2009 Green Gown Award Winners Announced

UK’s most sustainable universities & colleges recognised

The winners of the annual Green Gown Awards, established to find the UK’s most sustainable institutions, were announced at a gala banquet held at Imperial College London on Tuesday 23rd June 2009, in the presence of VIP guests including Spring Watch Presenter and wildlife broadcaster Kate Humble and Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property David Lammy MP.

The winning entries were drawn from 178 applications, representing nearly 100 colleges and universities from across the UK. Each had to undergo a rigorous assessment process involving 30 expert judges from a range of relevant institutions including the Carbon Trust, the Learning and Skills Council and Universities UK.

In their fifth year, the awards recognise exceptional initiatives being taken by higher and further education institutions in order to become more sustainable. The scheme has a variety of categories in which universities and colleges can illustrate their achievements, in both academia and estates management.

The winning entries encompassed a wide range of innovative and diverse enterprises. The University of Leeds won the Continuous Improvement – specific area category with a groundbreaking travel plan offering environmental, business and health benefits to the community. Queen Margaret University’s winning entry in the Green ICT category demonstrated how an integrated approach to buildings and ICT can result in efficiency gains and an improved learning environment. While Lancaster University’s Eco-residences showcased the very best in new build student housing.

The winner of the BIS Award for outstanding contribution to sustainability in an English college or university, sponsored by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and presented by David Lammy MP, was Warwickshire College.

Commenting on the 2009 Green Gown Awards, Iain Patton, Executive Director of the EAUC, the administrator of the scheme said, “We have been overwhelmed both by the volume (over a third of the HE and FE sector took part) and quality of applications in the 2009 Green Gown Awards. I believe this demonstrates the high regard in which the scheme is held and its important role as a champion for sustainability.

“Undoubtedly the sector is recognising the importance of embedding sustainability initiatives into broader strategic plans and we have seen many fantastic examples of how this can be done.

“We hope that the awards will provide inspiration and shared learning for the sector and will encourage all institutions to continue along the road to greater sustainability and improved environmental management.”

The Green Gown Awards were founded by HEEPI and are now administrated by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC). The 2009 awards are sponsored by: - The Carbon Trust, College and University Business Officers (CUBO), the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Salix Finance.

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