whyte, they secure a reliable
flow of high-quality staff while assisting students to gain a
qualification and future employment.
1. The public are eager to engage in a dialogue about Climate
Change.
2. Theatre is a great medium to put across difficult and
disturbing messages in a thought-provoking but
entertaining way.
3. YoungpeoplewanttospreadthemessageofClimateChange.
CO2t
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521,050,000

Research with Impact
(Institution)
This category recognises the importance and societal
impact of research and development by tertiary
education as a driver of sustainable development and
implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
67%of the finalists in this category chose
“industry, innovation and infrastructure”
as one of their project’s top SDG’s
52 53
Category sponsor

Aston University
University of Gloucestershire
Coventry University
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
CO2t SAVING
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SINCE 2005
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13,800
CO2t SAVING
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521,050,000
54 55
OPERAs Project: Ecosystem science for policy and
practice - from local to global
Thinking in terms of ecosystem services and natural capital
explicitly acknowledges our dependence on nature, and
therefore the need to better protect and manage natural
resources. For this reason, these concepts have been adopted
by policy, but the use of the concepts in practice is still in its
infancy. The OPERAs project explores how and under what
conditions these concepts can move beyond the academic
domain towards practical implementation in support of
sustainable ecosystem management
The project had 27 partners across Europe and 1 international
including one here in Scotland, addressing multi-scale
implementation of environmental policy in Scotland. Over
100 researchers and project staff worked across these 12 live
Case study exemplars that looked at ecosystem services at a
landscape scale across Europe.
The outreach of this five year project included over 70 Europe
wide events attended by over 2,500 participants from
science, policy and practice fields.
Promoting sustainability within the cut-flower industry
Weddings, funerals, Valentine’s Day - we buy flowers to show
that we care on all sorts of occasions. But where do these
flowers come from in the first place? Who has produced
them, what are their working conditions like, and what are
the impacts upon the environment? And what information is
available to consumers to make informed choices about the
flowers they buy?
These are exactly the questions the Sustainable Production
and Consumption research cluster within Coventry
University’s Centre for Business in Society (CBiS) has been
asking.
Through working with the cut flower industry to understand
current standards and practices and inform new models for
the industry to create social and environmental benefit as
well as create value for businesses.
1. Collaboration is key. Build and actively maintain strong
relationships with all your stakeholders.
2. Sustainability must be embedded into project design from
the outset, it is not an add-on.
3. Application of circular economy principles is changing the
cut-flower industry’s sustainability profile.
1. We found that highlighting clear economic and social
benefits increased uptake of this circular approach.
2. Adding significant value to plastic avoids it being seen as a
single use waste product.
3. Collaborations with local partners is key.
1. We found TI is highly effective at reducing rhino poaching
and readily adopted by front-line rangers.
2. Our partnership allowed collaborative development of
inexpensive technological solution.
3. We demonstrated added value of TI benefits and improved
ranger safety, confidence and wellbeing.
Circular plastic: From a plastic bottle to new products in
low income areas
480 billion plastic drinking bottles are sold each year across
the world, less than half are recycled. At Aston University we
are working to add significant value to this plastic waste and
develop new approaches for the circular economy, focusing
on low income countries (Kenya India).
We identified that one novel way to add significant value
was to use plastic bottles to make filament for 3D printing,
which can be used to print new essential products, such as
microscopes and prosthetics. This is particularly important in
areas which lack access to robust supply chains.
Researchers are working to support the development of
reliable and consistent 3D filament production from plastic
bottles and help create low cost systems which can be
deployed and used anywhere in the world.
Stopping the poachers: Building partnerships and low
cost technological solutions for Rhino Conservation
Over 85% of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) and
black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) are located in South Africa.
The high value placed on their horn in global black markets
is causing intense poaching pressure on rhino: ~5% of the
global population is currently lost each year, rapidly driving
these species towards extinction. Front-line rangers face
violent incursions and risk death on a daily basis to protect
these iconic animals.
Since 2014, we have worked with expert practitioners in
South Africa to research, develop and implement low-cost
thermal imaging (TI) approaches to detect poachers and
reduce poaching. We have subsequently trained anti-
poaching personnel at three major reserves and a leading
national charity, all of whom now include TI in their anti-
poaching operations and have experienced no rhino poaching
since. Additional impacts are increased safety of rangers,
reductions in poaching other species, and, in time, the
potential to substantially reduce the cost of anti-poaching
operations by scaling back driven patrols.
1. Consistent and meaningful engagement with stakeholders
is absolutely necessary throughout the project.
2. An ability to adapt and change the workflow in response to
global developments is prudent.
3. A commitment to keep momentum of the work beyond
the funding is essential in order not to falter progress.

University of Greenwich - LUPC partnership
University of Hertfordshire
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
56 57
Killer air: Improving the world though low-cost air
quality monitoring
Air pollution shortens the lives of 6 million people globally
every year. In low and middle income countries 98% of urban
areas with over 100,000 residences do not meet UN air
quality standards (UN 2019).
Low-cost, highly accurate technology developed by
University of Hertfordshire researchers to study air quality
(AQ) around Heathrow Airport has since been commercially
developed and is helping to tackle air quality issues in more
than 70 countries worldwide.
The new ‘OPC-N2’ AQ sensors, produced by Alphasense
Ltd to UH designs, allow low-cost, long-term deployment
in polluted environments where they measure airborne
particles with accuracy comparable to that achieved by
conventional instruments costing up to 40 times as much.
In 2015 this led to the UNEP adopting the sensors for
deployment in developing African cities and in 2018 as part
of the UNEP-IAAF air pollution awareness initiative to deploy
AQ sensors at 1,000 major athletics tracks worldwide.
1. Challenging yourself to do things differently.
2. Strong partnership with industry result in global research
impacts.
3. Innovation is the road to success.
1. We have developed a low-cost modern slavery risk
assessment tool.
2. We engaged with organisations to help them identify
human rights risks in supply chains.
3. We have created a critical mass of knowledge and
expertise on responsible public procurement.
EQUIANO - human rights risk assessment tool
Equiano is a risk assessment and supplier engagement
tool designed to gather information to help identify risks
of human rights abuses in public supply chains. It offers a
low cost alternative to private systems used by high street
retailers when conducting human rights due diligence in
supply chains.
The project was developed in partnership between the
Business, Human Rights and the Environment Research Group
(BHRE), University of Greenwich and London University
Purchasing Consortium (LUPC). It combines the research-
based knowledge and expertise on human rights in supply
chains of BHRE and the experience of LUPC interaction
with suppliers. This is a unique collaboration which has
transformed the way the public sector thinks and acts on
their roles and responsibilities towards those who produce the
goods it purchases and provides the services it contracts.
Equiano invited suppliers to complete a questionnaire,
extracted collected data, analysed it and carried out a multi-
stage risk assessment.
Join us in making a difference.
Learn how at emeraldpublishing.com
For over 50 years, championing fresh thinking has been at the heart of the
Emerald business. Our core ethos, is to help make a difference so that little
by little those in academia or in practice can work together to make a positive
change in the real world.
Very best of luck to all the finalists!
Proud to sponsor the Research
with Impact – Institution Award

Student
Engagement
This category reflects that students and
staff must work together to achieve goals
using “top-down” and “bottom-up grass
roots” methods to achieve maximum
understanding and engagement across an
institution. It must be clear that initiatives
include both staff and students (not just
one party) working in partnership.
58%of the finalists in this category chose “good health
and well-being” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
58 59

