2020-21 Sustainability Awards recipients
The Sustainability Awards offer an opportunity for staff and students to make a difference and contribute towards the University becoming more socially responsible and sustainable.
- Video: Sustainability Awards Celebration 2021 recording
- Sustainability Awards Celebration 2021
The Awards Celebration
It’s no surprise that the Annual Sustainability Awards Celebration looked a little different this year. The online event incorporated a range of elements such as music, poetry, videos and live contributions that provided an opportunity to share and celebrate experiences of implementing sustainability initiatives.
The celebration highlighted some of the amazing work students and staff have undertaken in the past year. We heard from The Principal, Professor Peter Mathieson as well as getting an insider look into the local and global work of several student-led social enterprises.
We had an excellent line-up of entertainment including music from the A Cappella society and a live poetry reading from the co-editor and writer of Eudaemonia Records and current MSc Literature and Modernity student, Katrine Hjulstad.
The event had a fantastic panel of University of Edinburgh student and staff members who delivered presentations to uplift and inspire, including the Students' Association Vice President Community Amanda Scully and the Director of Social Responsibly & Sustainability, Dave Gorman.
Award winners were announced at various points throughout the celebration. View the full recording of the celebration by playing the video above.
Changemaker Awards
The SRS Changemaker Award recognises individual staff and students who have brought noticeable positive change to the University and its community either by undertaking a successful socially responsible or sustainable project or by inspiring others to act in a more socially responsible and sustainable way.
Submissions that demonstrated a measurable positive impact, that have shared or communicated their actions to others and that align with the University's Social and Civic Responsibility Plan and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were more likely be successful.
Social and Civic Responsibility Plan
United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals [external link]
Winners
Exceptional support given to the Staff Pride Network (Katie Nicoll Baines and Rob Court).
Exceptional support given to the Staff Pride Network and Disabled Staff Network (Siobhan Carroll).
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
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SDG 5: Gender Equality
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SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
ConveRACEions, a student project to discuss and dismantle barriers to racial equality as well as ways of moving forward.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 4: Quality Education
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SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Founding VetSustain, a network dedicated to supporting veterinary professionals and vet-led teams to be a leading force for sustainability.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
The Linda Initiative, a student-led Kenyan-based initiative that provides sexual and reproductive health information to young people.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
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SDG 4: Quality Education
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SDG 5: Gender Equality
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SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Working collaboratively to ensure the University achieved a Silver accreditation in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 15: Life on Land
Educating students and influencing policy to reduce meat consumption on campus and promote the benefits of plant-based foods.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
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SDG 12: Responsible consumption and Production
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SDG 15: Life on Land
Co-ordinating volunteers to help local charities Cyrenians and FairShare provide emergency food deliveries during the Covid-19 crisis.
Read more on the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security website.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 1: No Poverty
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SDG 2: Zero Hunger
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SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
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SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Successfully delivering multiple projects in the Edinburgh branch of this impressive think-tank started by Oxford students to provide governments, corporates and NGOs with innovative, sustainable solutions.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
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SDG 13: Climate Action
Science communication in media during the Covid-19 crisis.
Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
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SDG 4: Quality Education
Headshot photography by Alan Inglis
Highly commended
- Ruthanne Baxter and Laura Beattie: Enriching local lives with the University's collections (SDG 4: Quality Education)
- Berta Beloviczky: Establishing a tree planting initiative at the Easter Bush campus (SDG 13: Climate Action, SDG 15: Life on Land)
- Conscious Change: Sustainable lifestyle workshops, blog posts and social media campaigns (SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action)
- Annie Lovett: Working with the local community (SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities)
- Odara Medagedar, with the help of the rest of the Edinburgh University Plant Society Committee: Edinburgh University Plant Society: encouraging students to grow their own food (SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production)
- Pawel Orzechowski: Supporting Community Grant applicants and demonstrating leadership through volunteering (SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities)
- Max Phillips: Science communication work at the Applied Negative Emissions Centre (ANEC) (SDG 13: Climate Action)
- ChenChen Zha: Creating an Online Sustainable Development Hub to support clean water provision and access in Zimbabwe (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation)
Working from Home Award recipients
The Working from Home Awards are designed to support the sustainability journey of staff and students, wherever they are working.
Participants completed at least 10 actions in areas where they could make the biggest social responsibility and sustainability impact while working remotely. Actions covered a range of topics, including Communications & Engagement, Resource Efficiency, Travel, Energy, Purchasing, Health & Wellbeing, with 27 to choose from. Each action also contributes to at least one Sustainable Development Goal.
- Alice Cheng
- Anna Galchenko
- Alasdair Gillon
- Kat Zabecka
- Kelly Douglas
- Julie Gordon
- Laura Higham
- Kirsty Hughes
- Florance Kennedy
- Lisa Ketchion
- Donna Lumsden
- Carolyne Ross
- Julie Wallace
- Louise Bishop
- Hannah Lemon
- Inga Ackermann
- Ada Blair
- Claire Friend
- Nicola Helliwell
- Euan McCulloch
- Carol Powers
- Victoria Rowntree
- Jess Barrows
- Leah Davidson
- Stew Fowlie
- Sarah Gandon
- Totty Horn
- Ian Lowe
- Eilidh Paterson
- Chris Purdie
- Neil Rankin
- Megan Richardson
- Gavin Rittoo
Student Residence Awards
The Student Residence Awards allow students to work with their neighbours and Resident Assistant to transform their residence into a shining example of social responsibility and sustainability.
Murano House achieved a Bronze Award for the Student Residence category.
Office and Lab Awards - still accredited
We extended the validity for all Office and Lab Awards teams this year due to exceptional circumstances. Everyone listed in the pages below who achieved their awards in 2018/19 and 2019/20 continues to be accredited.
Office Award recipients still accredited Lab Award recipients still accredited
Find out more about the Sustainability Awards
