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Green Impact
Recognising and rewarding staff for their sustainable practices, regardless of the workplace setting.
Green Impact is a sustainability accreditation programme that recognises and rewards environmental practices among staff and students in colleges and departments. Teams work through a workbook to complete sustainability actions and earn points. There are bronze, silver, and gold levels.
What is Green Impact?
Green Impact is a sustainability awards programme with an awards element designed for teams and departments. The model has been developed by SOS-UK and has been used by more than 1,500 organisations across the world. Green Impact is all about building a community of staff and students learning about sustainability and working together to create positive change.
Since Green Impact launched at the University of York in 2011, more than 11,000 actions have been completed by teams, more than 500 students have volunteered, and more than 300 awards have been presented.
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Green Impact achievements this year
1,556 actions completed
as part of the programme
24% increase in vegetation
with ISA's project on Heslington East Solar Farm
289 actions directly linking to the UN SDGs
30 teams submitting
reaching 2,833 members of staff and students
37 awards presented
at the annual awards ceremony
70 students trained as Auditors/Project Assistants
widening their university experience
Key information
Use the dropdowns below to find out more about Green Impact, what it involves, who can take part, and the process to achieve an award.
The programme consists of a list of suggested sustainability actions that can be completed to make direct impacts. It operates through an interactive online workbook, providing staff and students with a framework to complete actions and implement positive changes. There are credits applicable to different University workplaces including labs, offices, colleges, or home working, giving teams flexibility to choose and complete actions suited to their specific working environment.
Each activity is clear and simple to implement, with additional guidance provided, and is scored depending on the amount of impact that exercise has on making your work more sustainable. At the end of the year, these points are tallied up and will result in your team receiving a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum award following an audit of evidence by volunteer student auditors.
Both staff and students at the University can get involved in Green Impact.
If you're a staff member or postgraduate you can take part by joining your departmental team, or by creating a new team.
If you're a student, you can volunteer to be a Green Impact Project Assistant or Green Impact Auditor.
- Express your interest in joining by emailing greenimpact@york.ac.uk, stating your department and localised work team.
- Register with an existing team or create a new one by registering on the University’s Green Impact Online Toolkit.
- Work through the interactive online workbook to make positive changes within your department or office.
- Gather evidence of your positive actions, earn points, and work your way up the levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum).
- Your team has until early April to complete as many actions as you can, and submit your toolkit for your Green Impact award. You can also request a student Green Impact Project Assistant to help you achieve them.
- Student volunteer auditors will then check that the workbooks have been completed.
- All awards are presented annually in June, accompanied by a celebratory lunch.
- There are also special awards for efforts above and beyond the workbook. You can also choose to do a project based award, which focuses on one action and its spread through the University and the community.
Access the workbook on the Green Impact Online Toolkit, which contains all essential information about completing the criteria, including links to relevant resources and key contacts.
You can also join the Green Impact Slack Channel (#green-impact) for tips and support from other teams across the University.
For other questions and queries, you can email greenimpact@york.ac.uk.
Green Impact is an annual cyclical programme. Take a look at the key dates:
- The toolkit is reviewed every summer and launches in September 2024
- Deadline for staff to apply for a Student Project Assistant: October 2024
- Deadline for students to apply to become a Student Project Assistant: October 2024
- Staff and students are notified of their pairing by end of October 2024
- First meetings between staff and students to be arranged between them within Semester 1, 2024
- Green Impact submission deadline: 4 April 2025
- Green Impact Audits: throughout May 2025
- Annual Awards Ceremony: June 2025 (exact date to be determined)
Getting started
Find out how you can get involved as a staff member or student.
