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Edinburgh Sustainability Awards

(originally published by The Student)

     THE UNIVERSITY is set to launch its first Sustainability Awards to help reduce its environmental impact. A ceremony later in the year will see awards given to the teams which complete the most environmentally friendly challenges in an online workbook provided by the Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA).
     Last year the University of Edinburgh was accredited Gold in the NUS' Environmental Impact Awards, and was the overall UK winner. This, the two-year-old Green Impact Scheme, compared Universities from across the country in terms of sustainability and global awareness. EUSA's newest venture is a similar scheme within the University itself, encouraging teams to think of new ways to reduce our effect on the world outside of Edinburgh.
     Teams can be made up of staff and students in every part of the University, and will be accredited with Bronze, Silver or Gold awards according to the type and quantity of tasks completed before the end of February. Points earned for each task and extra credit for innovative projects will be totalled and recognised at an award ceremony in May.
     The tasks themselves are wide-ranging, from carbon-cutting to well-being, and are described on EUSA's Sustainability website as “designed to empower individuals and teams within departments to take action and be recognised”.
     The awards aim to recognise and demonstrate the effectiveness of both individual vision and collaboration with others, and runs alongside the Green Impact Scheme. By taking ideas from various teams the NUS project intends to “help staff and students green their institutions from the bottom up.”
     As well as overall recognition awards for teams, special awards will be given for Cutting Personal Carbon Footprint, Innovations for Well-Being, and a much-needed Saving Energy on Campus Competition for ideas which reduce the University's £10 million fuel bill.
     Teams can sign up online and are encouraged to include members from all parts of the University, be it manual staff, academic support officers or even students.

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