College Sustainability Challenge

Become the most sustainable college on campus this year with our College Sustainability Challenge.

The College Sustainability Challenge is a programme run by SOS-UK, tailored to the University of York. The Challenge sees our eleven colleges compete against each other each year to generate the highest energy savings compared to a 2022 baseline. By engaging in campaigns and competitions throughout the year, students can help their college climb the leaderboard and beat their rivals, with the winning college receiving a sustainability themed prize of their own choosing at the end of the academic year.

The Challenge supports and encourages students to live sustainably, highlighting the importance of saving energy and water, and recycling and reducing waste, bringing the University closer to its targets laid out in the Sustainability Plan 2021-2030.

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Sustainability at York

It's Energy Week (1 - 7 December)

It's time for Energy Week! Take part in a competition, masterclasses, and a survey to identify energy-saving. By entering the competition, you’ll be in with the chance to win a £20 or £10 voucher!

Enter our competition

What is the ideal home temperature range?

Take our masterclass (Exploring Energy)

Find out more about how the electricity we use impacts our planet, how a changing climate will affect our electricity use and generation, and what we can do to help.

Take our survey

Identify where you can save energy at home!

Become a College Sustainability Challenge Volunteer

Are you passionate about taking climate action? Why not sign up to be a College Sustainability Challenge volunteer!

As a College Sustainability Challenge Volunteer you will take part in a one-hour training session where you will learn top tips on how to live sustainably in your accommodation. After this, you can take part in various activities to make your campus more sustainable and earn bronze, silver, gold and platinum digital badges, which you can put on your CV to demonstrate your skills and commitment to sustainability.

This is a flexible opportunity that allows you to take action as and when works for you! If you have any questions, please email Eva.Rodericks@sos-uk.org.

Apply now

College Sustainability Challenge achievements this year

1,001 students engaged in the campaign

15 tonnes of CO2 saved

12 students awarded after completing volunteer training

Key information

Use the dropdowns below to find out more about the College Sustainability Challenge, what it involves, who can take part, and any relevant guidance.

How does it work?

The College Sustainability Challenge is an inter-college competition to promote sustainability and generate energy savings. By adopting energy-saving behaviours and practices, students help their college climb the leaderboard. All Colleges automatically take part.

Energy use (per College) is measured centrally by the University, and is compared to a 2022 baseline to determine the reductions.

The Challenge is supported by a series of quizzes and campaigns run by SOS-UK to engage students with sustainability issues.

There are a number of themed weeks throughout the year to focus awareness on key topics, such as Energy Week, Water Week, and Waste Week. Engagement with these campaigns and quizzes also contributes to your College leaderboard position.

Who can get involved?

The College Sustainability Challenge is open to all students, undergraduate and postgraduate, whether living on campus or in private rented accommodation.

If you live on-campus, you can help actively reduce energy consumption in your College accommodation by following the top tips below.

All students can register to be a volunteer via SOS-UK here. Students can also undertake volunteer training to promote the programme within, and beyond, their college. By organising events, carrying out sustainability audits, and more, volunteers can win a digital badge each year for their vital contribution to campus sustainability. Badges are issued at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level, depending on the actions completed, and can be added to a CV to demonstrate commitment to sustainability and leadership skills.

For those living off-campus, SOS-UK have further resources and guidance to save energy while private renting.

SOS-UK also offer microgrants of £30 to support small student-led sustainability activities. These can be anything from writing blogs to organising a college quiz night. Read these blogs from our previous student volunteers on saving water and cooking sustainably.

Take part in regular competitions and quizzes throughout the year, and volunteer to help make our University more sustainable!

Guidance and support

For further information, please see the SOS-UK webpage on the Green Campus Revolution (the SOS-UK branding for the College Sustainability Challenge).

If you have any questions or queries, please contact sustainability@york.ac.uk

Key dates

Throughout the year, there are a number of campaigns and events. Please see below for the calendar of events for 2025/26.

Launch Competition: 15 September - 19 October
Climate Quiz: 27 October - 9 November
Volunteer training (online): 5 November (in person), 11 November (online) & 11 February. Complete the application form to join.
Energy Competition: w/c 17 November
Waste Competition: w/c 1 December
New Year Competition: 5 January - 1 February
Climate Quiz: 2nd February - 13 February
Water Competition: w/c 16 March
Moving out Competition: 18 May - 31 May

There will also be a number of in-person and online volunteer trainings throughout the year. Keep an eye out for these in your College newsletters and on social media.

College Leaderboard

Congratulations to last year's top colleges!

Alcuin College has won the 2024/25 challenge taking first place in the leaderboard, followed by Wentworth College in 2nd place and Derwent College in 3rd place.

Thanks to all students for your efforts in saving energy and engaging with the Challenge! The more energy you save and the more you participate, the higher you climb on the leaderboard, with the winning college receiving a (sustainably themed) prize at the end of each year.

Track your progress through pledges, competitions, and climate quizzes. Visit SOS-UK for the latest ways to get involved.

College ranking	College
1st place	Alcuin
2nd place	Wentworth
3rd place	Derwent
4th place	James
5th place	Halifax
6th place	Constantine
7th place	Vanbrugh
8th place	David Kato
9th place	Goodricke
10th place	Anne Lister
11th place	Langwith

Our top tips for winning the Challenge

Switch off lights

Switch off lights when not needed. Report faulty light sensors and switch off your bedside and bathroom lights when not in use.

Use heating wisely

Try wearing an extra layer before you go to turn the heating on. If the heating is on, make sure all the windows are closed.

Put on full loads of washing

Try to put on a few full loads of laundry rather than lots of small loads. Setting the temperature to 30°C can save energy and help your clothes last longer.

Don’t overfill your kettle

Don’t use additional energy or waste your time by overfilling the kettle. Just boil as much water as you need.

Cook in bulk

Try cooking in bulk to save time and energy. If you're using the oven, try to cook a couple meals at a time to reduce energy wastage.

Put a lid on your pan

Save time and energy by putting a lid on your pans when cooking. Also, use the right size hob for your pan to avoid heating the air.

Use the stairs if you can

Taking the stairs instead of the lift means that you can save energy and keep the lift available for those who need it.

Switch off appliances at the socket

Switching off your appliances and plugs at the socket is a great way to prevent energy wastage as items use energy in standby or sleep mode. Devices left charging will continue to use electricity, even once they've reached 100% charge.

Reduce your shower time

Take shorter showers to save energy and don't switch the shower on, until you're ready to get in.

Report issues

It takes 2 minutes to report faults online. Broken light, dripping tap or damaged oven or fridge seal? Save energy and report it.

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