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FE Success in Green Gown Awards
Posted on 21 April 2008
Three of the eight categories in this year’s Green Gown awards saw FE winners.
Lancaster and Morecambe College won the Colleges and Smaller Institutions category for its whole-college approach to sustainability; Bedford College won the Courses category for its renewable energy technology training; and the Sustainable Construction category was won by Somerset College for its Genesis centre.
The Green Gown Awards are now in their fourth year and have become the benchmark of sustainability excellence in the Further and Higher Education sector. This year saw a remarkable FE rise in the number of applications; the variety of different categories entered; and the number of winners and highly commended entries.
The judges were impressed with the inclusive, values-led approach at Lancaster and Morecambe College. The long-term thinking of this winning entry was also commended.
Bedford College won the Courses category not just for the renewable technology training it offered to its own students, but also for its willingness to share best practice, both within the college, by embedding education for sustainable development across the curriculum, and nationally.
Somerset College’s Genesis project won the Sustainable Construction category for a building which meets the “best practice” standard for CO2 emissions, has fascinating architecture and many new construction techniques. The venue is also educational in itself; providing learning opportunities for both the education and construction sectors.
The Awards are organised – in collaboration with AUDE, BUFDG, EAUC, UUK and other sector associations - by the Higher Education Environmental Performance Improvement (HEEPI) project, whose Co-Director, Professor Peter James, commented that:
“Universities and colleges are under unprecedented pressure to demonstrate environmental and social responsibility. This is a key feature of a positive reputation amongst staff and students, and several schemes now compare performance. The sector must also respond to demanding new regulations such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment and Display Energy Certificates.”
The Awards were presented by James Strawbridge from BBC 2’s ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’ at the EAUC Annual Conference on April 1st at the University of Exeter.
John Wheatley College in Glasgow was highly commended in the Colleges and Smaller Institutions category for a new campus that made use of sustainable development features in the heart of the traditional East End of Glasgow. This was supported by the embedding of sustainable development topics in the College’s curricular provision.
Somerset College, as well as winning the Sustainable Construction category, was highly commended in the Courses category. The courses run by the Genesis Project provide education and training programmes aimed at enabling communities to think, work and live in a manner necessary to ensure that we “future proof” our planet.
More information on the Green Gown Awards is available on www.heepi.org.uk
Highly Commended: John Wheatley College
Highly Commended: University of Cumbria
Continuous Improvement
Winner (projects): Sheffield Hallam University
Winner (whole institution): University of Gloucestershire
Highly Commended (projects): University of Birmingham
Highly Commended: Somerset College of Arts and Technology
Highly Commended: University of Manchester
Highly Commended: University of Gloucestershire
Highly Commended: Swansea Metropolitan University
Highly Commended: University of Bedfordshire
Highly Commended: Ethical Investment Campaign, University of St Andrews
Highly Commended: University of Surrey
Lancaster and Morecambe College won the Colleges and Smaller Institutions category for its whole-college approach to sustainability; Bedford College won the Courses category for its renewable energy technology training; and the Sustainable Construction category was won by Somerset College for its Genesis centre.
The Green Gown Awards are now in their fourth year and have become the benchmark of sustainability excellence in the Further and Higher Education sector. This year saw a remarkable FE rise in the number of applications; the variety of different categories entered; and the number of winners and highly commended entries.
The judges were impressed with the inclusive, values-led approach at Lancaster and Morecambe College. The long-term thinking of this winning entry was also commended.
Bedford College won the Courses category not just for the renewable technology training it offered to its own students, but also for its willingness to share best practice, both within the college, by embedding education for sustainable development across the curriculum, and nationally.
Somerset College’s Genesis project won the Sustainable Construction category for a building which meets the “best practice” standard for CO2 emissions, has fascinating architecture and many new construction techniques. The venue is also educational in itself; providing learning opportunities for both the education and construction sectors.
The Awards are organised – in collaboration with AUDE, BUFDG, EAUC, UUK and other sector associations - by the Higher Education Environmental Performance Improvement (HEEPI) project, whose Co-Director, Professor Peter James, commented that:
“Universities and colleges are under unprecedented pressure to demonstrate environmental and social responsibility. This is a key feature of a positive reputation amongst staff and students, and several schemes now compare performance. The sector must also respond to demanding new regulations such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment and Display Energy Certificates.”
The Awards were presented by James Strawbridge from BBC 2’s ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’ at the EAUC Annual Conference on April 1st at the University of Exeter.
John Wheatley College in Glasgow was highly commended in the Colleges and Smaller Institutions category for a new campus that made use of sustainable development features in the heart of the traditional East End of Glasgow. This was supported by the embedding of sustainable development topics in the College’s curricular provision.
Somerset College, as well as winning the Sustainable Construction category, was highly commended in the Courses category. The courses run by the Genesis Project provide education and training programmes aimed at enabling communities to think, work and live in a manner necessary to ensure that we “future proof” our planet.
More information on the Green Gown Awards is available on www.heepi.org.uk
Full List of Winners & Highly Commended:
Colleges and Smaller Institutions
Winner: Lancaster and Morecambe CollegeHighly Commended: John Wheatley College
Highly Commended: University of Cumbria
Continuous Improvement
Winner (projects): Sheffield Hallam University
Winner (whole institution): University of Gloucestershire
Highly Commended (projects): University of Birmingham
Courses
Winner: Bedford CollegeHighly Commended: Somerset College of Arts and Technology
Highly Commended: University of Manchester
Highly Commended: University of Gloucestershire
Energy and Water Efficiency
Winner: University of DundeeHighly Commended: Swansea Metropolitan University
Residences
Winner: University of ManchesterSocial Responsibility
Winner: London College of Fashion, University of the ArtsHighly Commended: University of Bedfordshire
Student Initiatives
Winner: Sustainable Living Action Group, Durham UniversityHighly Commended: Ethical Investment Campaign, University of St Andrews
Sustainable Construction
Winner: Somerset College of Arts and TechnologyHighly Commended: University of Surrey