Ayrshire College
Dundee and Angus College
City of Glasgow College
Canterbury Christ Church University
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
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Plant Your Plastics - City Goes Green
The Student Engagement Team at City of Glasgow College
have brought a breath of fresh air into the curriculum this
year by introducing Plant Your Plastics - City Goes Green
initiatives to our students and staff. This year we have
engaged over 2,000 students and staff directly on the topic
of sustainability with our message spread further on social
media.
We have made changes on campus that will reduce our
carbon footprint by over 1,000kg CO2 per year and instilled
behaviours in staff and students which will encourage
sustainability in the future. This work has further developed
relationships between the College support and academic
departments. Together we have identified new ways to cut
waste and improve our carbon footprint.
Our greatest achievement has been to encourage sustainably
minded, environmentally conscious people, which has
allowed the College to firmly plant new roots in our City
campus.
Evolving a Student Green Office
Over six years, our Student Green Office (SGO) has grown
from a project-based kernel of an idea to a constant fixture
in the Christ Church campus curriculum, running events
and campaigns, raising awareness and exploring global
sustainability issues in a local context.
Working in partnership with staff teams, students’ union
and student societies, the SGO have been supporting
sustainability goals and initiating projects at CCCU from
grass roots action all the way up to top level sustainability
governance and are now driving engagement with the UN
SDGs.
Through all this, the heart of the project has remained
the same: empowering students to engage others on the
environmental social and economic sustainability causes
they care most about.
1. It’s so important to provide meaningful opportunities for
leadership, self-direction and empowerment.
2. Trust students to know how best to engage other students;
seek their input on everything.
3. Students have so many demands on their time and
attention; offer them incentives to engage.
1. Girls just want to have fun!
2. Sisterhood is a very powerful tool.
3. Partnership working makes life a lot easier.
1. With our consultative approach, behaviour change is
possible.
2. Working with our sustainability partners has greatly
assisted in achieving our goals and objectives.
3. Full backing and support of the College Executive has
been pivotal to our overwhelming project success.
The Jo Love Soccer School
The Jo Love Soccer School is a physical activity initiative that
has been developed to improve the health and wellbeing
of young females living within East Ayrshire. The three way
project links the Scottish Women’s Football Association
(SWFA), East Ayrshire Active Schools (EAAS) and Ayrshire
College.
The project has adopted the name of local international
female footballer Jo Love who has been selected due to
her suitability as a role model. The free weekly initiative
delivered at Ayrshire College has been designed to get young
girls more physically active through the vehicle of football.
Student volunteers have been trained up by our SWFA and
EAAS partners to deliver variety of enjoyable football themed
activity sessions throughout the year.
The SWFA have stated that the project has been a
tremendous success and is the most popular within the
region with over 100 young girls participating on a weekly
basis.
Project Plastic - putting planet before profit
DA College’s battle against climate change began 10 years
ago, and we are celebrating in 2018/19 having reduced our
total carbon emissions by a massive 53%. This is just the tip
of the proverbial melting iceberg, but we are determined to
raise awareness and influence a change in behaviour that
will enable our learners and staff to positively contribute to
slowing down the impact of climate change.
In 2018/19, we embarked on a ‘Project Plastic’ campaign to
highlight the catastrophic impact that plastic was having on
the environment. This involved the College taking radical
steps to reduce the use of single use plastic. We also wanted
to promote the circular economy and the positive impact of
properly recycled plastic.
To complement our campaign, we worked closely with EAUC
Scotland and Learning for Sustainability Scotland to become
the first college to run a pilot project to produce an Education
for Sustainability module for FE lecturers to further enhance
learner engagement.
1. We have learned if you provide information on how to
reduce waste, you can create positive and lasting change.
2. We know that sharing best practice, is a key element in
continuing to reduce our carbon footprint.
3. Our greatest achievement has been to encourage
sustainably minded, environmentally conscious people.

Glasgow Caledonian University
Loughborough University
London School of Economics and Political Science
Keele University
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
CO2t SAVING
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6,000
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LSE funds the future - the Sustainable Projects Fund
The LSE Sustainable Project Fund (SPF) programme has been
‘taxing’ bottled water (10p each sale) and providing funds for
staff and student projects for over 8 years.
The initiative exists as a true partnership between LSE
students (the SU Sustainable Futures Society) and staff
(from Sustainability, Estates, Catering, Geography) who
work together to provide the resources, the structure and the
enthusiasm to seed-fund a variety of projects from across the
School every year.
To date over £60K has been invested in over 40 projects. In
2018/19 the latest innovation has been to extend the funding
to student dissertations helping to support LSEs great
research reputation and support further student innovation.
Weigh to Go - cutting plastic through the zero-waste
shop at Keele SU
Weigh to Go is an innovative student-led zero waste shop
hosted within Keele Students’ Union shop. Demand for
plastic-free produce has grown on campus over the past
four years since the launch of the Keele Food Coop Veg Bags.
Following a bid for scale-up funding to sell dried goods,
partnership with KeeleSU shop has enabled students to lead
on aspects of the enterprise including conducting research
to inform product lines, involvement in ordering and stock
management, and measuring impact of the shop.
WeightoGoisopentostudents,staff,residentslivingon
campus,andmembersofthelocalcommunity,havingreach
beyondtheKeelecampus.Productsincludecereals,driedfruits,
pasta,grains,herbs,refillabledetergentsandshampoo,and
alternativestodisposablesingle-useitemssuchaswaterbottles.
Weigh to Go demonstrates the transformational potential
of student-led projects to provide solutions to sustainability
challenges that have measurable impact. 1. Planned changes to facilities can provide opportunities to
innovate. Embrace them!
2. Trusting students to lead on projects can create greater
engagement and buy-in.
3. Aim high when applying for funding – compromise later if
you have to.
1. Collect data to understand travel patterns and habits.
2. Use non-environmental hooks (time and money for travel)
to encourage a switch to more sustainable modes of
transport.
3. Keep advice simple and easy to takeaway.
1. A clear, bold purpose will attract support widely.
2. Think about your organisational culture.
3. Don’t let budget constrain creativity. This project tested
our creativity to the max but delivered huge impact on a
very small budget in a sustainable way.
GCU_SmartTravel-sustainabletraveladviceforcommuters
A commuter engagement programme delivering emissions
reductions from student and staff commuting by highlighting
cheaper, quicker and lower carbon alternative modes of
transport. The programme is underpinned by triennial travel
surveys which help quantify carbon emissions, understand
travel habits and identify key determinants for the selection
of mode of transport.
Travel Advisors are recruited from the student body and
trained to develop their understanding of existing travel
habits, local transport options and engagement techniques.
These insights are used to develop a framework of distance
band and mode of transport specific engagement strategies
to foster face-to-face conversations about more sustainable
commuting. Travel Advisors are employed throughout the
year, but the focus of their activity is around the start of the
Academic Year when travel decisions haven’t been finalised.
Each year GCU’s Travel Advisors speak to over 1,500 students
and staff and are having a positive impact on emissions from
commuting.
#SpitHappens
#SpitHappens was a ground-breaking, rapid turnaround
collaboration between Loughborough University,
Loughborough Students’ Union, Anthony Nolan and the
Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign to raise awareness of blood
cancer and increase potential stem cell donor numbers.
A target of 2,000 fully qualified donors within 24 was set.
#SpitHappens galvanised our entire community behind a
common goal and has paved the way for two subsequent
lifesaving health campaigns.
The initiative was developed and delivered rapidly within six
weeks on a shoestring budget and was internally focused on
staff and students at Loughborough University. Statistically,
for every 170 people that join the register, one match is
found.
Loughborough wanted to help and developed a campaign
that would make a real impact, save lives and set a
benchmark for other universities. Addressing the lack of
BAME donors was key – only 60% of sufferers find a match
dropping to just 20% for BAME individuals.
1. Extending the fund to student dissertations has breathed
new life into the scheme.
2. Students and staff working collaboratively to enhance
sustainability has strengthened our LSE community.
3. Theinitiativehasreinvigoratedpassionforsustainability
amongstLSEstudentsandstaffincludingseniormanagement.

