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Record number of staff win Green Impact Awards in 2025

165 teams celebrated for their achievements at the Sustainability Open Forum and Green Impact Awards ceremony.

15 July 2025•5 min read
A group of people pose on stairs, holding potted plants, with a brick wall and greenery in the background.

2025 Green Impact Winners (Nick Robinson Photography)

On Thursday 10 July 2025, the University of Birmingham celebrated all who took part in this year’s Green Impact Challenge, an UN-recognised programme that the University joined in 2019. This year saw the highest number of prize winners to date, with 165 awards won by teams and individuals: 6 Platinum, 128 Gold, 30 Silver and 1 Bronze.

Ahead of the award ceremony, the Sustainability Open Forum gave staff the opportunity to hear about the University’s latest sustainability research advances, educational initiatives and operational activities taking place across the institution.

These included talks on the institution-wide progress made in 2024-2025 and ambitions for the year ahead, and the work of the Campus Services team to make food on campus more sustainable, reduce waste, and create a CO2 A-rated menu. As well as this, there were presentations from the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) team on their education and outreach activity, and from Professor Aleksandra Cavoksi on how arts and humanities are contributing to sustainability research - from legal regulations to language and literature.

I am delighted to see our staff and student community work together to make the University a more sustainable place and support us on our journey to Net Zero.

Professor David Hannah - Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (Sustainability)

In addition, the University shared its Sustainability in Focus: A Year in Progress report, an annual review of the 2024-2025 academic year. This inaugural sustainability report examines the holistic approach the University is leading to deliver our overarching goals and priorities, part of our strategic framework, and provides highlights of our activity and progress to date.

David Hannah, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (Sustainability) and Sustainability Open Forum speaker, said:

"Congratulations to all the participants and award winners of the 2025 Green Impact programme. Green Impact continues to play a vital role in supporting the University’s sustainability ambitions, demonstrating the importance of collaboration and a holistic approach to sustainability, by incorporating it into everything we do. I am delighted to see our staff and student community work together to make the University a more sustainable place and support us on our journey to Net Zero. We are grateful to all who contributed this year and look forward to building on this success in the year ahead."

A man in a button-up shirt and tie stands with arms crossed, listening intently near informational banners.

Professor David M. Hannah - Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Sustainability (Nick Robinson Photography)

Stand out staff in sustainability

At the Green Impact Award ceremony, special awards were given to individuals who had stood out to their peers as champions of sustainability in their areas, modelling sustainable behaviours and delivering activities that align to the University’s sustainable priorities. The Sustainability Hero Award was won by both Kate Crane & Sandra Palmer for their leadership, passion and dedication to embedding sustainable behaviours within the HR department and for encouraging their team to take part in Green Impact this year.

The Environmental Improvement Award was presented to Jack Phillpotts for his work at Winterbourne House and Gardens for his work to improve environmental practices in his department. In just two and a half years, Jack has introduced many schemes and initiatives, such as ‘No Mow May’ and ‘The Big Gaden Bird Watch’ to Winterbourne, as well as volunteering sessions and public talks, which have made a huge impact on Winterbourne’s biodiversity and ecological philosophy.

The Innovation for Engagement Award was won by the Student Hub and Margery Fry for their creative ways of engaging others in sustainability initiatives. During December 2024, the team created a festive advent calendar counting down to the Holiday Season and in January they created a Veganuary one for all staff. The former included information on sustainable practices such as more sustainable wrapping and holiday travel, whist the latter explored vegan food and lifestyle. These initiatives started conversations and planted ideas in people's minds about sustainability and more socially responsible living.

Finally, the School of Chemical Engineering won the Community Action Award for their significant impact on the community through their sustainability efforts. The Birmingham Plastics Network commissioned a theatre production, "The Many Lives of PET #1" by acclaimed Birmingham theatre company Stan's Café. This light-hearted yet thought-provoking production examined the complex issue of plastic usage and toured community venues in and around the city from 29 March to 12 April 2025.

An audience claps in a lecture hall with purple seating.

165 teams engaged with the Green Impact programme in 2025 (Nick Robinson Photography)

Lauren Walia, Project Manager at SOS-UK, said: “We've seen an incredible uptake of Green Impact this year - and this is the best time of year, when we get to look at all of the great work you've been doing! From growing community gardens, to working with local charities, to ditching single-use plastic, and saving water - it's clear that the University of Birmingham has a huge number of compassionate, enthusiastic people. It's great to see you all pulling in the same direction and really using your innovation, creativity, and local knowledge to make truly meaningful changes in the University structure, on your campuses, and in the local community. I'm proud to work with such committed peers, and I can't wait to see what you do next year!”

A group of six people sit on a panel, engaged in conversation.

The Sustainability Open Forum speaker panel (Nick Robinson Photography)

Green Impact is a United-Nations-recognised programme that promotes sustainable practices in organisations across the world. More than 1600 organisations take part in the awards, and the University of Birmingham is one of 21 Universities to take on the challenge in 2024.

Earlier this year, the University introduced the Green Impact Laboratory Accreditation Toolkit, an approved sustainable laboratories programme recognised by Wellcome and Cancer Research UK. This allows Green Impact accredited laboratories to continue to deliver important and life-changing research, whilst being sustainable and working in a way that protects our environment.

To find out how to get involved with Green Impact and other sustainability activities at the University, please visit our Get Involved page.

Notes for editors

  • For media enquiries please contact Tim Mayo, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel: +44 (0)7815 607 157.
  • The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, educators and more than 40,000 students from over 150 countries.
  • The University is committed to a holistic approach to sustainability and incorporating into everything it does, as evidence by its recently announced positions in the QS Sustainability Rankings (38th) and the People & Planet rankings (68th). The University recently joined nine other Russell Group institutions in the IEMA partner register, signifying an important step to providing opportunities to students in the field of sustainability.
  • The University is committed to working to achieve operational net zero carbon. It is seeking to change society and the environment positively, and its research and education to make a major global contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
  • England’s first civic university, the University of Birmingham is proud to be rooted in of one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University of Birmingham has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.
  • We are working with industry, academic and policy partners from across the globe to improve lives and livelihoods for all – to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards the 2030 Agenda.

 

Featured staff

  • Professor David Hannah

    Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability)

    David M. Hannah is Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability), Professor of Hydrology and UNESCO Chair in Water Sciences, and Director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability & Climate Action.

    Phone: +44 (0)121 41 46925 (for own research)
    Email:

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