The Green Gown Awards, now in their 9th year, recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by tertiary education.
In these changing and challenging times, it is now more important than ever to ensure that sustainability remains high on the sector agenda, and to demonstrate that it can be synergistic with other strategic drivers such as high quality student experiences, new skill requirements, increasing access, and enhanced value for money.
This has been achieved by many of the examples in the finalists' brochure (see below), which are drawn from 216 applications - a 25% increase on 2012. The value tertiary education generates is huge and the Green Gown Awards make a critical contribution to ensuring that value is better recognised.
The Awards continue to have a strong international presence with this being the fourth year of the Australasian Green Gown Awards, and the second year of the “International Green Gown Awards”. These have three categories - Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change, Social Responsibility and Student and Staff Engagement - and involve selecting an overall winner from the two that have been successful in Australasia and the UK. We are delighted to be working with other countries such as France to engage them within the Green Gown Awards family and to be part of the International Green Gown Awards in the future.
In an effort to promote dissemination of good practice, all the 2013 Green Gown winners, highly commended entries and finalists have all been asked to provide a case study and a short video on their projects. These are supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
We congratulate all winners, highly commended entries and finalists and thank you all for sharing your inspiring initiatives.
Continue sharing 2013 excellence by viewing the Winner's Brochure below:
This was a ten month, large-scale, complex and high risk project to upgrade the live primary data centre at the University of Aberdeen
Winners’ brochure from the Green Gown Awards 2013, now in their 9th year, recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by tertiary education
C-change is the overarching brand for sustainability related engagement at the University of Brighton.
In 2012 the University of Nottingham launched a 'How green is your lab competition', kick-starting multiple programmes for long term change.
An innovative project using students to do an online Green Deal pre assessment survey of 260 student houses as part of a broader approach to maximise the uptake of the Green...
The Greenspace Biodiversity Group has undertaken extensive engagement in biodiversity awareness, monitoring and enhancement across the University.
A red hot social enterprise - The Cheltenham Chilli Company The aim of the project was simple; get students producing their own food sustainably.
GoGreen movement is about creating opportunities to make a difference starting with small actions and aiming to big changes toward sustainability.
Highly Commended in the Smaller Institutions category, Sunshine Coast TAFE was the winner of the Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change category.
A focus on the environment and sustainability has been a key element of Griffith’s evolution since its foundation forty years ago.
Sustainability as a strategy for change has been a feature of TAFE Western’s approach to sustainable practice since 2007.
The Griffith MBA has evolved to embody three key values: responsible leadership, sustainable business practices and a global orientation
The Sustainability and Environment Programme has been instrumental in implementing a culture of sustainability within the University
The Academic-Operations Sustainability Integration Programme (AOSIP) was developed in 2010 with the vision of enabling learning for the ‘sustainability’ literate...
Victoria University students undertook the green challenge of converting a heritage listed house into a sustainable EcoLiving Centre, the first of its kind in Melbourne’s...
John Curtin Weekend, 'Curtin Volunteers!’ largest community project began in 1999 when six groups of students and staff undertook community-initiated projects at...
The Solar Decathlon Competition challenges teams of university students to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive.
Student engagement and communication forms a key part of James Cook University’s sustainability strategy
AUT University has and continues to implement sustainable transport, energy efficiency and waste reduction initiatives as a three-pronged approach to reducing carbon emissions
Ivan Hopkins has revolutionised the catering menus based around sustainability, gaining the prestigious Silver Food for Life accreditation.
Grow Allot is an exciting initiative created by the City College Plymouth to restore an area of disused ground at its Kings Road site into an allotment style, community garden.
Ian Brown has driven the College’s vision to be a sustainable organisation at the heart of its community; identifying, developing & embedding new environmental schemes...
Clive Wilson is both a leader and engager in equal measure. As a leader Clive initiated Ecoversity, one of the first full institution sustainability programmes in our sector.
The Biodiversity Index is an interactive web-based tool that enables people with little knowledge of ecology to do a rapid but scientific assessment of the level of plant...
The Sunshine Coast TAFE (SCT) has a vision to be a leader in Education for Sustainability (EfS) and Sustainable Operations.