For undergraduate students
Undergraduate students have the opportunity to get involved with Green Impact by volunteering either as a Green Impact Project Assistant or a Green Impact Auditor. Register your interest by emailing greenimpact@york.ac.uk
Bespoke projects
Instead of completing the workbook, your team can choose to undertake a unique sustainability project. Depending on its scope and impact, the project could earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum award. Here are some examples of projects that have been completed in 2024:
- Department of Computer Science: Biodiverse Space for All
- Department of Computer Science: Energy & Utilities Data Presentation Project
- GCCE Sustainability Team: Green Labs Solutions Symposium
- GCCE Sustainability Team: The Green Chemistry Podcast
- Green OPPAtunities: Sustainability Action Days
- CHE: Investigating options for environmental offsetting
- International Pathway College: Sustainable Herb Farming in Eco Pods at Campus East
- Institute for Safe Autonomy: Offsetting the biodiversity loss of the new ISA Solar Farm
- Natural Sciences Society: Belongings swap
- Norwegian Study Centre: Visual Narratives in English for Eco-Activism
- Norwegian Study Centre: Linguistic Landscaping for Sustainability
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Teams and awards
Use the dropdowns below to find the teams who have won Green Impacts awards.
Team name | Award level |
---|---|
Biology M2 Lab | Platinum |
Biology Teaching Lab Technicians | Platinum |
Department of Computer Science | Platinum |
Eco Owls | Platinum |
Environment & Geography Labs | Platinum |
GCCE Sustainability Team | Platinum |
Green Careers | Platinum |
Green Goodricke | Platinum |
Green OPPAtunities | Platinum |
Green Vanbrugh | Platinum |
Halifax College | Platinum |
Institute for Safe Autonomy | Platinum |
International Pathway College | Platinum |
Lichman Lab (CNAP) | Platinum |
The Norwegian Study Centre | Platinum |
GCCE Sustainability Team (project x2) | Platinum |
Green OPPAtunities | Platinum |
International Pathway College | Platinum |
The Norwegian Study Centre (project x2) | Platinum |
Anne Lister College | Gold |
Biology Infrastructure Team | Gold |
Faculty Support Office | Gold |
Wentworth College | Gold |
Department of Computer Science (Project x2) | Gold |
Geography and Environment Students Managing Sustainability (project) | Gold |
Institute for Safe Autonomy (project) | Gold |
DoHS Green Impact | Silver |
Centre for Health Economics (project) | Silver |
Natural Sciences Green Team (project) | Silver |
DTEF Providence House | Bronze |
Green Constantine | Bronze |
James College Going Green | Bronze |
The Stables Green Impact Team | Bronze |
YCL Catering & Hospitality | Bronze |
Legally Green | Participation award |
York Plasma Institute | Participation award |
Team name | Award level |
---|---|
Department of Health Sciences | Bronze |
The Green Stables at Home | Bronze |
Halifax College | Silver |
Centre for Health Economics | Silver |
Natural Sciences Green Team | Silver |
Department of Computer Science | Gold |
EOD Eco Owls | Gold |
Norwegian Study Centre | Gold |
Green Vanbrugh | Gold |
Biology Teaching Lab Technicians | Platinum |
Department of Environment and Geography | Platinum |
Green Careers | Platinum |
Green Chemistry (x2) | Platinum |
Green Goodricke | Platinum |
Green OPPAtunities (Toolkit) | Platinum |
Imaging & Cytometry Lab, Bioscience Facility | Platinum |
Institute for Safe Autonomy | Platinum |
International Pathway College | Platinum |
M2 lab | Platinum |
WACL Waste Warriors | Platinum |
Department of Biology - UniGreen Team | Platinum |
Turning Pages | Platinum |
Green Chemistry | Platinum |
Green OPPAtunities (Project) | Platinum |
Team name | Award level |
---|---|
Department of Archaeology | Platinum |
Biology DMT Hub | Platinum |
