Changes to the Sustainability Awards programme

The University's Sustainability Awards programme is changing in response to feedback from teams.

Earlier this year, we asked our Sustainability Awards teams what they wanted to change about the programme. Teams told us that they wanted the Awards to better suit their timetables, and that we could improve some aspects of the scheme.

Changes to the timetable

Because of this feedback, we are working to make a number of improvements to the Sustainability Awards - starting with the timetable. From now on, student and staff-focused Awards will happen at slightly different times, but will still be celebrated together at a single ceremony every April.

• For offices and labs, the next round of awards will start in January 2016. Audits will take place in November 2016.
• For student residences and student societies, the next round of Awards will start in September 2015, as before. Audits will take place in March 2016.
• A ceremony to recognise Student Societies, Student Residences and Special Awards recipients will take place in April 2016. The next full ceremony that includes staff-focused Awards will take place in April 2017.

Changes to the Office Toolkit

The Office Toolkit will be updated to ensure the criteria are relevant and impactful. We're still finalising the details so not everything is confirmed yet. Lots of things will stay the same - there will still be Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, for example - but other things will be streamlined or replaced.

Existing teams will get a chance to learn more about the new criteria and give feedback on what we're proposing in Autumn 2015.

What can I do this year?

If you're part of a team that normally enters the Office or Lab Awards, you can still get recognition in the Special Awards. The Special Awards will be launched in early October 2015.

More information about the Sustainability Awards