2021-22 Sustainability Awards recipients
The Sustainability Awards celebrate staff and students who actively contribute to the University becoming more socially responsible and sustainable.
The winners were announced online on Friday 8 April 2022. Congratulations to all of the recipients!
39 individuals and teams received an award this year, and an additional 21 staff and student teams took part.
Why not listen to the A Cappella Society's brilliant musical performance as you read about the success of staff and student recipients?
Join the celebration on social media by using the hashtag #SustAwards
- Share your celebration on social media, whether you are a recipient, or are supporting a team or Changemaker in your school or department. Tag us on Twitter (@EdSust), Facebook (EdinburghSustainability), Instagram (@UoE_Sustainability) and LinkedIn. Share your best GIFs, photos, selfies, videos, and emojis!
- Twitter thread
- Find out how to show off your award on your LinkedIn profile
Changemakers' Awards
28 Changemaker Awards have been awarded.
The SRS Changemakers’ Award recognises current students and staff who have made a noticeable positive impact by:
- undertaking an impactful socially responsible or sustainable project;
- or by inspiring others to act in a more socially responsible or sustainable way.
| Dr Glen Cousquer | Demonstrating exceptional leadership by engaging Easter Bush staff and students in a wide variety of sustainability projects that have improved campus biodiversity, increased student experience opportunities and benefitted the community’s mental health. |
|---|---|
| Joey Brooke | Demonstrating exceptional leadership by successfully influencing medical educators to teach sustainable healthcare in the curriculum. |
| Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) Store | Supporting ECA students and staff to access reusable, recyclable and sustainable materials to use in their projects, courses and workshops. |
| Anna Kovacs |
Demonstrating exceptional leadership & entrepreneurship while a visiting scholar at the University:
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|---|---|
| Robert (Bobby) Pembleton | Demonstrating exceptional leadership, creativity and impact by embedding sustainability and social impact into the University’s enterprise development services. |
| Dr Inge Panneels | Demonstrating exceptional leadership, creativity and impact by developing diverse partnerships and projects that inspired individuals in the creative industries to embrace sustainable innovation during COP26. |
| Food Security and Sustainability Society | Demonstrating exceptional leadership in promoting a planetary health diet via meal-plan challenges, community partnerships and seminars that reached a wide audience. |
|---|---|
| Alexiane Charron | Demonstrating exceptional leadership & impact as Sustainability Officer in the Edinburgh University Hillwalking Club. |
| Ocean Advocates committee members & office bearers within the Marine Conservation Society | Demonstrating leadership, creativity & inclusion by providing a wide range of activities that improved ocean health and increased audience awareness. |
| Odara Medagedara | Demonstrating leadership by providing students with the materials, knowledge and confidence to care for plants and grow their own food via the Concrete 2 Jungle project. |
| Elia Simonet | Demonstrating leadership by assisting start-ups to operate in a more socially responsible and sustainable way and inspire their customers to do the same. |
| Supply Chain Justice | Demonstrating leadership by educating students on human rights violations in global supply chains and supporting students to make more ethical consumption choices. |
| The University of Edinburgh on Ecosia group | Successfully influencing the University to make Ecosia the default search engine on all open access computers from September 2021. |
| Estates Operations (Lyndsey Akkus, Tommy Angus, Steve Downes and colleagues, Landscaping Team) and ACE (Sandra Kinnear & team) | Delivering on Commitment 8 of the University's Community Plan to "actively look for ways in which we can place more of our resources (buildings, equipment, vehicles) at the service of local communities and groups, whilst still using them to deliver on their core purpose". |
|---|---|
| Tanja Holc | Demonstrating exceptional commitment in making Edinburgh’s campuses a haven for hedgehogs. |
| Sean Brady | Demonstrating exceptional commitment in making Edinburgh’s campuses a haven for hedgehogs. |
| Gary Chen |
Demonstrating exceptional commitment in making Edinburgh’s campuses a haven for hedgehogs. |
| ChenChen Zha | Demonstrating leadership and peer influence by running a successful educational project focused on water purification in Harare, Zimbabwe. |
|---|
| Danielle Marlow | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Staff Pride Network’s Deputy Co-Chair |
|---|---|
| Zahra Massoud | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the BAME Rep and Book Group Organiser for the Staff Pride Network |
| Rowan Rush-Morgan | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Research Officer for the Staff Pride Network |
| Cathy Naughton | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Bi+ Rep and Co-Comms & Media Officer for the Staff Pride Network |
| Rob Court | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Co-Comms & Media Officer for the Staff Pride Network |
| Sarah Barnard | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Social & Events Officer for the Staff Pride Network |
| Katie Nicoll Baines | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Co-Chair of the Staff Pride Network |
| David Creighton-Offord | Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Co-Chair of Edinburgh's Race Equality Network |
|
Jonathan MacBride |
Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Co-Chair of the Staff Pride Network |
|
Rashné Limki |
Demonstrating exceptional leadership as the Co-Chair of Edinburgh's Race Equality Network |
Student Awards
28 student groups have participated in total, with 10 receiving gold or silver awards, and 18 taking part.