BTL Technicians | Labs Platinum |
Communications | Bronze |
Constantine College | Colleges Silver |
Department of Environment and Geography | Labs Gold |
Green Careers | Platinum |
Green Chemistry | Labs Platinum |
Green Goodricke | Colleges Bronze |
Green OPPAtunities | Platinum |
Halifax College | Colleges Gold |
Department of Health Sciences | Bronze Project |
Imaging and Cytometry Lab, Bioscience Facility | Labs Gold |
Institute for Safe Autonomy | Silver |
International Pathway College | Platinum |
L1 | Labs Bronze |
Langwith College | Colleges Bronze |
M2 Lab | Labs Platinum |
Natural Sciences Green Team | Gold |
Natural Sciences Green Team | Silver Project |
The Green Stables at Home | Bronze |
WACL Waste Warriors | Labs Silver |
WACL Waste Warriors | Gold |
Wentworth Graduate College | Colleges Bronze |
Team name | Award level |
---|---|
BTL Technicians | Gold Lab |
Biology DMT Hub Team |
Platinum |
Biology Environmental Performance Group | Gold Project |
Biology H&Q Block Labs | Gold / Gold L |
Computer Science | Platinum |
Constantine College | Bronze/Silver Project |
DFST (Dalham) | Bronze |
Department of Environment and Geography | Gold Lab/Gold Project |
Genever Lab | Labs Platinum |
Green Careers | Platinum |
Green Chemistry | Platinum/Labs Platinum |
Green OPPAtunities | Gold |
Imaging & Cytometry Lab, Bioscience Facility | WT Bronze Lab |
International Pathway College | Platinum |
L1 | Bronze Lab |
Langwith College | Bronze/Silver Project |
Lichman Group (CNAP) | Silver Lab |
Marketing and Communications | Platinum |
McQueen-Mason Lab | Lab Platinum |
Natural Sciences Green Team | Gold |
The Green Stables at Home | Gold |
YCL Catering and hospitality | Platinum |
York Plasma Institute | Silver |
York Science Park | Gold |
UYSEG Green Team | Silver |
Team name | Award level |
---|---|
Biology DMT Hub Team | Gold |
Biology H&Q Block Labs |
Labs - Gold |
Biology Project | Gold Project |
BTL Technicians | Labs - Gold |
Computer Science Green Impact team / #00FF00 | Gold |
Constantine College | TBC |
Denby Lab (CNAP) | Gold Project |
Department of Education | Bronze |
Environment Building | Most Improved Team Labs - Silver Gold Project |
Green Careers | Gold |
Green Chemistry | Labs - Gold |
Green OPPAtunities | Silver |
Information Services - Library and Archives | Silver |
Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre | Bronze |
International Pathway College | Silver |
L1 | Labs - Bronze |
Langwith College | Colleges - Bronze |
Lichman Group (CNAP) | Labs - Bronze |
Marketing and Communications | Gold |
McQueen-Mason Lab (CNAP) | Labs - Gold |
Natural Sciences Green Team | Silver Student Award |
Providence Planet Pioneers! | Bronze |
Sociology | Gold |
The Stables | Silver |
UYSEG Green Team | Silver |
YCL Catering and Hospitality | Catering - Gold |
York Plasma Institute | Bronze |
York Science Park | Silver |
Team | Award level |
---|---|
Alcuin EnvironmentAL | Colleges Bronze |
Bancroft Lab (CNAP) | Labs Gold |
Biology DMT Hub | Silver |
BTL Technicians | Labs Gold |
Centre for Immunology and Infection | Labs Silver |
Chemistry Teaching Labs | Labs Gold |
Chemistry.At.York | Working Towards Excellence |
Computer Science Green Impact Team | Gold |
Constantine College | Gold Colleges Bronze |
Denby Lab (CNAP) | Labs Gold |
Genever Lab | Labs Gold |
GI Health Sciences | Working Towards Excellence |
Green Careers | Gold |
Green Chemistry |
Gold |
Green OPPAtunities | Bronze |
Information Services | Bronze |
International Pathway College | Gold |
Langwith College | Colleges Bronze |
McQueen-Mason Lab (CNAP) | Labs Bronze |
Providence Planet Pioneers! | Bronze |
REcyclers | Bronze |
Sociology | Silver |
tHink gReen | Gold |
UYSEG Green Team | Silver |
WACL Waste Warriors | Gold |
Wentworth Graduate College | Bronze |
YCL Catering and Hospitality | Catering Gold |
York Science Park | Bronze |