Nottingham Trent University
University of Strathclyde
University of Cambridge
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Students‘giveitsomewelly’withcommunity
conservationprojects!
The Welly Wednesday’s project organises monthly
conservation and outdoor volunteer workdays at various
locations across Cheshire and North Wales, with organisations
ranging from Cheshire Wildlife Trust; National Trust to
local community groups. Activities can include habitat
management; footpath building and gardening. The project
is led by student volunteers who manage the project with
support from the Volunteering Team.
The project started in 2015/16 and was run by Project
Officer, Jo Morison for two years until 2017/18. The project
was developed into a Student Led Project in 2018/19 and
two Project Leaders were appointed. The Project was run by
Conservation Biology student, Joe Moodie and International
Development and Chinese Studies student Zoe Bredenkamp
who continued to make the project a success and implemented
new ideas to ensure the project appealed to students; including
utilising social media to engage a wider audience, such as
‘Instagram Takeovers’. Since the project became student led,
the number of attendees has increased overall.
Engage for Change - empowering students to lead
positive sustainability action
Engage for Change is a training programme where students
build their engagement and advocacy skills. Students used
these skills to design and trial sustainability interventions
within their College or department.
A pivotal part of the programme was creating a community
to support peer learning. Within this community students
worked together to identify what was working well and what
could be improved in their projects. Through the programme
students learned that each successful project was not just
one action, but a series of actions and opportunities to learn
and make improvements.
Engage for Change has created a community of young
environmental leaders who are knowledgeable in creating
change, resilient and resourceful in project implementation,
and who support each other in making those changes.
1. Development of resilience is key in ensuring long-term
involvement of our students in sustainability action.
2. Creating a community for our student environmental
leaders was essential in the success of our programme.
3. Our students’ projects benefitted from enhancing their
understanding of the nature of change making.
1. We have enormous power to affect behavioural change by
raising students’ awareness of sustainability issues.
2. Students care about the planet and want to be part of the
solution.
3. There is so much we can do to be more sustainable in our
procurement practices.
1. Start small and build - convince those who need
convincing by doing!
2. Work with like-minded people and the others will follow
in time!
3. Follow the (other) 3 P’s - be passionate, persistent and
proactive!
#NBSdiscover
#NBSdiscover is a Business School project which involves all
first year undergraduate students. It runs in the first week of
term, giving students an active and engaging start to their
university life. Follow-up activities are embedded in a core
module, ‘Personal and Academic Development’. The project
tasks students to think creatively about a sustainability issue
and the implications for business and society.
Throughout 2018/19 the theme for #NBSdiscover has been
plastics consumption and plastics waste reduction, inspired
by Blue Planet II. During the launch week students were
tasked with exploring Nottingham city centre to discover
how businesses, residents and visitors use, re-use, recycle and
dispose of plastics.
Later in the year students were challenged to help functions
within NTU and other organisations find creative ways to
replace, reuse, recycle and repurpose plastics at a speed
dating style event called ‘Sea Change’.
Strathclyde’sGlobalStudent-usingVerticallyIntegrated
Projectstomakeadifferencethrough‘usefullearning’
By 2025 it is reported that the global student population in
FHE will reach over 260 million. Undergraduate students
represent a force that is ready and waiting to be mobilised; to
apply their new-found knowledge and skills NOW; and shape
a sustainable future for themselves and all of us.
This is the guiding principle for the University of Strathclyde’s
credit-bearing “Vertically Integrated Projects for Sustainable
Development” (VIP4SD) programme. The programme uses
the “Vertically Integrated Projects” approach to Research-
Based Learning that emerged from Georgia Institute of
Technology, as a mechanism for embedding Research-Based
ESD in our undergraduate curricula. Strathclyde is therefore
challenging its students to work together as one to contribute
NOW to the UN SDGs. By embedding Research-Based ESD
in undergraduate curricula, this offers a platform to inspire,
educate, equip and mobilise our undergraduate population
to engage proactively with the SDG agenda now, and be
constructive in helping our global society meet the challenges
of sustainable development moving forward.
1. Be flexible and prepared to try new things!
2. Working in partnership with the local community can help
your project grow.
3. It’s easier to learn about nature when you’re outside
embracing it!

Sustainability Institution
of the Year Award
This category recognises sustained, whole institution commitment and impact to
becoming a sustainable organisation. Four main areas must be achieved: Leadership
and Governance; Estates and Operations; Learning, Teaching and Research and
Partnership and Engagement.
100%of the finalists in this category chose “quality
education” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
66 67
Category sponsor

Aston University University of Worcester
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Small but mighty - University of Worcester punches
above its weight
The University of Worcester may not be one of the largest
universities in the UK, but it was ranked first in the UK for
Quality Education and Gender Equality and 33rd in the world
in the recent THE University Impact Ranking.
For many years it has consistently featured at the top of the
People and Planet league and is known for the sustainable
practices of its building (renovation and new buildings,
such as The Hive), our integration of sustainability into
curriculum, and notably our work with the community and
with students. It is consistently innovating and collaborating,
showing much can be achieved with few resources.
The University is deeply committed to a democratic culture
of inclusion, educational excellence and beneficial impact
in society. Strong, sustained and supportive leadership,
transparent reporting of challenges as well as successes,
small sustained gains and taking staff with us at their pace
are the features of Worcester’s approach
System change not snake oil - the university with real
‘value for many’
TheUniversityofGloucestershirecreatesrealsystemchange
thatmakessustainabilityshineinallareasofuniversitylife,
avoidingthe‘snakeoil’ofamainlyoperationalfocusorisolated
academicexperiments.Oursmallanddynamicinstitutionstands
outforachievingsignificantresultswithmodestresources,with
adistinctiveUSPthatsetsusapartonthreecounts:Consistent
Performance–theonlyuniversitytoholdtop10positioninevery
PeoplePlanetleague–theonlycomparativepublicindexfor
allareasofsustainability;OutstandingResults–incontext,this
smallmulti-campusuniversityhasdeliveredhugeimpactinall
areas,withitsuniquestrategyofco-creationandcollaboration;
AcademicImpact–notablesuccessinembeddingsustainability
inthechallengingacademicenvironment,workingwithstaffand
studentsrightacrossouracademicmap.
Sustainabilityisnotthepreserveofwealthysectorsoracademic
elites–alluniversitieshavelicencetoinnovateinsustainability
andinspireotherorganisationsseekingthisparadigmshift.We
createthereal‘valueformany’andsustainabilityvaluechainto
driveouruniversity’sfuture.
1. We keep focus on systems thinking to balance how we
drive change - top and bottom, inside and out.
2. We work hard on communications and collaboration, to
align with our university identity and priorities.
3. We support our people to adapt and innovate, to harness
the potential of rapidly changing agendas.
1. Sustainability and social responsibility are already
happening throughout. Dots just need to be joined.
2. External organisations, industry and businesses are already
embedding sustainability at top level. Universities should
be leading it instead.
3. Change in behaviour will bring about savings.
To sustainable Aston and beyond!
Since 2006, Aston University has shown an unbending
commitment in embedding sustainability. Aston has
done this through collaborative working throughout all
departments; sharing our knowledge and skills; and its
original research, enterprise and quality teaching.
Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility doesn’t just
sit with the Sustainability Team. It has been embedded
throughout all departments and levels of the University
successfully.
Furthermore, the University has looked to support our
wider beneficiaries by its work with external partners on a
number of different initiatives, as well as looking to educate
colleagues and fellow HE in sharing best practice.
1. Include students, staff, governors and the local community
in developing your vision.
2. We can’t do this on our own. Little by way of innovation
occurs in isolation.
3. When it’s interwoven and inspirational more people can
feel motivated.
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101 Finalists
Representing:
84% HE
16% post 16+ educational
institutions
15%
of Finalists have an annual
turnover of £50M or below
Student
Engagement 16%
9%21%
Benefitting
Society
Next
Generation
Learning and
Skills
Top 3 most popular categories applied for
Recognising smaller institutions

