Green Impact is a United Nations award-winning programme which encourages environmentally and socially sustainable practices within organisations. The programme has collaborated with over 500 organisations across a range of sectors and can help to bring about long-term, positive changes within an institution.
Our Green Impact Team consists of both professional services and academic staff, as well as students who volunteer as Green Impact Project Assistants, devoting their time and energy to assist our sustainability goals. The team was founded in 2019 and has overseen projects such as events raising awareness for local charities, weekly litter picks, and installing a duck house and pond for the mother duck that visits our Courtyard annually.
Professor Fraser McLeay, Dean of Sheffield University Management School, stated, “I would like to congratulate the Green Impact Team for their continued success. The team including Stephen Allen (Green Impact Coordinator), Jacob Bush, Lauren Walker, Caroline Mailer, Kirsty Laverack, Sully Saremi and Bethany Rutherford, alongside students Aishwarya Sivapragasam (MSc Sustainable Architecture); Melia Newman (BA Business Management) and Iman Irwin (BA Accounting and Financial Management), who volunteered as Green Impact Project Assistants, worked very hard to achieve this award.”
The team undertook three key projects which saw them work towards areas of sustainability within the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals:
The staff book exchange shelves were relocated from the staff room into the Courtyard Cafe, opening up the book exchange to all University students and staff who used the Management School’s Crookesmoor building.
To support the reduction in carbon emissions from business travel in the Management School, additions were made to the School’s funding request and travel booking forms to encourage the most sustainable business travel choices by staff. In addition, resource pages were created within the Management School’s Staff Portal in support of staff making the most sustainable business travel.
Finally in collaboration with the Estates and Facilities Management team, a neglected part of the School’s grounds was transformed into a wildflower meadow filled with sustainable flowers, attracting more insects and wildlife. In addition, the flower bed near the School’s entrance was replanted with more sustainable and self-sufficient plants, making the entrance to the School more visually appealing and boosting staff and student morale.
Alongside the projects, the team completed a number of essential actions. These included providing fully vegetarian catering at Prize Giving events, putting in place a lighting switch off plan for vacation periods, encouraging the use of the Better Points app and carrying out bin audits to ensure the correct items are being recycled across the building.
The Green Impact team looks forward to continuing this work going forward into the new academic year, as well as developing new ideas for projects to help further the Management School’s sustainability goals. If you would like to learn more about, and potentially contribute to, the SUMS Green Impact team please email sumsgreenimpact@sheffield.ac.uk.