The fresh, fast and local food procurement project The University of York's fresh, fast & local food procurement initiative has resulted in a reduction in food miles...
The Carbon Footprinting in Schools project placed student volunteers into six under-achieving schools in Leicestershire to create a carbon footprint for the school and teach the...
Through interactive events Your Green Future inspires school students with employment opportunities available to them within the green economy. University sustainability...
This course helps students gain the knowledge, skills and capabilities they will need to act as a catalyst to inspire and bring about change towards sustainability.
Humanitarian Sustainability uses Add+Vantage (A+V) employability modules to teach students the importance of applying sustainability concepts in humanitarian response situations.
A sustainable approach pilot to theatre production, using a musical theatre project, which is a core part of the curriculum for 3rd year BA Acting /Theatre Production students.
A student led ESD initiative, reflecting a commitment to offering students opportunities to learn about issues of global importance such as environmental awareness &...
Coventry University’s grounds team have created an interactive campus for fun, learning and research replacing places of traditional planting and bedding .
To meet the University’s target of a 30% carbon reduction, the Catering department analysed its carbon footprint and identified ways to improve environmental performance.
Nottingham Trent University’s (NTU) estate comprises over 240 hectares of land across its three campuses, ranging from city centre to farmland.
Manchester Veg People is a multi-stakeholder co-operative of local organic growers and buyers who are working together to develop a new model for the local food supply chain.
GLEE, the University of Bradford’s Student Experience enhancement project that has radically improved the old, inefficient learning environment of the City Campus Library.
The £9.8M Centre for Global Eco-Innovation unites the expertise, resources and global contacts of Lancaster University, the University of Liverpool, and Inventya Limited.
LCF students were invited to showcase their design work, which uses plants from the College’s dye garden to colour cloth, at Chelsea Flower Show in May 2013
The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE) is an internationally leading academic facility for pioneering pure and applied green and sustainable chemical research.
The vision of Eat Your Campus is to plant fruit and nut trees along cycle paths and footpaths planted by people who live, work and pass through these places.
The University of Sheffield and ReCycle Bikes are working together to provide students with reliable, cheaper alternatives to new bikes.
The university established an initiative to engage more staff to support the strategic development of state schools in its local communities by volunteering as School Governors.
Over the past five years the University has transformed its approach to sustainability, and its overall sustainability performance. This has involved both a bottom-up approach,...
The University of Bristol has been continuously improving in all areas of sustainability; reducing carbon emissions by 2,000 tonnes, 76% of waste diverted from landfill,...
As a research intensive, wholly post-graduate University, with its own sewage works and airport, Cranfield has a diverse range of challenges to address when it comes to carbon...
Falmouth Exeter Plus is the shared services delivery partner of Falmouth University and the University of Exeter at their £200M shared campus in Cornwall.
Harrow Colleges’ sustainability objective has benefitted staff, students, contractors, wildlife and the local community by raising awareness and improving working practices.
The project has improved the knowledge and skills of staff, learners and their families about what they can do to save and sustain resources in their home, neighbourhood and city.
This project is about embedding sustainability into the student curriculum and into their and staff’s lives at South Essex College.
Situated on a rural campus 4.5 km S of Lancaster city centre, the area is hilly and can experience inclement weather, not ideal geographical conditions for a successful Travel...
This facility will provide unique curriculum and learning opportunities for further and higher education and for research and development throughout Belfast and Northern Ireland.
The Rosalind Franklin refurbishment has been a cornerstone in the School of Science and Technology teaching and learning facilities at Nottingham Trent University.
The Manchester College upcycled a derelict Grade 2 listed public baths building, designed by renowned architect Henry Price in 1910
The aim of the project was to embed sustainability and environmental management as a core principal of the college and make significant year on year improvements
EcoBCoT is a strategic initiative that started in September 2012 and has made a huge impact in its first twelve months at Basingstoke College of Technology
“That bit extra” promotes engaging projects that has included everything from plants to pants.
The Finalists' brochure gives you an overview of each of our Finalists' and about their initiatives