_{Photo credit: Green Impact awards being presented at the University of Birmingham in 2022-23.}

SOS-UK are incredibly pleased to announce the Universities who have joined our UNESCO-award winning Green Impact programme in 2023-24.  These Universities have joined their peers, who are leading the way in embedding sustainability into their institutions - from staff rooms to front facing student services, all the way to senior management - to combat the climate crisis through positive action and education. Our research has shown that approximately 80% of students want their institution to be doing more on sustainable development - you can read more about that here.

As places of learning, these Universities can proudly stand up and show their students that they are listening, and they are ready to make the changes necessary to reduce their carbon footprint and take action to ensure the security of future generations.

This year, we are joined by Imperial College London, Newcastle University, the Royal Veterinary College, the University of Surrey, the University of Sussex and Swansea University.

These institutions have joined 31 other education institutions across the globe on a hugely successful programme that has a tangible effect, making real and sustainable changes to help organisations be a positive change for good.  Last year, over 99,000 people were engaged in sustainability and social justice issues because of Green Impact!

This year, we have introduced a new toolkit for organisations participating in Green Impact, making it even easier to  record the great work that is going on across the sector, and to gain recognition for sustainable actions.

Eve at the University of Sussex said:

“We know our staff are passionate about sustainability and have the best insight into what will work to make their schools and departments more sustainable.

Green Impact works in line with our Sustainable Sussex Strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, helping us to empower and support our staff to make the changes that they want to see at the University.

With Green Impact at Sussex launching in September 2023, we’re excited to see like-minded people come together from different departments and schools to share their knowledge and experience and help us create a more sustainable campus through community action. We can’t wait to see how teams will use Green Impact’s flexibility to develop their own sustainability projects, and what their great minds will think of to fit their areas of work and expertise.

Overall, we hope that staff who join the Green Impact Scheme, will have a fun and enjoyable experience whilst becoming more sustainable as individuals and as a team across our community.”

Katie at Swansea University said:

“We’ve decided to take part in Green Impact at Swansea University this year to really engage our staff in sustainability as teams. We hope this will encourage positive actions towards sustainability, increase familiarity with our Strategy and key aims as a University, and create a network of staff to collaborate on sustainable solutions.

Although we’ve only just started the programme, the reception has been really positive and we’re already seeing actions logged and more staff joining existing working groups and projects.

The support from SOS-UK has been excellent in creating the toolkit and hosting a hybrid launch event for staff who had signed up. We’re really excited to see the impacts staff can have and how far we can reach!”

Rachel at The Royal Veterinary College said:

“The RVC signed up to Green Impact as staff really wanted to make a difference, but it was hard to know where to start.

Green Impact provides us with an action plan with fun, engaging actions and most importantly is not time consuming. It's helped underpin all of the building sustainability projects we have been undertaking. We have had far more teams signed up than we expect. Also, thanks to SOS it hasn’t required a lot of time from me which helps when you don’t have a sustainability team!”

If you want to bring Green Impact to your University, or an organisation from another sector, contact Senior Project Manager, Rachel Soper (rachel.soper@sos-uk.org).

Are you a student who wants your University to get involved?

You have the power to make change! SOS-UK was founded off the back of an idea from a student just like you. Your University wants to hear your voice – and you can use that voice to make lasting change for your fellow students, and generations of students to come. You can get started by visiting the take action page on our website. We also have some volunteering opportunities that will make your CV look great while helping people and the environment – follow us on socials to keep an eye on the opportunities available.

As a student-led charity, you may think that SOS-UK is just for educational institutions. But students want to change the world. SOS-UK is helping organisations to make change across a range of sectors, from hospitals to heritage sites. Get in touch if you would like our help to make your organisation part of the change we need to deliver a just and sustainable future for all.

Follow SOS-UK on socials:

Instagram -@sosuk_charity

Twitter/X -@sosukcharity

Facebook – Students Organising for Sustainability UK

LinkedIn – Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK)

TikTok - sosukcharity