Britain's Greenest Universities & Colleges?

30th March 2007

The prestigious Green Gown Awards, now in their third year, have been announced. The Awards recognise innovative sustainable actions by universities and colleges across the UK. Universities and colleges have a large part to play in developing a sustainable society with over 2 million students and 300,000 staff. The Green Gown Awards recognise both the academic and operational natures of universities and colleges.

HEEPI, who organise the Awards, are impressed with the improvements universities and colleges are marking. Professor Peter James, Co-Director, said:

“The Green Gown Awards show how commitment, energy and innovation enable universities and colleges to respond positively to environmental and social challenges”.

The winners include University of Leeds Continuous Improvement Award for their integrated approach which has champions across campus to promote the environmental agenda through their departments from the car club scheme to recycling to saving energy.

University of Southampton won the Energy & Water Efficiency Award for their highly efficient 2nd generation Combined Heat and Power (CHP) scheme to reduce their carbon emissions by over 2600 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Pershore Group of Colleges, Winners of the Colleges Category, is championing sustainability with a wide range of initiatives such as their procurement policy, with at least 64% of their procurement travelling within 50 miles of their campus.

The refurbishment of a Grade 1 listed building at the heart of King’s College London won the Sustainable Construction Award, which maximises the use of natural lighting and ventilation as well as using FSC timber and recycling 80% of demolished materials.

As universities and colleges are seats of learning, sustainability in the curriculum was also recognised with Sheffield Hallam University’s Landlords for Excellence programme teaching ways for improving environmental impacts in the student private sector housing. An inter-disciplinary module on sustainable development for all students won the University of Bristol the Course Content (Degrees) Award.

York University Students’ Union won the Student Initiative Award for a highly innovative scheme to recycle unwanted bikes through an auction to raise money for future environmental work by the Student Union. In 2006 80 bikes were recycled.

A further 14 universities and colleges were Highly Commended across the 7 categories.

The Green Gown Awards will be presented at the AUDE Annual Conference (2-4 April 2007) and at the EAUC Annual Conference (17-19 April 2007).

An Estates Management supplement appeared featuring the winning entries in the Times Higher on 30th March 2007 and will be available at the EAUC Annual Conference.

Visit www.heepi.org.uk for a full list of winning and highly commended institutions.