Green Gown Awards 2018 - Keele University - Finalist

The Great Donate is a campus-wide scheme which reduces the environmental impact from waste when students move out of Halls at the end of the academic year.

The Great Donate began four years ago, collecting unwanted items to donate to charity, and has grown to collect food bank items for the Trussell Trust local food bank, clothing for the British Heart Foundation, and kitchen and household items that are made available for the following year’s incoming students to purchase.

In 2017, £10k of donations were made to the British Heart Foundation, diverting 8.2 tonnes of waste and saving 8 tonnes of CO2. 3 tonnes of food bank donations provided 8,000 meals in 2017, helping families from the local area. The scheme’s success is based on collaboration between Think:Green, the student-led service who promote and organise sustainability activities for students; Keele Students’ Union; Estates; Accommodation Managers; Portering; and the Sustainability Team.

Top 3 learnings:

• If at first you don’t succeed, review, collaborate and try again.
• Plan ahead, communicate regularly and remind colleagues of the positive impact their efforts will have.
• Listen to others and understand their challenges. Find a way to compromise.

Videos

• Green Gown Awards 2018 – Student Engagement – Keele University – Finalist (click to hide)