Tomorrow’s
Employees
Judged by leading industry sustainability executives,
this category recognises institutions which are taking
pioneering and innovative steps to ensure that their
leavers are future-fit.
60%of the finalists in this category chose “responsible consumption
and production” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
70 71

Coleg Gwent
Perth College UHI
Perth College UHI
Manchester Metropolitan University
Top 3 learnings
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72 73
IntergenerationalphysicalactivityprojectsinCareHomes
Perth College (UHI) HNC and HND Fitness, Health and
Exercise students have been involved in an exciting project
for the last 6 years, teaching a 12 week exercise programme
to residents in Perth Care Homes. They also teach games
sessions to train the residents for Go4Gold and volunteer at
events such as Go4Gold.
This project helps the students to meet some of their module
objectives where they work with special population groups
and deliver activity sessions. Students are involved in the
project each year, which involves delivering a physical activity
programme to older adults in Perth and Kinross Care Homes.
The weekly programme had 3 elements which included
seated exercise to music, teaching strength and balance
exercises as well as fun adapted games. Students from our
HNC Fitness and group have also been delivering games
sessions to the residents as part of the inclusive Sports
module.
CL4Ss action for climate change
Manchester Met’s recognition of the conflict between carbon
reduction and internationalisation agendas has led to a
novel institutional response to compensate for international
student air travel in the form of a Carbon Literacy living lab.
Carbon Literacy for Students (CL4Ss) is an ongoing and
evolving project, where 822 students and alumni from
Manchester Met are now equipped with the knowledge and
skills needed to lead the world to a fair and sustainable future.
This is evidenced by formal certification from the Carbon
Literacy Project (recognised by the United Nation as one
of 100 global ‘Transformative Action Projects’). The CL4Ss
training is largely delivered by students (who are paid to do
so) upon completion of our Train the Trainer programme.
Our student trainers reported an enhanced sense of
responsibility to take action on climate change, enhanced
team working, leadership and communication skills, and
increased confidence.
1. Student trainers are as effective, if not more effective than
staff trainers.
2. Marketing is key: Ensure you allocate sufficient time and
money on promoting your training initiative.
3. Celebrate achievements: We organise an awards ceremony
every year to celebrate our student trainers’ success.
1. The project helped to develop vital employability skills.
2. Our teams achieved a good understanding of the impact
of their projects on students, staff, and local communities.
3. Our learners gained a greater understanding of the
local and wider community, raising an awareness of the
sustainable issues relevant to the learner’s courses.
1. Influence of positive youth role models.
2. Peer and self-directed learning.
3. Partnerships – building partnerships that benefit all
stakeholders.
Cash4Change
Cash4Change(C4C)isaprojectwherestudentscanbidfor
moneytomakesustainablechangesattheircampus.This
schemewassetupbythecollegeandColegGwentStudent’s
UnionCGSUtosupportprojects,clubs,eventsandideasthat
makelifeatColegGwentmoreenriching,benefitthecollege
andlocalcommunityandimprovetheenvironment.The
learners’objectivesmeanthatanyprojectssubmittedhaveto
provideafocusonlocalamenities,localgroups,localprojects,
thewidercommunity,nature,theenvironment,citizenship
orraisingawarenessoranyotherareawhichisrelevantto
thelearner’scourse.Thisapproachalsohelpstodevelop
vitalskillssuchasinnovationandcreativity,problemsolving,
personaleffectivenessanddigitalliteracy.Aswellassupporting
thedevelopmentofpersonalskillsandunderpinningtheWelsh
Baccalaureatechallenges.
C4C has really supported and impacted future membership
from an employer, organisation, charity perspective, staff
and learners because it has brought significant benefits to all
parties involved. Because of its huge success the project will
continue for the foreseeable future.
Passport to Sport
An FE college sport and fitness programme delivered to High
School Pupils in Perth and Kinross, by National Governing
Bodies and Sport and Fitness Lecturers. The High School
Pupils then coach sport to local Primary School children,
mentored by HNC Coaching and Developing Sport students.
This is a programme delivered to local High Schools where
the pupils come to the Academy of Sport and Wellbeing for
four hours per week. They undertake a selection of College
and NGB certificates in coaching from September to February
and then put these learnings into practice from February until
the end of the academic year. The pupils do this by delivering
sport/physical activity sessions to local primary school
children. They have to plan, deliver and evaluate the sessions.
When doing these sessions, the Passport to Sport pupils are
mentored by HNC Coaching and Developing Sport students
from the college. The programme has been running since
2016, and the volunteering aspect was not the focus, however
this has increased dramatically since then and this is now a
sustainable course that is held in high regard by both local high
schools and the local primary school.
1. We have improved intergenerational working with huge
benefits (students/care home residents).
2. Our students have said the project helps them realise
physical activity is and should be for all ages.
3. Students have greater respect for older adults and have
gained employability skills.

University of St Andrews
Top 3 learnings
74 75
1. Interns are extremely enthusiastic and use the skills gained
in their degree.
2. Interns are able to see problems from the perspective of a
student and a staff member.
3. The handover period from Intern to Intern is disruptive but
ultimately beneficial.
Green starts: A long term sustainability intern initiative
Since 2010 the University of St Andrews has been offering
a year long internship to prospective graduates of the
University. During a student’s final year of study, they can
apply to become the upcoming sustainability intern, an
opportunity to stay in St Andrews and formally work on a
range of sustainability projects. The experiences the interns
gain by working with numerous varied stakeholders on
projects from sustainable food to renewable energy are
invaluable and prepare them for working in the sustainability
sector.
The Intern is an important resource for the University as
they were often integral parts of the student environmental
movement and by adding them to the Environment Team’s
staff, they are able to utilise their pre-existing relationships
within the student body to enhance initiatives such as waste
reduction. Additionally, the Intern’s ability to contribute
new vigour and ideas to projects allow for a more dynamic
approach to sustainability in St Andrews.
WORLD
CHANGING
GLASGOW
COMMITTED TO
MAKING A
POSITIVE IMPACT
ON THE WORLD
THROUGH
SUSTAINABILITY
The University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401
glasgow.ac.uk
Sector response to
the Climate Crisis
TAKE ACTION!
Sign the Global Climate
Emergency Letter
www.sdgaccord.org/climateletter
Find out more at www.eauc.org.uk
EAUC is leading the Higher and
Further Education sector in
developing a response to the
Climate Crisis by developing a
Climate Emergency Framework
looking at key areas of concern:
Lead by
Leadership and
Governance
Student Outcomes:
Teaching, Learning
and Research
Estates and Operations
Partnerships and
Engagement

