College Wins Gold Green Impact Award for Commitment to Sustainability

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Written by:

Paul Holland

Posted:

25 Jun 2024

Trinity Hall has been awarded a Gold Green Impact Award, the highest accolade from the University of Cambridge available for its commitment to sustainability.

The award application was spearheaded by three students: the Green and Ethics Officers for the JCR and MCR: May Brown (JCR) and Lindsey Barnes and Zoya Yousef (MCR).

Zoya said: “I think there were two main elements that helped us clinch the gold award. Firstly, Trinity Hall have taken a really rounded approach to its sustainability efforts. Staff from catering, gardening, housekeeping and maintenance have all made a conscious effort to be more environmentally friendly.

JCR and MCR Green Officers May Brown, Zoya Yousef and Lindsey Barnes

“This is also reflected in Trinity Hall’s Sustainability Working Group which gathers staff and our JCR and MCR Green Officers each term to discuss how the college can reduce energy, minimise waste and enhance biodiversity.”

“Secondly, I think the varied scale of Trinity Hall’s sustainability initiatives made a huge impact. It is great that the College has been involved with large scale projects, such as utilising renewable energy from the installation of the solar arrays on Bolton House as well as reducing the consumption of ruminant meat in our cafeteria.

“However, it is also the smaller projects, like having a place to recycle batteries on site, switching to environmentally friendly pesticides and the use of ecological cleaning products that are just as important.”

The announcement the Environmental Sustainability Team at the University of Cambridge noted: “This is a fantastic accomplishment, and we are proud of your commitment to sustainability.”

The awards were handed out at a ceremony last week in Storey’s Field Centre, Eddington, Cambridge.

Green Impact Award aim for Green Officers