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We have been so impressed with the 18 nominations we have received; it has been fantastic to learn about the excellent work happening on campuses across the UK. We have one individual winner and one group winner, as well as a couple of special mentions!
Individual Winner – Becky Fry, Falmouth & Exter Students’ Union
Becky is a third-year conservation ecology student, director of Sustainable Food Cornwall, SU Green Officer, and President of Penryn Produce. She heavily campaigns on food justice issues, such as barriers to access around affordable nutritious food, food waste, and food poverty.
She has researched and written a report on campus food waste, which has been circulated to senior campus management for action and coordinated with local organisations to redirect the surplus food on campus to those in need. In her role as President of Penryn Produce, she successfully applied for SU funding to subsidise the veg bags, allowing students to access a weeks’ worth of local, seasonal, and organic produce at a reduced price point (£5 vs. £6), and provide students on Hardship Funding free bags. This increased purchases, and allowed greater access to local, seasonal, and organic vegetables.
She has just produced a report for the SU, which assesses the feasibility of a community fridge on campus. This project was a result of Becky proactively reaching out to The Students’ Union, and enquiring about installing and managing a community fridge. In her position as Director of Sustainable Food Cornwall, she connects varying food organisations and projects around Cornwall with each other, building community and leading on issues of food and climate justice. She has also supported students who have taken direct action on the climate crisis, remaining engaged with the movement throughout. Becky is a trailblazer in the Cornwall food justice movement, her pro-activity and commitment goes far beyond her studies, and into the local community. Her understanding of the intersections between climate, food, and social justice has allowed her to take action on the climate, supply local, organic, and seasonal vegetables to the community, and reduced barriers to accessing nutritious food. Her leadership in championing sustainability and climate action is truly commendable.
Special Mention: Chela Rossi, The Students' Union at UWE
Chela, The Students' Union at UWE's voluntary 2023/24Sustainability Officer, has demonstrated tremendous initiative and unwavering motivation in fighting for biodiversity across campus, advocating for more re-use initiatives, and guiding the Sustainability Committee through their campaign on greenspaces.
Chela is campaigning to save a 9.5-hectare site for rewilding, accessible to students for wellbeing, research, and wildlife. To aid her campaign, she used the Student Ideas platform to garner support. She tirelessly advertised the project, putting up posters around campus and visiting lectures to engage students. Her student idea received 101 votes - 94of which were ‘strongly agree’ and is due to proceed to Student Council.
Along with striving for the above, she has been researching how we can reduce single-use waste by getting students to rent reusable cups. Chela’s passion, courage, and determination complement her gentle and approachable demeanour, making her a strong, well-rounded individual who easily inspires and encourages those around her.
Group winner - Undeb Bangor Hot Meals Project
The Hot Meals Project in Bangor is a student-led initiative that aims to provide free hot meals every Saturday afternoon. The project, supported by Undeb Bangor, university donations, fundraising efforts, and Bangor City Council, has successfully provided food to those who need it and created a warm and safe space for people to connect and combat feelings of isolation and loneliness.
The project is led by student volunteer Ben Chandler, who has led the project to its success. With support from the University and partnership with Undeb Bangor and Bangor City Council, the project has received a £1500 grant to assist with purchasing new kitchen equipment and venue hire. Since its creation, the project has gained significant attention, with active engagement with the audience and involvement of other societies in the cooking process and set-up. The project aims to be sustainable in its approach by providing nutritious and filling meals to all, catering to both vegetarians and carnivores and appealing to all age groups and tastes.
Involving student volunteers in day-to-day tasks such as purchasing items, food preparation, setting up the venue and cooking fosters a sense of community among the volunteers. With a focus on collaboration and partnership, the Hot Meals Project demonstrates leadership in sustainability by addressing food insecurity and creating a supportive environment for those in need. Food waste is reduced through bulk cooking, and social sustainability is promoted through the collaboration of societies and work with the local community. With plans to continue expanding and helping more people in the future, the Hot Meals Project in Bangor is a shining example of student-led initiatives making a positive impact in the community.
Special Mention: Aber SU Sailing Club
Over the last year the sailing club have done fantastic work for sustainability. They have Completed the Gold Award of the Blue-Green University Sailing Sustainability Challenge as one of three clubs to receive this year. The club has also promoted social sustainability through its membership price as it maintains its place as one of the cheapest university sailing clubs in the country, as well as avoiding charging for sailing sessions. This allows people from less advantaged backgrounds to engage with a sport that is often unjustly seen as being reserved for the wealthy. The Club has put a great amount of effort into environmental sustainability this year, headed by the two Sustainability Officers on committee. This is reflected in the Gold Green Blue Award won by the club. The Club has exhibited sustainability in its practices, including the washing down of boats after sessions (in order to prevent the spread of invasive species) and the promotion of reusable, rather than single-use plastic, water bottles.
A massive well done to all our winners & special mentions this year, we’re looking forward to seeing what you all achieve next!
Please do checkout our overall main winners to see what other wonderful work Green Impact Student Unions’ have been up to last year.
Take Part in GISU 2024-25!
There is still time to sign-up for GISU 2024-25, we welcome both new and prospective unions to join us this year, as well as those who have participated previously. We would encourage anyone who is thinking of signing up to do so soon, so you have enough time to complete as many actions as possible in the toolkit this academic year. You can register your participation here. For a comprehensive overview of our SU offerings and to sign up for the 2024-25 programme, please visit our website.
We have a new fee structure to accommodate unions at different levels of engagement (all costs exclusive of VAT):
- A new £35 ‘access only’ level that allows you to access the toolkit only. You will not receive an audit or accreditation at the end of the year (or access to our online support such as webinars and check-in calls), but you can use the toolkit to plan and monitor your activities and self-assess progress.
- Our standard full programme participation: £495 which includes an online audit and feedback on where points have been gained or lost. There is a 10% discount for signing up for 2 years.
- We’ve also added an enhanced in-person audit option (£750, inclusive programme participation) for those who would like a member of the SOS-UK team to visit your union and provide in-depth feedback on areas of improvement and ideas for next steps as part of your audit. There is a 10% discount for signing up for 2 years.