Total
Reporting
This Award recognises the quality and relevance of
sustainability reporting offered throughout the publicly
available information provided by institutions.
67%of the finalists in this category chose “sustainable cities
and communities” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
76 77

Our 2017-18 Environmental Sustainability Report gives an
overview of the university’s progress on sustainability over
the last academic year. This is our second Environmental
Sustainability Report, and we are pleased with how it has
engaged students and staff in sustainability so far.
While the report is based around the areas of our key
sustainability targets, we aim to give students, staff and
the public a comprehensive overview of sustainability
activities at King’s. Therefore, we try to go beyond
operational sustainability, and include case studies of
student and staff engagement, as well as education and
research projects.
We map our targets and focus areas against the UN
Sustainable Development Goals to show how the
university’s work fits into wider global goals. This also
helps us communicate about the report and our targets
as the SDGs are recognisable and give readers a global
framework to view our actions against.
We published our first Sustainability Report in 2011,
comprising 17 pages with sections on the carbon
management plan, renewable and low carbon energy,
estates developments, waste and recycling, procurement
and catering, sustainability in the curriculum, research,
outreach and enterprise.
The latest, our fifth report (2018), has grown to 25 pages
and includes new sections on governance, communication,
student engagement, grounds and biodiversity, transport
and travel, green IT, health and wellbeing, equality and
diversity. Each section provides a full narrative as well as
headline figures.
We made the decision to publish our sustainability
report every two years; covering this much activity is a
big undertaking, and we want to make sure our time and
resource goes into driving change, as well as reporting on
it!
Aston University
London School of Economics and Political Science
Keele University
1. Be transparent, especially when you haven’t achieved a
target.
2. Map your targets against the SDGs to make it easy for
readers to connect them with global action.
3. Keep records of projects from around the university
throughout the year.
1. Get the balance between reporting and ‘doing’ right!
2. Include headline figures and narrative for those who want
to learn about the journey and process.
3. Produce hard copy and digital version to reach different
audiences.
1. Make it visually appealing.
2. Less data; more quick facts and targets.
3. Be inspired by previous winners.
1. We used Green Gown Judges feedback from last year’s
report to enhance this one.
2. Mapping our work to SDGs was a useful exercise for
evaluating LSE’s impact and reach.
3. Understanding our communication with stakeholders
highlighted how they’ve shaped our sustainability work.
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
The Sustainability Team has further developed its Annual
Sustainability Report this year to integrate aspects of its
sustainable strategy and how sustainability supports the
wider University Strategy.
It has looked to strengthen to show readers the key issues
and themes that that are being reported, including further
emphasis on the UN SDG’s.
Finally, the University took on board last year’s comments
and tried to make the report easier to read and more
visually appealing.
LSE’s Annual Sustainability Report 2017-18 demonstrates
LSE’s strategic sustainability progress and achievements
against targets.
The Report integrates last year’s feedback from the Green
Gown Awards judging panel by showcasing how we
engage with our stakeholders and how LSE contributes to
the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Report sections reflects LSE’s sustainability policy
covering governance and leadership, operations and
estate, education and research and partnerships and
community.
78 79

The University of Gloucestershire’s Annual Sustainability
Report has become not just a performance record but our
most important communication vehicle. It stands out for:
Proving our balanced performance on all 5 goals of our
sustainability strategy; Going beyond the operational
and policy dominance of many other reports; Deliberate
focus on student experience and academic innovation
in all schools; Strong clear infographics to communicate
technical insights to stakeholders; Showing all
stakeholders what is important in sustainability good
practice; Clear annual performance measures to show
progress on our priority targets; Headline contributions
that underline our commitment to the UN global goals;
Being used and critiqued annually in our accounting and
finance curriculum.
The real test of our report is it never sits on the shelf – it
has been used for corporate communications campaigns,
business engagement workshops, partnership projects and
in teaching a range of subjects, releasing the true power of
sustainability reporting.
As one of the world’s leading research institutions and
the UK’s only university to have social responsibility as
a core goal, The University of Manchester is playing a
leading role in tackling The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in four ways: through
our research impact, learning and students, public
engagement activity and responsible campus processes.
The quality and scale of our impact against the SDGs has
been ranked first in Europe and third in the world in the
2019 Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings.
We’ve also championed sustainable development through
higher education as a key signatory to the international
SDG Accord.
Our pioneering and comprehensive new SDG report is
aimed at a wide range of local, national and international
audiences across the public, private, NGO, policy and
education sectors. We hope it sets a new bar on SDG
reporting and stimulates further ideas, actions and
collaboration opportunities.
The University of Manchester
1. We involve those who implement sustainability, to gain
ownership, future input and fresh ideas.
2. Well thought out infographics make the difference and
help win allegiance with all our stakeholders.
3. Our report is at the heart of our communication strategy,
to engage and educate for sustainability.
1. Agree the scope (number of goals reporting against) of
SDG reporting based on your institution.
2. Establish a working group with representatives from
across all academic areas and professional services.
3. A report is a snapshot in time so use complementary
methods to communicate case studies.
1. By reporting on the various types of capitals and not just
financial, we have been able to focus attention where it
is needed.
2. Through adopting the principles of Integrated Reporting,
we are better able to tell our annual story to everybody.
3. Integrated reporting requires a collaborative process.
1. Communicate successes and challenges and learn from
them.
2. Build alliances to challenge unsustainable behaviours
and activities.
3. Celebrate successes and go further next time.
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
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In 2016, the Finance Department at the University of
Edinburgh adopted the International Integrated Reporting
Committee’s framework for Integrated Reporting to
communicate a clear narrative that demonstrates our overall
performance, and the value our University creates.
Integratedreportingaimstohighlighthowweuseourcapitals
(theresourceswhichwedrawonandinfluence)tocreateand
sustainvalueforourmanystakeholders.OurValueCreation
ModelisafundamentalpartofourIntegratedAnnualReport.
TheValueModel,alongwithcasestudiesthroughoutourAnnual
ReportandAccountsdemonstratehowwemaximisethe
potentialofthesecapitalstocreatevalueforourstakeholders
andtoultimatelyenhancethecapitalsthemselves.Theadoption
ofIntegratedReportinghelps to ensure that sustainability
topics are not separate to our organisational reporting but
that natural, social and human capital are key to the wider
value creation and impact for society.
Additional information for stakeholders is available via annual
‘Social Responsibility Sustainability Reporting’ including
reporting in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.
UWE Bristol is committed to supporting the sustainability
agenda in everything that it does. In practice, this means
we consciously consider the sustainability impacts and
benefits of our teaching and learning, campus operations,
community engagements and research activities. We
seek to minimise our impacts and enhance the positive
sustainability benefits of our activities.
We are developing a culture in which all student and
staff members have the opportunity to develop their
understanding of sustainable development and put this into
practice throughout their professional and private lives.
Through partnership working, the sustainability initiatives
engage with the whole University community, the
Students’ Union, the city-region and across the HE sector.
We learn from successes and failures and put into
practice innovative approaches that drive continuous
improvement, all verified through certification to the
ISO 14001-2015 standard and Responsible Futures
accreditation.
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University of Worcester
1. Include students, staff, governors and the local
community in developing your vision.
2. We can’t do this on our own - little by little way of
innovation occurs in isolation.
3. When sustainability is interwoven, and inspirational
more people can feel motivated.
Top 3 learnings
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the
United Nations General Assembly in 2015, have been critical
in sparking academic discourse as well as broader discussions
about the societal role of universities. Our conviction
demands that we engage in both. Sustainable development
aims at fostering integration and networking.
This shared mission can only be achieved by engaging
and bringing together many individuals from all areas of
the University. This report makes clear that sustainable
development remains a strategic task at our University.
This Sustainability Report 2017-18 details the focus of
our activities and shows the progressive evolution of our
commitment to sustainable campus management over the
past 11 years since the Board of Governors adopted our
sustainability policy.
82 83
The Business of Higher Education
universitybusiness.co.uk | @UB_UK
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Issue 135 | July 2019 | ISSN 1756-0225 | £3.99 where sold
UB
SUSTAINABILITY ROUNDTABLE • MAKING TECHNOLOGY PAY • DO FRAMEWORKS WORK?
+ FUTURE LEARNING
Boldly going where no
HE has gone before
+ A PLACE IN THE SUN
Making money from
estates over summer
SPECIAL REPORT
Augar takes
aim at sector
Delayed report ﬁres
warning shots at HE
Cinderella but
no glass slipper
Post-18 review on FE
public funding record
Vice-chancellor Paul Thompson credits the
university’s success to its ‘interesting, gifted’
students from diverse backgrounds
Vice-chancellor Paul Thompson credits theVice-chancellor Paul Thompson credits the
‘Pixar would
die to get our
animators’
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YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
Join us at the Awards
Ceremony on 26
November.
Watch live presentations
from the 3 finalists in the
Outstanding Leadership
Team of the Year
category and vote for
your winner.

