Since 2004 the Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK and Ireland. With sustainability moving up the agenda, the Awards have become established as the most prestigious recognition of best practice within tertiary education.
The Green Gown Awards are administered by the EAUC and are governed by a cross agency steering group. The judging panel are representatives of sector organisations, which changes yearly.
As the ethos of the Green Gown Awards is to ensure the lessons and examples of good practice are shared within the tertiary education sector. We work hard with the partners of the Awards to ensure this information is disseminated far and wide, by sharing the case studies from applicants and prize winners throughout each awards season.
Click here to find out more about the Green Gown Awards
The Awards were brought to Australasia in 2010 and are delivered by our partners ACTS. The Awards are open to all tertiary education institutions in Australia and New Zealand.
The Australasian Awards are managed by ACTS and governed by a cross sector steering group. ACTS is a non-profit member based organisation representing higher and further education institutions within Australia and New Zealand. ACTS aim to inspire, promote and support change towards best practice sustainability within the operations, curriculum and research of the tertiary education sector.
The International Green Gown Awards were established in 2014 and bring together our regional winners as well as the wider global audience.
Recognising exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by the world's universities and colleges, the International Green Gown Awards set the bar and put every learning institution at the heart of delivering the UN Global Goals.
We are delighted to be working in partnership with United Nations Environment Programme, The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), L’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI).
If you are interested in delivering the Green Gown Awards in your region please contact us.
Trina Innes, Chief Sustainability Officer - University of Alberta Trina Innes joined the University of Alberta (UAlberta) in 2009 as the inaugural chief sustainability...
Martin Howes, Energy Co-ordinator - University of Cambridge When it comes to anything energy or environment related at the Department of Plant Sciences, Martin is the...
Richard Groves, Associate Director (Energy & Engineering) - Goldsmiths, University of London Since 2009, Richard has measurably reduced our CO2 emissions by 1,532t,...
Paulo Cruz, Sustainability Officer - Glasgow Caledonian University Paulo inspires, encourages and supports students and staff to reduce their environmental impacts and...
Nan Taplin, Environment and Energy Coordinator - University of Cambridge As a proactive Environment and Energy Coordinator at the University of Cambridge, Nan Taplin has...
David Emley - Keele University Throughout his career at Keele University, David’s passion for Keele’s natural history and commitment to sustaining its...
Dave Dougan - Ayrshire College Dave Dougan has been a wonderful ambassador for Ayrshire College for many years. This richly deserved award has acknowledged that he has...
Kevin Casey, Head of Procurement - The University of Manchester Head of Procurement Kevin Casey has demonstrated commitment and leadership to sustainability both within...
Richard Brett - Goldsmiths, University of London There’s no explicit requirement to embrace or teach the principles of sustainability within Richard’s job...
Andy Stride FRSA - University of Nottingham Andy has developed over 14 different social enterprises tackling both local and global issues linking to the 2030 Sustainable...
Brittany Pummell - Coventry University On entering her final year of undergraduate studies, Brittany decided to go completely waste-free! Since September 2015 she has...
Ulrich Pohanka, Keele University Ulrich set up the Keele Food Co-op during his time at Keele, providing the campus with more than 6 tonnes of organic produce over two...
Tianqi Li - Newcastle University Tianqi’s PhD project is focussed on designing a systematic and holistic sustainability assessment method for evaluating sustainability...
Karen Elliott - University of Chester Karen Elliott has been involved in all things environmental and sustainable since beginning her Geography degree at the University of...
Dr Einir Young, Director of Sustainability - Bangor University Einir’s passion, drive and an emphasis on benefit-led realism over idealism has enabled her to drive...
Jim Longhurst, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Environment and Sustainability - University of the West of England, Bristol Jim Longhurst has transformed...
Vice-Chancellor Julia King, The Baroness Brown of Cambridge - Aston University Julia plays a leading role within the University and nationally in communicating and...
Tim Burt - Dean for Environmental Sustainability, Durham University As a professor in the Geography department and Master of Hatfield College, Tim did not have any...
This is the seventh Sustainability Report for the University of Worcester. It describes the institution’s most significant environmental aspects and how these are managed...
INSPIRE – at the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD), is a virtual institute overseeing the systematic and systemic introduction and embedding of sustainability...
The University of London Sustainability Report has been designed to be engaging, easy to read, navigate and very quickly and effectively get the key elements of the...
The University of the Arts London (UAL) has achieved its first carbon target and can set realistic broader sustainability targets based on the monitoring and reporting systems...
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Environmental Sustainability Report 2014/15 presents LSE’s sustainability developments and achievements from the...
This is our third Sustainability Report, but the first to look at what sustainability means to Queen Mary University London (QMUL) and how the three pillars of sustainability...
This is Plymouth University’s fourth Sustainability Report, and our first report using the Global Reporting Initiative framework. The report is aimed at stakeholders who...
Telling our stakeholders about the journey we take to achieve our sustainability goals is incredibly important to us! It helps us articulate our performance, vision and...
