Green Impact

The programme consists of a list of suggested sustainability actions that can be completed to make direct impacts. It operates through an interactive online workbook, providing staff and students with a framework to complete actions and implement positive changes. There are credits applicable to different University workplaces including labs, offices, colleges, or home working, giving teams flexibility to choose and complete actions suited to their specific working environment.

Each activity is clear and simple to implement, with additional guidance provided, and is scored depending on the amount of impact that exercise has on making your work more sustainable. At the end of the year, these points are tallied up and will result in your team receiving a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum award following an audit of evidence by volunteer student auditors.

Both staff and students at the University can get involved in Green Impact.

If you're a staff member or postgraduate you can take part by joining your departmental team, or by creating a new team.

If you're a student, you can volunteer to be a Green Impact Project Assistant or Green Impact Auditor.

1. Express your interest in joining by emailing greenimpact@york.ac.uk, stating your department and localised work team.
2. Register with an existing team or create a new one by registering on the University’s Green Impact Online Toolkit.
3. Work through the interactive online workbook to make positive changes within your department or office.
4. Gather evidence of your positive actions, earn points, and work your way up the levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum).
5. Your team has until early April to complete as many actions as you can, and submit your toolkit for your Green Impact award. You can also request a student Green Impact Project Assistant to help you achieve them.
6. Student volunteer auditors will then check that the workbooks have been completed.
7. All awards are presented annually in June, accompanied by a celebratory lunch.
8. There are also special awards for efforts above and beyond the workbook. You can also choose to do a project based award, which focuses on one action and its spread through the University and the community.

Access the workbook on the Green Impact Online Toolkit, which contains all essential information about completing the criteria, including links to relevant resources and key contacts.

You can also join the Green Impact Slack Channel (#green-impact) for tips and support from other teams across the University.

For other questions and queries, you can email greenimpact@york.ac.uk.

Green Impact is an annual cyclical programme. Take a look at the key dates:

• The toolkit is reviewed every summer and launches in September 2024
• Deadline for staff to apply for a Student Project Assistant: October 2024
• Deadline for students to apply to become a Student Project Assistant: October 2024
• Staff and students are notified of their pairing by end of October 2024
• First meetings between staff and students to be arranged between them within Semester 1, 2024
• Green Impact submission deadline: midnight on 25 April 2025
• Green Impact Audits: Wednesday 7 May
• Annual Awards Ceremony: June 2025 (exact date to be determined)
• Getting ready to submit your Project/Toolkit online workshops? Email greenimpact@york.ac.uk by Wednesday 26 March 2025