Students Get Gold Award for Green Initiatives

The University of Sheffield Students' Union has achieved the gold standard after being named one of the country's top green campuses.

The Sheffield students received the accolade from the national Green Impact Students' Union Programme after implementing a host of environmentally friendly measures.

These included disconnecting the patio heaters in the Students' Union's popular Interval garden and introducing a minimum efficiency specification list for all equipment in the Students' Union building.
 
For three years in a row, the Students' Union waste to landfill has decreased – as has water consumption – and all waste glass from the student bars is recycled, as are batteries, mobile phones, paper, card, plastic bottles and cans.

And continuing with the waste control theme, the Students' Union involvement has been instrumental in expanding the student Communities and Residences reuse scheme, Bring It Don't Bin It.

It is also now part of Students' Union expenses policy that no staff will be authorised to fly between two locations in Great Britain, except in emergencies.
 
All fresh eggs used in catering are free range and the students have even bought a ladybird tower and a butterfly tower for the Interval garden – and sponsored a beehive!

All these initiatives saw Sheffield received a gold award from the accreditation scheme for environmental good-practice in Students' Unions across the country.

For the fifth year running, Green Impact Students' Unions was aiming to capture the positive green innovations in students' unions and promote them to the general public.

More than 250 officers and staff from 70 unions attended the NUS Services Awards Dinner in Manchester to celebrate their collective achievements and Sheffield was one of just 27 unions reaching the coveted Gold Standard.