Green Impact is a national environmental accreditation scheme. It offers staff teams the opportunity to work towards a series of awards by challenging departments to implement a number of easy practical actions that will help the environment. The more actions completed by a department the more points are scored, leading to a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards. Green Impact is about continual improvement, rather than a one-off ranking exercise.

At Swansea University Green Impact takes place as a friendly competition between teams within the University. Teams are given an online workbook which lists different environmental actions that departments are encouraged to carry out. The scheme is open to keen members of staff at the university, and staff are encouraged to invite students to help support the scheme wherever possible.

This year the team from the SEACAMS (Sustainable Expansion of the Applied Coastal and Marine Sectors in Wales) department walked away with the coveted Gold Award slate trophy.

Gang Green from Biosciences won the best team name and were given a charity gift - a donation to help women in Uganda gain the training and materials to utilise energy saving stoves, improving their lives and the environment.

The 18 students that were fully responsible for auditing the University staff teams received a reference alongside their certificates, to recognise the training they received in preparation for the audits. 

Swansea University Students’ Union were also congratulated by Swansea alumni Bethan Harper, the Green Impact Project Officer from NUS UK, for obtaining a Gold award in a parallel scheme specifically for Students’ Unions. In 2012 Swansea Union improved from its previous Silver status, and now joins the ranks of those Unions considered to be the greenest in the UK. Bethan spoke about the success of the project across the country, and how Swansea University was leading the way in Wales.

The event was hosted by Dr Heidi Smith, Sustainability Manager at the University. Opening the event she set out how the new Sustainability Team are coordinating environmental action from across the institution, and how new initiatives including the recent Sustainability policy, accreditation to Ecocampus Silver, and a new biodiversity action plan and carbon management plan will significantly improve Swansea’s performance in the sustainability field.

The awards ceremony marked the end of Green Impact for this year.  The existing teams will be looking to improve their performance next year, and the Sustainability Team will be spending the next few months recruiting new teams from across the university to take part from September 2012.

Photo: The Gold Award winning team from SEACAMS being presented with their award by Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Iwan Davies

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Award Winners

Green Impact Gold Award

1. SEACAMS

Green Impact Bronze

1. Residential Services
2. Keeping up With the Joneses (WISE network, College of Science)
3. The Green Power Rangers (Law School)
4. Wombles of Singleton (Estates)
5. Planning and Strategic Projects Unit
6. Gang Green (Biosciences)
7. Green savers (Computer Sciences)

Working towards accreditation

1. Green eyed monsters (Biosciences)
2. Biotechs  (Biosciences)
3. Energy revolution (Business school)
4. Fast efficient and delicious (Campus Catering)
5. HR and SDU
6. Security

Best team name award

1. Gang Green (Biosciences)