Awarding Sustainability Excellence
Since 2004
Green Gown Awards are sponsored by
Awarding Sustainability Excellence
Since 2004
The Green Gown Awards are the most prestigious recognition of environmental and sustainability best practice within the further and higher education sectors. The Awards provide the sector with benchmarks for excellence and are respected by Government, funding councils, senior management, academics and students. The Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Awards are supported by UN Environment and the Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability and are open to Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability members. Membership to Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability is free of charge and you can join at http://www.unep.org/training/engage/global-universities-partnership-environment-sustainability. Each Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability region can apply for any of the below categories. There is not a limit on the number of application each institution can enter.
12 October 2017 - Application Deadline
13 November 2017 - Finalists announced
4 January 2018 - Case study and video deadline for Finalists
TBC – Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Awards Ceremony Winners announced
Applying for a Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Award will not only motivate your team, management and students but it will inspire others in the sector to do more and opens the doors to new opportunities:
Winning a Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Award will bring huge awareness and positive press to not only your institution as a whole but also to the profile of sustainability within it.
Applications that stand out through their clear signalling of achievements, succinct descriptions of work done and benefits achieved, and the provision of quantitative information, will have a greater chance of impressing the judges.
The judging will be based on a composite view of the application, taking account of the following criteria, and the specific nature of the Award category:
If your region already has an existing Green Gown Awards programme then you can only apply once to your regional Green Gown Award programme and are NOT eligible to apply for the Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Awards, regardless of whether you are a Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability member or not. The following Green Gown Award Programmes exist:
Please cover the following topics in your application:
Cover Page - General Information - If the application is being made by a third party, or other non-academic body, please obtain prior approval from the institution, and provide a contact at the institution.
Sustainability Development Goals (SDG): Please select up to four SDGs that your application particularly delivers against. As educators for future generations of leaders, post-16 education has a critical responsibility for the successful implementation and realisation of the SDGs. Education is a transformational element in realising all goals. This is NOT a part of the judging process but will be used in various marketing communications and campaigns as a collective of all applications to illustrate the role of applicants in delivering the SDGs. Click here for more information on the SDGs.
Project Title and Summary – please make it as ‘catchy’ and descriptive as possible. If you are selected as a Finalist, this text will be included in the Finalists’ Brochure.
Organisational Profile - You must provide the relevant information and include a short profile of your organisation.
The Initiative – Describe the initiative, covering topics such as the activities undertaken; reasons for doing it; timescale; costs (in cash and staff time); current status (on-going, completed etc.); departments/organisations involved; any external recognition. Include quantitative data/cost data/budget analysis. We recommend you to provide as much evidence and supporting text here as you can. If there is a lot of data you want to include try and summarise it as much as possible. Please do not use links to external websites as judges may not necessarily review all the information so if possible include important elements here. We also want to hear about how the project was funded, what level of funding it received, which partners you worked with as well as any financial benefits gained from the project.
The Environmental and Social Benefits - Summarise the benefits. Benefits may relate to operational outcomes, environmental/social outcomes, sector benefits. Provide as much quantification as possible, making maximum use of normalised measures (e.g. energy per student or square metre of floor space) and be consistent in use of units. Be sure to highlight distinctive features (e.g. levels of energy and water efficiency saving, success in reducing car usage). Summarise the sustainable procurement practices – covering initiatives you used and any obstacles you encountered. What procurement practices were put into place as a result of your project? Has this resulted in a positive shift in attitude? Or in future procurement activities? Describe any financial implications as a result of your procurement practices? How were circular economy principles used? What are your project’s legal requirements versus what you have done over and beyond these standard requirements?
Leadership and Engagement - Please summarise what you feel is distinctive about your proposal e.g. originality; replicability through the sector; outstanding example of best practice; application of new technology, process or approach; new application of an existing product; demonstrating leadership in communicating your initiative. Also describe learning from the initiative that could be of relevance to other institutions. Evidence of transfer to other institutions should be provided where available. Please indicate what ways you have involved others in your project. This could include other departments/faculties, the local community and industry, as well as what communication about the project has taken place. Where possible include examples of engagement and/or the communication processes. Please provide the above answers in the relevant boxes. The dissemination and replication, project reach and scale of impact wider than the sector questions must be answered fully as this forms part of the judging criteria for the International Green Gown Awards.
Wider Societal Impact - Please outline the wider societal impact and value of your application. What is the impact of your application to society outside of your institution, staff and students? What is the legacy of your application as it benefits wider society? Provide evidence of the impact.
Graduate Employer Impact - Please outline the impact and value of your application to graduate employers. How has your application improved graduate employability attributes that will attract them to potential employers? What is the legacy of your application as it benefits graduate employers? Provide evidence of the impact.
You must not exceed the 4 page limit, plus 1 page cover (so 5 pages in total).
No background material or appendices etc. will be accepted and examined, so please do not send this.
Before you submit your application, please ensure you have read the checklist:
All entries for the Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Awards are to be sent via email in the Application Form Word template provided to greengown@eauc.org.uk before 12 noon GMT on Thursday 12 October 2017.
Finalists will be invited to submit marketing materials, a case study and a short video. This information will be used for the Finalists Brochure and videos may be shown at Green Gown Award events or UN Environment events.
By submitting an application you are agreeing to these conditions:
The International Green Gown Awards recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges. The Awards cover all aspects of educational institutions – from their teaching and research, leadership, buildings and food to how students can benefit the quality of life in the communities around them.
The Green Gown Awards are run in the UK and Ireland, Australasia, French speaking Europe and Canada and globally through the Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Awards. We bring them together with the winners from each region going head to head for a coveted International Green Gown Award. Each Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Awards winner will automatically be entered into the International Green Gown Awards (with the exception of the Research & Development category). The International Green Gown Awards winners will be announced in the first quarter of 2018.
The ethos of the Green Gown Awards is to ensure the lessons and example of good practice are shared and this exciting partnership will put universities and colleges as leaders in sustainability as well as being able to continue their learning from global leaders. The Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability Green Gown Awards and the International Green Gown Awards are administered by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC). Click here for further details on the International Green Gown Awards.
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