The University has always taken ‘a real world’ approach to developing sustainability and this extends to its sustainability reporting. The sustainability reporting...
Saving the dough: Food waste at Warwick The overarching aim of this project was to work across the SU and University community to instigate both institutional change and a...
International Green Gown Award Winner Green Capital: Student Capital - Unleashing the power of Bristol’s Students Student Capital is a huge and unique collaborative...
Educating Global Citizens: The UK’s first international student sustainability research symposium The UK’s first international student sustainability symposium...
c-change: creating a sea change at the University of Brighton ‘c-change’ is our bespoke carbon reduction campaign, especially designed to engage, inspire and...
The Green Team - #ThinkGreenBeGreat Dream big, inspire change. The Green Team are a group of University of West of England, Bristol (UWE) students that have a shared interest...
The Student SWell How will the students of today tackle the biggest global challenges facing us now and in the future? At Swansea University, through a comprehensive...
A Student Hub for Sustainability & Employability The Greenwich Sustainability Hub (Hub) is a student-led and staff-supported project based in the Students’ Union in...
The R A D I A L Project RADIAL is a collective of creative thinkers from the university community across Glasgow. Students and staff are connected through a shared need to...
Beer, Bread and Honey: Connecting people and place with food and heritage Our small urban campus, is on the site of the Outer Precincts of St Augustine’s Abbey, which...
ARU Green Student Societies Fund Our ARU Green Student Societies Fund promotes sustainability awareness and action amongst our students in return for grant funding. Clubs and...
Alex Lerczak MSc, University of Chester Two years ago the University embarked on a journey to create an enabling environment in which sustainability can thrive within...
Danielle Butler, University of Salford Based in the Sustainable Housing & Urban Studies Unit, at the University of Salford, Danielle is currently undertaking a...
Will Barber, Coventry University Completed by Will Barber in the final year of a BSc in Geography, the project was pioneering in using fishers’ knowledge to help...
Changing food waste behaviours Food waste is one of the most significant environmental and social problems facing society. This landmark study field-tested the influence of a...
My star fish have fins! The StarFin project is an example of how innovation driven by sustainability can be achieved in a university environment. Universities have at their...
The “Toon Monsoon’s” silver lining - Climate change adaptation at Newcastle University Climate change predictions suggest that severe weather events...
Our Green City: Global challenges, Bristol solutions Our Green City celebrated and showcased UWE academics and Bristol based sustainability organisations to develop public...
The Beauty’s Inside “The Beauty’s Inside” is a collaborative magazine, co-produced by HM Prison women offenders, London College of Fashion (LCF)...
Our changing world – Addressing global challenges through academic research ‘Our Changing World’ an annual high-profile public lecture series which...
Students share and shape their campus showcasing sustainability Bringing together academics across all University of Liverpool faculties as well as representatives from the...
Sustainability-e-training A bespoke sustainability training package, equipping London School of Economics (LSE) Estates Division staff to continually improve the School's...
A sustainable education for future business leaders Sheffield Business School (SBS) has succeeded in embedding sustainability into every postgraduate and undergraduate course...
The Futures Initiative: Building capacity for long term curriculum change Our mission is to enhance academic staff, knowledge, skills and experience in sustainability...
E-Learning for E-veryone Blackpool and The Fylde College’s (B&FC) engaging eLearning course encapsulates sustainability for all levels and abilities, effectively...
Greenwich’s recipe for success Our initiative uses the collaborative potential of all those with a relationship with food to ensure Greenwich can deliver the most...
Encouraging sustainability through hospitality: the Chester way How to engage staff, students and visitors with environmental and sustainability agendas through hospitality?...
Cambridge, cups, compost: Vegware’s compostable disposables enabling zero waste catering Conventional takeaway packaging is challenging to recycle, with most going to...
University of Sheffield brings ‘superfresh’ milk to its campus A first of its kind collaboration between the University of Sheffield and Our Cow Molly to provide...
You are what you eat Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is one of the largest and most popular universities in the UK. Nearly 27,000 students study with us across three...
SEEDS Sustainability Program Over the past 16 years, UBC’s SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) Sustainability Program engaged over 6,000...
Catalyzing a culture of sustainability at McGill University with the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) The Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) is a crown jewel of McGill...
Finalist USIL, Shaping entrepreneurs through sustainability In Peru, people from the outskirts of Lima have limited access to high quality education due to...
WINNER Social and Environmental Innovation Projects for Ecuador (PISA) Proyecto de Innovación Socio-Ambiental (PISA) pursues social-environmental innovation...
Ecocampus Uninorte Program: between the knowledge and action to obtain the knowhow Highly Commended Ecocampus Uninorte program is a strategy created at Universidad...
Finalist “Mi Patita Ideal” The group “CAMBIEN”, from the Faculty of Architecture of the National University of the Center of Peru, related to...
National advocacy and management of environmental indicators in the Costa Rican Network of Sustainable Educational Institutions - REDIES By joining REDIES, each...
