Submitted by Grainne Kennedy on Mon, 2017-12-04 08:31
The University of Cambridge won not one, but two awards at the prestigious ‘Green Gown’ Awards, which celebrate sustainability successes across the sector, and were held on Wednesday 15th November.
Organised by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), the 2017 ceremony was hosted by the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and University of Salford. The 113 finalists at the event represented educational institutions, companies and organisations from across the UK and Ireland. The goal of the awards was to celebrate sustainability initiatives which address some of the most pressing global challenges.
This year marked the first time ever that the University of Cambridge has won a Green Gown Award, so to pick up two awards was a great success!
The first award was in recognition of its Sustainable Food Policy, launched in February 2017. The policy was developed through collaboration between the University’s Catering Service and its Environment & Energy section, drawing on academic expertise from a number of University departments too, using a ‘Living Lab’ approach to trial, test and assess the approach. It has led to a ground-breaking focus on ‘making the right choice easy’ – providing and promoting tasty food that is better for the environment. Pictured above with the award are David Nuttall of TUCO(sponsor), Paula White (University Catering Service), Emily Dunning (Environment and Energy), Nick White (University Catering Service), Peter Lumb (Environment and Energy) and Lemn Sissay (Chancellor of University of Manchester).
The policy included a conscious decision to remove ruminant meat from menus and to actively promote vegetarian and vegan options. The judges of the category fed back that they were impressed with the bold move, the way that research had influenced policy and the way that the policy had been enacted. Professor Ian Leslie, Senior Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor with special responsibility for Environmental Sustainability, said that “We are delighted to win this award which recognises the fantastic work that has gone into developing and implementing our Sustainable Food Policy. The University of Cambridge is committed to making a positive impact through outstanding environmental sustainability performance, and this is just one area where we are making great strides.”
The University also won in the ‘Sustainability Reporting’ category. The University launched a new Environmental Sustainability Vision, Policy and Strategy in 2015, so the first Annual Environmental Sustainability Report 2016 provided the first overview of progress against its ambitious aims and targets. The judges of the category commended the “strong report” for its transparent reporting against targets, the inclusion of reasons for both positive and negative performance, and fed back that the good forward-looking sustainability vision is clearly integrated into the University’s overall strategy. Professor Leslie said “we are delighted to win this Award. Being recognised for our Environmental Sustainability Report shows to our staff, students and others in the sector that we are keen to share our progress and our lessons learnt, on our journey towards outstanding environmental sustainability performance.”