Outstanding Leadership
Team of the Year
This category recognises the pioneering and innovative cross
institution approaches universities and colleges are taking to
deliver more sustainable institutions through whole-institution
sustainability strategies and new organisational structures.
Finalists will be presenting
live at the Awards
Ceremony and guests
vote for the winner.
100%of the finalists in this category chose “climate action” and 67%
equally chose “quality education”, “sustainable cities and
communities”, “responsible consumption and production”
and “partnerships for the goals” as their project’s top SDG’s
84 85
Category sponsor

Outstanding Leadership Team of the YearOutstanding Leadership Team of the Year
Nottingham Trent UniversityAston University
Team NTU “Embraces Sustainability” supporting staff
and challenging students to tackle the global and local!
NTU Embraces Sustainability institution-wide. Third in
People Planet, fifth in UI GreenMetric, LiFE Index (Gold)
with one Purple and two Green Flags!
Whether it’s having more City cycle than car parking
spaces, replacing 10 single-use plastics, using gamification
or practical sustainability challenges, we embrace positive
action for sustainability in a fun and meaningful way.
Our robust sustainability governance model has high level,
interconnected sustainability fora for academic schools,
research, operations and the SU, each chaired by an Exec
member. Our Sustainable Development and Green Academy
Teams work with these to align ambitious decisions and
strong actions. All students connect deeply with one or
more SDGs and 5,000 achieved our Sustainability in Practice
Certificate.
Social sustainability matters too: our flagship Success for
All programme optimises student outcomes and addresses
disparities – we’ve closed the BAME attainment gap with
83% in graduate-level employment. Sustainability is working
for good at NTU!
Our Team - All staff and students at Aston University
Since 2006, Aston University has shown an unbending
commitment in embedding sustainability. Aston has
done this through collaborative working throughout all
departments; sharing our knowledge and skills; and its
original research, enterprise and quality teaching.
At Aston University sustainability doesn’t just sit with the
Sustainability Team. It has been embedded throughout
all departments and levels of the University successfully.
From key individuals to entire departments, people have
played a critical role on infusing sustainability into their daily
activities. This multi-level approach means that almost all
staff and students have been educated in sustainability and
support wider initiatives.
Someofourkeysuccessesinclude: EarlysignatorytotheUN
PrincipalsofResponsibleManagementEducation(PRME)in
2008; FirstUniversityinUKknowntohaveallsecondyearshave
sustainabilityintegratedintotheirprogrammes(TheCarbon
Journey2015and2016); Havereduced2018/19CO2eemissions
byover43%comparedto2005/06; SecondUniversitytoobtain
PlasticFreeStatusfromSurfersAgainstSewage;andsecond
UniversitytogainaGOLDSKAHEinourrefurbishmentprojects.
1. First university ISO14001 certified, minimising footprint
in carbon, waste, transport, procurement, construction
whilst enhancing biodiversity.
2. First university worldwide to embed SDGs throughout
curriculum with dedicated Green Academy.
3. Global research: Our pioneering vertical ‘container farms’,
produce perfect growing conditions.
1. Campus Management: Reducing the impact of the
University campus and its operational activities.
2. Social and Corporate Responsibility: To engage with the
wider community to embed sustainability.
3. Academic Activities: Integrate sustainable values and
social responsibility into both formal and informal
curriculum.
Top 3 activitiesTop 3 activities
1. 99% waste diverted from landfill; 46.4% carbon reduction;
8,000 trees planted; recycle ALL disposable cups.
2. “Pack For Good” partnership filled 48,000 BHF charity
bags, raising £700,000 with students’ donations.
3. 19,130 sustainability/wellbeing staff actions taken in 6
months; from active travel to mindfulness.
1. Students: To provide a rewarding career and improved
quality of life.
2. Business and the professions: Agile, innovative and fit for
the future.
3. Our region and society: Capabilities, connections and
prosperity.
Top 3 impactsTop 3 impacts
1. NTU’s team is Institution-wide, with governor and
executive-level focus on sustainability encapsulated
within our “Embracing Sustainability” strategy strand.
2. Our holistic approach delivers environmental and social
impact; closing BAME and WP gaps for a fairer, more
just society.
1. We have been integrating sustainability into our core
practices since 2005.
2. Shown consistent leadership and innovation in this field to
our internal and wider community.
2 reasons why we should win2 reasons why we should win
86 87

Outstanding Leadership Team of the Year
University of Winchester
Winchester Responsible Futures Team
The University of Winchester Responsible Futures (RF)
Team worked on the National Union of Students (NUS)
RF best practice criteria to facilitate change within the
formal, informal and subliminal curriculum, including
a comprehensive student-led audit. The University’s
commitment to embedding sustainability and social
responsibility across teaching and other activities was
recognised with the NUS’ RF accreditation (completed at
a high level within 2 years). Importantly, this was not an
initiative just from sustainability champions/environmental
officers but a genuine whole institution approach. The
Team adopted a fully inclusive, simultaneous ‘top-down/
bottom- up’ approach that included Senior Management (the
Vice-Chancellor and all Deans), Winchester Student Union,
students, academics, professional services, Trade Unions,
local charities/community members. Winchester is a values-
driven University with sustainability and social justice at its
heart. Significantly, the work of the Team helped shape the
University’s new 10-year Strategic Vision which aligns with
the UN’s Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals.
1. In depth student-led curriculum audit: Encompassing the
University’s undergraduate curriculum, University values
and SDGs.
2. On campus and community based SDG events and
activities: Involving cross-departmental collaboration.
3. ‘Walking the talk’: Developing and embedding strategy,
policy and practice in all areas of University life.
Top 3 activities
1. Embedding sustainability SDG awareness: Through
collaborative sustainability statement, curriculum audit,
campus activities, University strategy/policies/practice.
2. New Learning and Teaching Strategy: Requiring SDG
commitment in all University programmes in core modules.
3. Cross-departmental collaboration: With setting up a
Sustainability Committee and Sustainability Community
of Practice.
Top 3 impacts
1. Genuine, fully engaged whole institution approach to
sustainability aimed at embedding SDGs into the formal,
informal and subliminal curriculum.
2. The Responsible Futures Team work inspired and
empowered collective discussion and action on important
sustainability and social justice issues.
2 reasons why we should win
88 89
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Research with
Impact (Student)
This category recognises excellent student research
that progress the field of sustainability and beneficially
impacts on society.
75%of the finalists in this category chose “partnerships
for the goals” as one of their project’s top SDG’s
90 91