Challenge Lab In the Challenge Lab students learn to explore, define and act upon global challenges that will transform the way we live together on this planet. The...
Using art to promote sustainability: the “Dancing Solar Flowers” project Many of the projects implemented by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice are to make...
Manduyog Biodiversity Conservation Program The Aklan State University nestles at the foot of the majestic Manduyog Hill which is naturally blessed with a cool and green...
Solid Waste Management: The ATENEO Way As a Jesuit university, Xavier participates in the Jesuit mission of reconciliation with God, reconciliation with others, and...
Local Fishers protecting Nemo and Friends: an effort in Coastal Resource Management of Talim Bay COSCA’s effort focused on a consultative process of listening to the...
International Green Gown Award Winner Centre for Sustainable Technology and Development (CSTD) Our climate-smart landscapes: watershed protection using agroforestry...
Development and implementation of a solar PV outreach training module for capacity building in East Africa Highly Commended Strathmore Energy Research Centre (SERC)...
Helping bees and other pollinators The University has over the past few years been trying to create habitat and by doing so broaden species range and biodiversity across...
Choose to reUSe The Salford reUSe scheme was created from necessity but has exceeded all expectations being on track to achieve £0.5 million savings from the reuse of...
Extracting carbon savings from our science labs A £1.025 million estate-wide review and upgrade of science laboratory ventilation, covering 252 fume cupboards to...
Responsible investment: Making money matter Since becoming the first university in Europe to adopt the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI) in 2013,...
Brum brum: Driving greener fuels at Birmingham Turning scientific research into reality, the University of Birmingham is leading the way in greener vehicles, fuel technology...
The incredible journey Building a brand new campus six miles from the existing estate, needn’t mean increased unsustainable and detrimental driving. ‘The...
“Greening the City” Nottingham Trent University is one of the largest and most popular universities in the UK. Nearly 27,000 students study with us across three...
KU reuse revolution Kingston University has increased reuse from 0% to 5% since 2014, whilst also increasing recycling rates by around 10%. This has been achieved through a...
Green labs in King’s College London King’s College London have spearheaded a Green Labs programme which has not only led to significant energy savings, it has...
#Loveyourhalls Bangor University Halls, Properties and Campus offices lead by example to maximise resource efficiency and reduce waste from the running, maintenance and...
APPLES – Applied Learning in Sustainability The University of Leicester is proud to be recognised for the Green Gowns Enterprise and Employability category for their...
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Programme The Royal Agricultural University Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Programme endeavours to create awareness of enterprise by...
Carbon week - embedding sustainability into all second year students Climate change, sustainability and decarbonisation will be key factors in every business decision a...
INSPIRE@UWTSD – Leading continual, cross sector, organisational sustainable development INSPIRE – the Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation and...
International Green Gown Award Winner Positive Footprint: Phase 2 Positive Footprints presents the University’s sustainability aims for the period 2013 – 2020....
‘c-change’ is in the air! The University of Brighton has been addressing sustainability across the institution for over 6 years, which was reflected in the...
A decade of driving sustainable transport The University of Nottingham has, over the past decade, delivered a suite of creative projects mainstreaming sustainable, healthy,...
Systems in harmony Sheffield Hallam University has operated two certified environmental and energy management systems since 2011. Their ongoing integration with all...
Enough, for all, forever - Collaborative sustainability at Newcastle University Environmental Sustainability is one of only three societal challenge themes introduced at...
Financial futures Since 2013, the London Institute of Banking and Finance (previously called ifs University College) has been building and expanding its sustainability...
Green move out Durham University’s Green Move Out Scheme collects students’ unwanted belongings at the end of the academic year and donates the items to local...
‘Engage, Empower, Embed’ – E3 University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland (SAUWS)...
Bristol Parkhive Bristol Parkhive is an innovative, collaborative and unique project developed by University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) in partnership with Bristol...
Castle Irwell Flood Basin Project – keeping Salford dry Floods from the River Irwell periodically devastate the lives of the families and businesses in the Lower...
North West Cambridge Development - Creating a long-lasting, sustainable new district for the University and City of Cambridge The North West Cambridge Development is a new...
Low Carbon Oxford week – Pop up green events across our city Now in its third year, Low Carbon Oxford Week (LCOW) is bigger and better than ever. The concept was...
Diamond Wood – A new woodland for biodiversity and the community The University of Nottingham's Diamond Wood, close to the University's Sutton Bonington...
Changing Views: Re-naturalising the Hogsmill with a little help from our friends The project aim: change how communities perceive the undervalued Hogsmill River. Kingston...
#LoveYourClothesBangor Bangor University, in partnership with WRAP’s Love Your Clothes campaign, Age Cymru, British Heart Foundation and Antur Waunfawr, challenged...
Get Kilmarnock Active The “Get Kilmarnock Active” initiative was a ground breaking innovation designed by Ayrshire College staff and students to promote health,...