Green Gown Awards – 2021 – Building Back Better - NEW

This new category is recognising the impact that the pandemic has had on institutions and challenges and opportunities that have been created to drive an environmental and just sustainable recovery in a fair and inclusive way. The pandemic has impacted the education sector hugely, however it has also provided opportunities for creativity and innovation. It has challenged colleagues in the sector to review everything from how we deliver education through to how we use our estates, and this has liberated us to think differently and find new more sustainable solutions.

This category is to recognise those surprising collaborations, innovative solutions, changes that were not possible prior to the pandemic that have accelerated routes to net-zero, embedded the SDGs, transformed organisational agility, raised the priority of sustainability within institutions or supporting the wider green recovery.

Judges are looking for game-changing staff and/or student-led initiatives that will support ongoing and sustained change, and not sudden advancements which were already planned but implemented more quickly.

Initiatives can be at an organisation level or a wider society initiative. Initiatives could include, but not limited to travel, biodiversity and mental well-being.

Judges will be looking for evidence of short-term impacts and longer-term plans for lasting benefits and impact. Judges will take into account the relative short time scale and will consider this on reviewing evidence.

Initiatives are to be ones that would not have happened prior to the pandemic or has accelerated action that would not have happened.  Judges will be interested in other benefits that have resulted of the initiative.

Other categories have also recognised the pandemic and applicants are to apply under those categories where a change due to the pandemic was only part of the initiative.