James Boyd
James Turner
Scott Stephens
Adam John Proctor
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
92 93
Exeter College Technology Centre
My idea is to install a filtration system to clean and process
water so this can be used in the flocculent system, saving
approximately 12,500m3 of fresh water a year. Water
shortages were highlighted as a potential issue in the national
news on the 19th March 2019.
I have determined that my employer’s site used 14,083m3
of fresh water over the last year to supply the site flocculent
make down system. The cost of an m3 of water comes to
approximately £1.83. This means the cost of this water is
£25,771.89 to site, but more importantly a valuable resource.
My employer’s site has its own water circuit that is used for
multiple processes. This water is stored in onsite lagoons
and pumped around the processes; it would have negligible
cost to use this water instead of fresh water. However, the
reason fresh water is used is due to the quality of this water
compared to the site process water circuit – the water used
for the mixture of flocculent has to be completely clean.
Keele University
Good health and wellbeing is something everyone should
be able to access. For that reason, when I learned that my
third-year computing project offered the chance to research
and create an application that provides a solution for a team
within the university, I relished the opportunity.
Working as a consultant for Keele University Sports Centre,
I developed an interactive online wellbeing map with
customisable layers providing a comprehensive guide to
campus wellbeing facilities. The previous offering of paper-
based maps summarising walking routes, events and useful
wellbeing-related information was serviceable but permanent
when printed. Flexibility and provision of up-to-date
information in one go-to app enables the Sports Centre to
promote wellbeing to students, staff and the local community.
The app also enables different departments to add further
facilities, events, activities and more, promoting paper-free
digital resources that could be scaled and transferred to other
businesses or institutions to promote health and wellbeing
activities and facilities to their communities.
1. Empowering students to explore real-world projects brings
fresh insight to develop innovative approaches.
2. Health and wellbeing can be a catalyst to engage university
communities with wider sustainability initiatives.
3. Starting with small collaborations can lead to unexpected
partnerships, magnifying your project’s impact.
1. Trees are more valuable than people think.
2. Age matters: young trees absorb more CO2 and mature
trees have more stored carbon.
3. It’s great to have an opportunity to give back to my
University positively.
1. I found that the outcome of a project can drastically
deviate from the original vision.
2. Relationship building within the wider team drastically
improved the outcome of the project.
3. Managing the expectations of those involved with a
project is hugely important.
University of Leicester
One, two, tree – calculating the carbon value of the campus.
Around 250,000 houses are needed to be built in England
every year to address the housing shortage so it is inevitable
that more greenbelt, including woodland, will be removed.
It is common knowledge that trees are “good for the
environment”, but how good is each individual tree? Can it be
quantified?
I have created a tool which calculates the impact by using
height and diameter measurements to estimate yearly
carbon sequestration and the overall carbon contained
in each individual tree. My tool is already being used by
the University of Leicester to calculate the impact of their
own developments and to provide recommendations for
mitigating their own carbon offset.
I hope my tool can advise not only Leicester but also other
universities and councils.
Signposting Employer Sustainability to Students. The project
engaged me to develop an approach to allow for the students
of the University of the West of England to investigate the
sustainability credentials of prospective employers. It was
enacted following the results of the NUS student surveys
that found a growing desire for students to work for more
sustainable employers.
This project developed a set of resources that were adopted
by the University of the West of England. These provided
a categorisation, background, overview of sustainability
credentials, as well as advice on searchability and reliability.
These credentials were categorised into qualitative and
quantitative credentials and include items such as awards,
ratings, rankings, indices and sustainability reports.
The resources provide the basic knowledge that empower
students to be able to investigate sustainability credentials
themselves and provide judgement on the information that
they discover.
1. Engineering and design can change the world for the
better!
2. Everyone has a great idea that will make a difference.
3. Ideas can inspire generations to come.

Sustainability Champion
(Staff and Student)
Open to both staff and students at a tertiary education institution.
Recognising people at any level who have worked hard at implementing
a sustainability project/initiative (or several) and whose involvement
has made a positive impact, be that on their peers, their institution,
their students, their local community or their local workforce.
67%of student finalists chose “quality education”, “sustainable
cities and communities”, “climate action” and
“partnerships for the goals” as their project’s top SDGs
57%of the staff finalists in this category chose “climate action”
as their project’s top SDG
94 95
Category sponsor

Zulfi Ali (Staff)
Sam Gibbons (Staff)
Dr Peter Bradley (Staff)
Sharon Boyd (Staff)
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
96 97
I have led substantial integration of sustainable development
into UWE economics teaching and research, and documented
the experience faced by economists in integrating
sustainability into curriculum nationally, to enable others to
learn from the experience. I have ensured that sustainability
runs through our undergraduate programme as dedicated
modules or embedded into core modules and have led the
setting up of an MSc in Economics specialising in sustainability.
To complement and aid these tasks I have developed the
first Sustainability Research Cluster for a UK economics
department in higher education (with 18 members). As
leader of the cluster, I designed, organised and hosted a very
successful Conference on Pro-Environmental Employee and
Consumer Behaviour with 80 registered delegates and 14
presenters.
The way that the conference was organised allowed high
levels of external engagement and knowledge transfer.
The conference was free to delegates and slides were made
open-access after the event.
I have shown how sustainability is woven into our teaching
and learning at my institution. In many cases, this has
involved celebrating approaches which may have gone
unnoticed or thinking about new ways to tackle old problems.
I have done this via a range of methods, from building mini-
wormeries to carrying out research projects. At the core of
these undertakings, I have recognised and championed the
truth that we cannot work effectively for a sustainable future
if we do not sustain our own wellbeing.
I was awarded one of the first University of Edinburgh
Changemaker awards in 2018 in recognition of my work to
promote social responsibility and sustainability beyond the
requirements of my role as a lecturer.
1. We can all find ways to get involved in working towards a
more sustainable future.
2. We have to remember to take care of ourselves - burnout
is not cool!
3. You don’t have to do it alone - teamwork makes good
things happen.
1. Creating cultures and traditions requires time and works
best when people feel inspired and ready to join.
2. Develop a strong working relationship with the Students’
Union, based on mutual respect and equal partnership.
3. Recognise that sustainability, social justice and human
rights are part of the same conversation.
1. Find your allies, work with them, use existing networks and
create new ones.
2. Broaden out your appeal to get as many engaged as
possible.
3. Don’t stand back and wait for others to do it.
Canterbury Christ Church University
The significance of my work lies in the fact that CCCU is
a widening participation University in the South East of
England and, for various reasons, until three years ago there
was little precedence of strong student engagement in the
life of the University outside formal learning activities.
Three years on, evidence suggests that CCCU is a different
place today. Through activities directly carried out by Project
93, those generated because Project 93 acted as a catalyst, as
well as through the ripple effects of a change in environment
at the University, the landscape of the range and depth of
participation at CCCU has changed in a positive direction.
Awareness of environmental and social justice issues is much
higher, and sustainability related issues are starting to get
embedded in the culture of the University.
Keele University
I have shown over the past year how a student union officer
can be a campaigner and lobbyer whilst also working with
the institution to create a more sustainable campus and
world.
Many of the student-led schemes I helped run as a student
have now become institutionalised whilst as an officer,
ensuring their funding and future running, including The
Great Donate, Student Eats and the food co-op within the
zero-waste shop.
From helping students with campaigns, to running and
organising the city-wide youth strikes, setting up the
Extinction Rebellion Stoke I left a legacy of environmental
work that has left the campus and local area a more
sustainable place than when I arrived.
1. Perseverance in building understanding and skills with staff.
2. The important role that the cross university KESE group
plays in building awareness and helping problem solve.
3. Student expectation and openness towards an economics
curriculum that engages with real world sustainability
challenges.

