Categories

Carbon Reduction

This category recognises initiatives which have achieved significant reductions in the carbon footprint of a university, college or other LSC-funded provider. Although carbon reductions in all areas will be taken into account, the category’s ‘centre of gravity’ is with energy efficiency, and applications will be expected to show good progress in this area. (NB a stand alone energy efficiency innovation producing significant carbon benefits could therefore be eligible for this category). There is no presumption that institutions will have participated in the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management programme, or other such activities, although activities connected with this are certainly eligible. Applications are only likely to be successful if they provide considerable quantitative evidence on the nature of the improvements made, and demonstrate a causal relationship between activities undertaken and improvements achieved. Applications must also demonstrate real improvement, rather than precursor activities such as foot printing or setting of targets. Please note, if your project is a long standing initiative, for longer than 5 years, it may be more appropriate under the continuous improvement category. 
 

 Sponsored by The Carbon Trust and Salix Finance

Colleges & Smaller Institutions

This category recognises the difficulties which FE and smaller HE institutions have, relative to larger universities, in taking action in many areas. It encompasses any environment-related initiatives which contribute to sustainable development. It is open to all institutions funded by the Learning and Skills Council and/or affiliated with Guild HE. (Note – other categories are also open to FE and HE Colleges and may be a better choice for specific initiatives, such as a green building).

Sponsored by The Learning Skills Council (LSC)

Continuous Improvement – Institutional Change

This category recognises sustained and successful activities to improve the performance of whole further and higher education institutions, campuses, faculties and buildings over a number of years. Projects are only likely to be successful if they provide considerable quantitative evidence on the nature of the improvements made, and also demonstrate a causal relationship between activities undertaken and improvements achieved. Initiatives must have been running for at least five years.
 

Sponsored by The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and The Scottish Funding Council (SFC)

Continuous Improvement - Specific Area

This encompasses initiatives which have been sustained over a period of years, supported by long-term investment and/or which span a number of areas. One intention is to provide recognition for ‘coalface’ initiatives which may not be high profile, nor deliver great benefits in a single year, but which keep on creating benefits. Projects are only likely to be successful if they provide considerable quantitative evidence on the nature of the improvements made, and also demonstrate a causal relationship between activities undertaken and improvements achieved. Initiatives must have been running for at least five years.

Sponsored by The Green Gown Awards

Courses

This category recognises innovative actions with regard to sustainability in academic (e.g. undergraduate or postgraduate) and higher level vocational courses in FE and HE institutions. Examples of possible application topics include the development of new courses focused on some or all sustainable development issues; adaptation of existing courses; use of practical sustainability-related projects or other practical activities within courses; and work-based learning initiatives.
 

Sponsored by The Higher Education Academy (HEA)
 
 

Green ICT

This category recognises the growing environmental importance of ICT within the sector, and more generally. It encompasses actions within universities, colleges and other LSC-funded providers of learning to minimise the energy consumption, carbon emissions, waste generation and other environmental impacts associated with ICT use. The development of hardware and/or software which creates environmental benefits is also included where universities and colleges have played a key role in its development.

Sponsored by The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and The Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA)

Research and Development

This category recognises a variety of research based and knowledge transfer activities within universities and colleges which have had tangible effects on practice with regard to sustainability. Possible activities include; research leading to better understanding and/or mitigation of environment impacts, research and development leading to the introduction of new products and research and development with regard to social sustainability issues (e.g. community development; achieving social inclusion; assisting very disadvantaged people). Eligible entries can include both large scale projects with major impacts as well as small scale projects that provide tangible impacts in focused areas, or amongst specific target audiences. The effects of the research can be in any country. As this category is only in its second year, covering a wide range of activities, it will not be easy to judge. Hence, the judges will be looking for applications which can demonstrate a clear cause and effect relationship between the research and positive outcomes.

Sponsored by the Green Gown Awards
 

Skills

This category recognises achievement in the development of skills relevant to sustainability. To provide a clear differentiation, the main focus of this category is activities which are not central to the pursuit of academic qualifications (which should normally be entered into the courses category). Examples include apprenticeships; continuing professional development (CPD) activities; skill-focused courses leading to professional or vocational qualifications; and short courses for practitioners. However, applications can be made for activities connected with undergraduate or other academic courses if there is a practical focus on the development of specific skills which goes beyond the normal activities of the disciplinary curriculum, e.g. running community-based projects which give students considerable autonomy and develop their communication, management abilities etc. Possible applicants for this category include HE institutions, FE colleges, adult and community and work-based learning providers.

Sponsored by the Learning Skills Council (LSC)

Social Responsibility

This category recognises initiatives by FE or HE institutions which create significant benefits for local communities, disadvantaged groups, and society as a whole in either the UK or developing countries. As well as specific initiatives, this category includes institutions taking a leading and visionary role in multi-partner activities such as community development or urban regeneration. Although all applications will be considered on their merits, the judges will be looking for ‘social responsibility’ type initiatives which have an element of proactive community and social concern, rather than ‘business as usual’ activities which create immediate financial benefit for the institution such as putting on new courses for particular groups. (Note – activities which have a substantial student element should be submitted to the Student Initiatives and Campaigns category).

Sponsored by the Green Gown Awards

Student Initiatives and Campaigns

This category recognises initiatives which have been developed and/or substantially influenced by students. Examples include awareness campaigns, procurement actions, volunteering activities organised by unions, societies and similar organisations within FE and HE institutions, the general sustainability activities of students’ unions, and specific initiatives or campaigns by national student bodies. Activities aimed at changing student awareness and behaviour by universities and colleges themselves are also eligible, provided that there is evidence of substantial student involvement. (Please ensure you strongly highlight sufficient evidence of student involvement or student led activities as this will be scored more favourably by the judges).
 

Sponsored by Sodexo

 
Sustainable Construction & Refurbishment

This category recognises new or refurbished buildings, campuses or student residences in further or higher education which have good energy and environmental performance. As such buildings sometimes fail to perform to their design specifications, quantitative evidence of actual performance in practice, and ideally of a post occupancy evaluation to identify problems and means of improving them, will be given special weight in judging. Applications featuring refurbished buildings are especially welcomed, and the difficulties of achieving similar levels of performance to new build will be taken into account in the judging process. (Please note that judges will look especially favourably at entries which go beyond regulations or planning conditions which would have to be met anyway).

Sponsored by The Association of College & University Business Officers (CUBO)

Sustainable Procurement

This category recognises actions to take greater account of environmental and/or social responsibility issues within procurement of buildings, goods and services. It encompasses actions taken by departmental, school and other devolved purchasers, as well as central procurement functions; procurement techniques and processes (e.g. rigorous use of whole life costing, development and use of screening mechanisms) as well as actual purchasing decisions; and imaginative attempts to fund higher initial costs for a stream of lifetime benefits (e.g. through internal budgets to provide top up funding for energy efficiency). Robust evidence should be presented that the actions have ‘made a difference’ in a way which would have been unlikely within pre existing procurement procedures. This means that applications which are largely based on the achievement of lower initial purchase costs as well as sustainability benefits will have difficulty in achieving recognition, as ‘normal’ procurement would usually identify this anyway.

Sponsored by The Green Gown Awards