This award is for a project, initiative or organisation which has promoted staff-student partnership in the learning experience relating to environmental sustainability in the past two years
.
Winner:
A Better Tomorrow Competition ~ City of Glasgow College Students’ Association
The students’ association’s “A Better Tomorrow” campaign emerged from research showing students at the college wanted their curriculum to include environmental and sustainability topics. In the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021,
CitySA drew on students’ views about climate change in the form of a competition to find ideas about challenges and solutions in environmental sustainability. 229 students took part from across the college, sharing their skills and learning with each other and resulting in an exhibition of ideas and a number of sustainability initiatives in the college including a reduction in single-use plastic.
Judges praised the “lovely” and “useful” campaign, at a time when sustainability is more important than ever to learning experiences.
.
Runner-up:
Foundation Apprentices Business Skills Food Waste Workshop ~ UHI Inverness
An excellent, practical, pilot project to embed Sustainable Development (SD) into the second year Business Skills Foundation Apprentices (FAs) curriculum. Following an introduction to the 17 SD goals outlined by the United Nations, the class discussed some of the SD goals and organised this project as part of UHI/HISA Green Week in February 2023. A welcome initiative given the cost-of-living crisis, the food waste workshop provided real practical advice around shopping on a budget, meal planning, food storage, and making the most of leftovers. The FAs worked in partnership with a professional cookery lecturer, with the success of the food waste workshop continuing long after Green Week, being rolled out again to care experienced students on the LEEP ahead programme, employers and college staff, as well as the board of Highland Hospice.
Further opportunities have included invites to talk about the FA SD project at a Green Team Champion Network meeting and LTA Connect. The food waste project has shown that SD can be successfully embedded into the curriculum and has opened up discussions about future employer-led SD projects or work placements.
.
Shortlisted:
Innovative approach to sustainability ~ Glasgow Kelvin College & Glasgow Kelvin College Students’ Association
Glasgow Kelvin College was delighted to be recognised as one of the top performers in this year's Planet Earth Games – Colleges competition. The competition brought together almost 40 UK colleges to organise events and the College finished first in Scotland, and fifth in the overall UK rankings. The activities which were delivered aligned against key themes aimed at promoting sustainable behaviours among students and staff, such as how to be active without using any electricity; promoting cycling to and between campuses; a month-long healthy food competition including sustainable food stalls; waste-reduction events including clothing swaps and creating art pieces form recyclable waste from a litter pick; and a highly successful tree planting event with over 70 students and staff planting almost 200 trees donated by the Woodland Trust.
Participation in the project has demonstrated the College’s commitment to promoting sustainable behaviours among staff and students, creating opportunities to learn about and share the challenges posed by climate change and reflect on how the whole college community can take the success of these initiatives and implement them all year round.