Lauren Holmes (Staff)
Tom Bedford (Student)
Dr Karen Thompson (Staff)
Social Mobility Student Success division (Staff)
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
98 99
Bournemouth University
Leading the development of a new concept - Responsible
Project Management (RPM) - I am raising awareness of
sustainability and empowering project management
practitioners, educators, researchers and professional bodies
to improve practice. Projects deliver change across the globe
and are worth billions annually.
RPM combines project management and sustainability by
proposing the SDGs as a framework for better decision-
making and project managers as advocates for beneficial
change in business and society. The Guide I co-created
with practitioners and researchers is now being used as an
educational resource and inspiration for dialogue in the UK,
Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Palestine and Vietnam.
Success of RPM is encouraging me to challenge colleagues to
transform their education and research by using sustainability
as a lens rather than an add-on to their disciplines. Re-thinking
of many existing business models is urgent, so I am organising
a “Sustainability Symposium” to facilitate discussions, build
networks, identify new opportunities and commit to action.
The Social Mobility and Student Success (SMSS) division
at King’s has worked tirelessly over the past year to drive
sustainability in all areas we influence, from divisional and
university level, to broader societal change.
SMSShas createdanddeliveredSustainableDevelopment
Goal(SDG)workshopsforthedivision,whichwillbeextended
across King’s. Allfoodforoutreachactivities(e.g.K+)is
now vegan, whichis accompaniedbyworkshopsonfood
sustainability,alongsideadditionalworkshops,onmental
health; it’s causes andtreatment.Increasingsustainabilityin
communications withstudentshasbeencrucial,thereisnowa
dedicated sustainabilitysectioninour‘CampusConversations’,
Undergraduate, PostgraduateandMedicalstudentnewsletters,
reachingover 27,000+students.Wearealsoworkingongoing
paperless atWelcomeWeek2019andgraduation.
We are championing the LatinX and Child Citizenship Fee
campaigns. Engaging with those affected by both issues
through community organising (alongside Citizens UK) to
create change, collaboratively.
1. Understand your individual strengths, utilise each of these
to create the change together.
2. Don’t work in isolation - seek out and speak to those who
are a stakeholder in the area, identify areas to change
together and work collaboratively.
3. Thinking together as a team.
1. Passion is key! If you care about something, make it a part
of your work.
2. Know your allies and accept help whenever you can.
3. Be strong, fearless and persistent for your cause, and never
give up the fight.
1. Collaboration is key to transforming visions into reality.
2. Sometimes the challenge of climate change can seem
overwhelming, but you have to stay optimistic.
3. To create change you must take action.
My dedication to sustainability has made a tangible impact
on my department, organisation and peers. Sustainability is
not a traditional part of my role, yet since joining the library
in 2015, I have consistently tried to transform the service into
a model of what sustainability advocacy should look like.
As well as working towards neutralising current waste
problems through recycling schemes (from crisp packets
to disposable coffee cups), I have spearheaded innovative
events educating students and staff about sustainability and
biodiversity. This year, I was part of a campaign that raised
over £1,000 for a local homeless charity. My Green Impact
team has received the highest available award each year I
have been a member.
Outside my role, I am an organiser of Veggiefest, a
University event which promotes a plant-based lifestyle,
and sustainability is reflected in my life outside work. This
enthusiasm and drive for change translates to my role and,
I believe, has made a lasting impact at the University.
Keele University
Since starting at Keele, I have been on a journey to promote
sustainability and advocate for the climate movement. From
engaging with programmes such as Sustainability Voice
Representatives, working to embed sustainability into the
curriculum, to being inspired to act for large-scale global
action against climate change, I build networks to make
change happen.
My involvement and impact with climate action has
accelerated over the past year, enabling me to meet inspiring
people through involvement in UK and international
conferences such as attending the 24th UN Climate Change
Conference, leading in local Schools Climate Strikes, and
co-hosting an episode of the BBC’s ‘Costing The Earth’ and
being a panellist on ‘The Big Questions’.
These activities enabled me to set an example to inspire and
empower others to join the climate movement and drive
climate action, including through collaboration with fellow
members of the UK Youth Climate Coalition to host the UK’s
first Local Conference of Youth.
1. My social learning approach to research and collaboration
was both challenging and highly rewarding.
2. I needed patience to handle the naysayers who still think
sustainability is optional.
3. My belief in the value of harnessing diverse perspectives
and options was re-affirmed.

GenGreen (Student)
Megan Youngs (Student)
Top 3 learnings
Top 3 learnings
100 101
The University of Sussex
I have been an Environmental Intern at the University of
Sussex in my placement year from my BA Geography degree.
I have focused a lot on the University’s circular economy
and communicating to staff and students about recycling
materials through Terra Cycle as well as encouraging people
to reduce their waste consumption with a new student
society called Leave No Trace. This society is launching
in September, but it has already got a lot of interest with
students on campus.
I have also created easy to use sustainability documents,
making sustainability on campus accessible to everyone.
As a university, we dispose of a lot of bedding which usually
goes into our General Waste stream, I have created a
process to recycle the bedding into new products using TFR
group and making ‘duvet and pillow recycling hubs’ during
departure weekend.
Schemes like this have helped increase our recycling
percentage by 10% in 12 months. 1. I get results with persistence and consistency.
2. Finding gaps and thinking outside the box gets you
thinking creatively and helps you enjoy the project.
3. As an intern, no job is too big. Take on everything that is
asked of you and push the boundaries of the classic ‘tea
and coffee’ intern role.
1. The Green Generation is Growing. The young generation
want to know.
2. We need to work to together to communicate positive
messages and offer tools of support toward a
sustainable future.
3. Sustainability should be at the core of education.
GenGreen is a team of four students across MA Fashion
Futures and MA Strategic Marketing who have collaborated to
research the necessity for Sustainability to be implemented
into the core of education. It has led to workshops throughout
schools within the local Watham Forest to educate and
encourage Sustainable practice through a Fashion lens.
We have covered two schools, with hope of achieving
more in the future at LCF’s East London Champions, for 60
students and we have produced REBEL CRAFT workshops. In
result of this, we have provided students and teachers with
the tools for Sustainable practice going forth in their studies
and into their daily lives. Gengreen’s manifesto believes that
Sustainability starts with education and we feel it is essential
to plant the seeds of thought within our next generation so
that they can grow the future they want to be part of. In a
time of revolution, empowered by the Youth4Climate strikes,
we feel that the voices of the younger generation have never
been so LOUD and we believe that Fashion can be the tool for
change. The Green Generation is Growing.
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