This year’s awards saw 133 projects from 83 institutions shortlisted, with 22 winners and 23 highly commended awards announced at a ceremony at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on the evening of 13 November 2024.
Commenting on the results, Charlotte Bonner, Chief Executive of EAUC, said:
“EAUC, and in turn, the Green Gown Awards, are both celebrating their 20th anniversaries this year, with the Green Gown Awards having been an integral part of the sector’s sustainability journey over the last two decades. This year’s outstanding winners and highly commended entries for the Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland once again provide an inspiring and diverse array of initiatives, from impactful projects to passionate individuals, all dedicated to advancing sustainability. These awards demonstrate that sustainability is a collaborative journey, not a competition, with each effort contributing to the broader goal of transformative change for the post-16 education sector and beyond. Congratulations to all our winners, highly commended entrants, and finalists.”
Dr Susan Simon, UKRI Environmental Sustainability Programme Director, said:
“Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Green Gown Awards. On this special 20th anniversary year, we are delighted to not just be celebrating the excellent achievements of this year’s finalists, but to also reflect back on the exceptional projects, initiatives and individuals that have been highlighted over the years. We look forward to many more years of the awards celebrating the innovative and inspirational projects that are helping our sector to reach net zero and address climate change.”
Want to know how other institutions are working towards the Sustainable Development Goals? What does sustainability innovation look like in other post-16 institutions across the UK and Ireland? Then look no further. This showcase has something for everyone - whether you're studying, working in a classroom, sustainability department, estates or in a leadership team. Discover replicable sustainability project ideas, gain unique insights and the top three learnings from each project, and align your sustainability work to the Sustainable Development Goals. Be inspired!
Browse the 2024 Winners' Showcase
Click on + to expand a category.
Finalists at a Glance (list view).
(Previous years' winners can be found here or on the Sustainability Exchange.)
Winner
Breaking boundaries with Purdown View: the largest Passivhaus scheme in the UK
Read more →Highly Commended
Queen’s University Belfast: Investing in Sustainability for a Greener Campus and Community
Read more →Highly Commended
Decarbonising-by-District: How TU Dublin are pioneering two district heating projects
Read more →Finalist
Assembling the puzzle – our journey to Net Zero
Read more →Highly Commended
Inspiring and Empowering Climate Action through the arts - Reach’24: Sustainability and arts festival
Read more →Highly Commended
Edinburgh BioQuarter: Being good neighbours
Read more →Finalist
Enactus Aston: Chance for Change -take the chance - be the change
Read more →Finalist
Connections & Community – Cardiff Mets’ Free Repair Cafe
Read more →Finalist
Open Botanic Research and Festival; Pedestrianisation for a shared multicultural public space
Read more →Finalist
Making and Knowledge Exchange for Repair and Sustainability
Read more →Finalist
Nourish Ealing: Sustaining our community and the planet through food partnerships
Read more →Highly Commended
Project Nexus: Pioneering sustainable education for a greener tomorrow
Read more →Finalist
Riding towards a greener future: Implementation of the novel Equine Carbon Calculator
Read more →Finalist
Edge Hill University interview clothing collection - No smart wear? No problem! Our approach to circular economy
Read more →Finalist
Swap ‘til you drop – creating a resource redistribution movement on campus
Read more →Finalist
#MyClimatePledge – cutting business flights with “Nudge” Campaign
Read more →Finalist
Year-long campaign on Ethical Consumption and Sustainable Fashion
Read more →Highly Commended
Darwin College Kitchens: Leading by example for planet-conscious dining
Read more →Finalist
A ‘picnic’ of sustainable food and drink initiatives at the University of Liverpool
Read more →Finalist
Greens & Grains: Sussex Uni food journey to low-carbon meals
Read more →Finalist
Change today protect tomorrow – 10 years of digital publishing
Read more →Winner
Decolonising Fashion and Textiles: Design for cultural sustainability with refugee communities
Read more →Highly Commended
Generation Wild: Connecting children from disadvantaged communities with nature
Read more →Winner
The Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool
Read more →Finalist
Friends of Energy House 2.0: Sustainable philanthropy in action!
Read more →Winner
Transforming Coventry – urban grey morass into a green oasis, for people and wildlife
Read more →Finalist
Nature, Nurture, Reflection and Wellbeing in a Memorial Woodland Walk
Read more →Finalist
Going beyond for biodiversity - embedding nature positive principles at the University of Oxford
Read more →Highly Commended
Fostering sustainable leaders and change-makers through student-staff partnerships
Read more →Highly Commended
Sustainable Shelter Sleep-out for Homelessness
Read more →Finalist
Bridging the Skills Gap: Supporting climate change CPD across the West Midlands
Read more →Finalist
NESA Building skills for a just energy transition
Read more →Finalist
Empowering tomorrow’s changemakers: Promoting sustainability in childhood
Read more →Finalist
Production Managing the Planet - using agile assessment to embed sustainable film and television production practice in an HE setting
Read more →Finalist
The Meliora Podcast – collaborating and celebrating the inspirational sustainability research work of our students, staff, and alumni
Read more →Finalist
Centre for Sustainable Fashion’s Fashion Values Online Courses: Nature, Economy, Society, Cultures
Read more →Winner
Sources, effects, solutions – alerting the world to microplastics
Read more →Highly Commended
Feed of the Future: Developing sustainable poultry feed
Read more →Highly Commended
Energy House 2.0 - helping on the road to Net Zero
Read more →Winner
Feeding the Campus: Social and ecological justice in the York St John food system
Read more →Finalist
Young leaders and changemakers initiate sustainable grassroots programmes
Read more →Finalist
Enactus TU Dublin – from dwindling numbers to international success
Read more →Finalist
Green College Assembly – activists leading the way to a cleaner green future by working in partnership
Read more →Finalist
Empowering student wellbeing: The Sussex Peer Support Project
Read more →Winner
Middlesex University
Read more →Highly Commended
University of Derby
Read more →Finalist
Robert Gordon University
Read more →Finalist
University of Cambridge - Darwin College
Read more →Finalist
University of Leeds
Read more →Finalist
The University of Edinburgh
Read more →Finalist
Birmingham City University
Read more →Winner
Triangulating Green Skills - A multi-layered approach to encouraging the adoption of green skills and green technologies
Read more →Winner
Student Sustainability Advisors: A curriculum innovation to develop student sustainability skills and support local enterprise
Read more →Finalist
Mastering Sustainability: Cranfield University’s natural and social scientists unite to bridge the green skills gap through accessible apprenticeship
Read more →Finalist
ReNU: Unlocking cutting- edge green skills for clean growth
Read more →Finalist
Retrofitting, future-facing: Enabling the Net-Zero agenda
Read more →Finalist
The IMPACT of NEMOS – An Irish Case-study for developing food sustainability competencies: Educator professional development and service-learning as a signature pedagogy
Read more →Finalist
Sustainable futures - elevating tomorrow’s workforce through effective curriculum design
Read more →Finalist
Living lab for a sustainable NHS: An iterative project to develop interacting networks of medical students and staff across Scottish medical schools
Read more →Finalist
Centre for Sustainable Fashion (Fashion Values programme) x Global Fashion Agenda: Next Gen Assembly
Read more →