Abertay shortlisted for Green Gown Awards
Abertay is in the running to win the ‘Best Newcomer’ Award at this year’s Green Gown Awards. The winners will be announced on Thursday 10 November.
Established in 2004, the Green Gowns recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities, colleges and the learning and skills sectors across the UK and Ireland.
‘The Green Gown Awards provide our learning institutions with a real opportunity to break down the barriers and achieve engagement and change. The Awards bring together leaders, academics, managers, students and wider communities to recognise the pioneering achievements being made across education, both in the UK and globally, for a better quality of life and a more sustainable future,’ says Iain Patton, Chief Executive of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC).
Abertay submitted an application, case study and video for review by EAUC led by Dr Andrew Samuel, Lecturer in Sociology and Education for Sustainable Development, under the project title ‘Innovating locally, transforming globally: Curriculum development and education for sustainable development at Abertay University’.
The application process centred around the University’s Strategic Plan (2015-2020) and new Sustainable Development Policy, which embraces the idea of sustainable development as a strategic aim, integral to the delivery of teaching, research and operational objectives.
Abertay Vice Principal, Steve Olivier who worked on the project said, ‘We recognise that students are key change agents for embedding sustainable development across the whole student experience, and in order to catalyse real institutional change, it is vital for the University to highlight sustainability explicitly in strategy.’
The judging panel consists of over 80 representatives from the diversity of the education sector and experts in the various fields, including Universities UK, Department of Energy and Climate Change, PwC, WWF and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The winners will be announced at the prestigious Green Gown Awards Ceremony held at The Athena situated in the Cultural Quarter, Leicester on 10 November, in partnership with De Montfort University (DMU) and University of Leicester.
www.greengownawards.org