The Student Residence Awards provide a framework of actions to support students engage with their neighbours and students in University accommodation, raising awareness of the climate crisis and the Sustainable Development Goals, while encouraging sustainable changes to everyday practices.
Student Residence Awards
| Beaverbank | Gold |
|---|---|
| Deaconess & New Arthur Place | Silver |
| Murano House | Silver |
| Salisbury Court | Silver |
| Chancellors Court Arthurs Seat | Participant |
| Ascham Court | Participant |
| Brae House | Participant |
| Mylnes Court | Participant |
Students who took part in the Clubs and Societies Sustainability Awards chose from 30 actions to make positive social change. These included light-touch actions like using active travel or using reusable water bottles down to more hands-on actions such as applying for project funding or taking part in a campaign.
Sports clubs or student societies could work towards a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.
Clubs & Societies Sustainability Awards
| Sustainable Development Association | Gold |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh Univesity Hillwalking Club | Gold |
| Edinburgh University Women's Lacrosse Club | Silver |
| Edinburgh University Gymnastics Club | Silver |
| Sanitree - Enactus | Silver |
| Ocean Advocates | Silver |
| Edinburgh University Touch Rugby Club | Participant |
| Edinburgh University Netball Club | Participant |
| Gliding Club | Participant |
| Edinburgh University Parkour Club | Participant |
| Karate Club | Participant |
| Edinburgh University Snowsports Club | Participant |
| Food Security and Sustainability Society | Participant |
| The Hearty Squirrel Food Co-operative | Participant |
| Edinburgh University Women's Hockey Club | Participant |
| University of Edinburgh Windsurf and Surf Club | Participant |
| Edinburgh University Trampoline Club | Participant |
| Engineers RFC | Participant |
| Economics FC | Participant |
| A Capella Society | Participant |
Staff Awards
One team, Easter Bush Campus, achieved their award, with two continuing to work on their awards.
This is the last year of the Office Sustainability Awards.
Office Awards replaced by new Sustainability Framework
| Easter Bush Campus | Gold (by refreshing Silver) | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility (WTCRF) | Working towards gold | Office |
| Student Systems and Administration | Working towards silver | Office |
| Centre for Dementia Prevention | Gold (Project) |
|---|---|
| Centre for Open Learning | Gold (Project) |
| Centre for Regenerative Medicine | Gold (Project) |
| Institute for Academic Development | Gold (Project) |
| Printing Services | Gold (Project) |
| Scottish Student Sport | Gold (Project) |
| Edinburgh Global & Student Recruitment and Admissions | Gold (by refreshing Silver) |
| Sport & Exercise | Gold (by refreshing Silver) |
| Development and Alumni | Silver |
| Edinburgh Innovations | Silver |
| Estates Department, 9 - 13 Infirmary Street | Silver |
| Residence Life | Silver |
| Sports Union | Silver |
| Visitor Centre | Silver |
| Bioresearch & Veterinary Services | Bronze |
| School of Health in Social Science | Bronze |
| USG Business Unit | Bronze |
One lab team is working on their award.
The Lab Awards are designed for lab-based staff. The Lab Award Toolkit can be applied at any scale, from a single lab up to an entire building or research centre. It is up to each team to decide how large of an area to enter in the Lab Awards, and teams can enter at Bronze, Silver or Gold level.
| Roslin Institute Laboratories | Working towards gold | Lab |
|---|
| SRUC Biomarkers Lab | Gold |
|---|---|
| The Horsfall Lab | Gold |
| Chemical Engineering Teaching Lab | Silver |
| QMRI Flow Cytometry | Silver |
| Regan and Wallace Group | Silver |
| JP Lab | Bronze |
| Bioresearch & Veterinary Services | Bronze |
| Hardwick and Welburn Labs | Bronze |
| SCRM Core Facility Labs | Bronze |