Gold Standard Criteria

Embedding and Communication

Design and write up an environmental policy that outlines your department or section's aims and vision in relation to managing environmental issues
Hold a Fairtrade Bake-Off. Team members bring in freshly made cakes or baked goods made using at least 2 Fairtrade ingredients. Team members taste and rate the food using the score card template.
The department has identified and documented its five main greening opportunities and come up with a SMART action plan for implementing them, addressing a range of environmental impacts the department can develop on. If this criterion was completed last year then the department can use some of their previously identified opportunities, but must show that there has been progress on them
The team is aware of the 2016 - 2019 University's Sustainability policies, strategies and reports, and at least one person has read through the headline targets
New staff are made aware of the team's Green Impact commitments, with their induction featuring key aspects of the team's sustainability activities
Within the last 6 months a member of staff from within the team has sent out a series of environmentally-themed communications aimed at all staff within the department

Plastics

Sustainability is taken into consideration for departmental events. Disposables are avoided in favour of reusable items such as glasses, cups and cutlery

Procurement

Your team/department has relinquished your printer and you are now only using the centralised printer service

Reduce and Recycle

The team encourages colleagues to make the best use of resources where possible, for example:
* Operating a book/DVD swap scheme
* Organising a stationery amnesty to ensure that no one is hoarding Post-It notes and paperclips that would be better kept in the stationery cupboard
The School/Department has made efforts to reduce the amount of paper it uses by achieving at least 3 of the 6 actions listed below:
1. The majority of staff responsible for organising meetings within the team have taken proactive measures to reduce the number of hand-outs they take to meetings.
2. The team has taken action to reduce the number of documents sent in internal post, and is instead encouraging sending items electronically.
3. The team discourages printing PowerPoint slides when staff give presentations. Instead slides are made available electronically.
4. Instead of sending out bulk, individually addressed, printed material, the team has sent mail electronically with links to full reports.
5. The team collects incoming envelopes and reuses them in preference to using new envelopes.
6. Staff are aware of how to print more than 1 slide to a page, in cases where a print out of a PowerPoint presentation is required
If you are an academic department, either the majority of assignments are submitted electronically or, within the last 6 months, the department has reviewed opportunities for the electronic submission of assignments.
The team have held a zero waste social event, such as a brunch or picnic to highlight the opportunities to avoid waste
The team recycles batteries, and staff have been reminded of how to do this within the last 12 months

Travel

The department proactively advises external visitors, and if applicable students, how they can get to meetings, lectures, seminars or conferences via public transport, walking, cycling or car sharing
Are you and your team commuting via the most sustainable mode of transport? Explore all of your options to assess whether you could be taking the bus instead of the car, cycling instead of taking the bus, etc

Open Action

There may be things you do in your department that you feel would be suitable evidence as a Gold action, but isn't covered elsewhere in your workbook. This is your opportunity to record it

Mini Project

This year we're giving you more freedom and flexibility with the actions you can complete. A mini project is an opportunity for you to undertake a task that is relevant to your department, and it's entirely up to you what you do. This is an opportunity to create an action that fits with your department's needs and may not be captured in the rest of the workbook

Biodiversity and Community

Mentor/partner another Green Impact team
Organise a regular team lunchtime walk around the campus or the local area. This would ideally be every two weeks to once a month
Introduce some greenery into your office

Gold Standard Criteria

Embedding and Communication

Design and write up an environmental policy that outlines your department or section's aims and vision in relation to managing environmental issues

Hold a Fairtrade Bake-Off. Team members bring in freshly made cakes or baked goods made using at least 2 Fairtrade ingredients. Team members taste and rate the food using the score card template.

The team is aware of the 2016 - 2019 University's Sustainability policies, strategies and reports, and at least one person has read through the headline targets

New staff are made aware of the team's Green Impact commitments, with their induction featuring key aspects of the team's sustainability activities

Within the last 6 months a member of staff from within the team has sent out a series of environmentally-themed communications aimed at all staff within the department

Plastics

Sustainability is taken into consideration for departmental events. Disposables are avoided in favour of reusable items such as glasses, cups and cutlery

Procurement

Your team/department has relinquished your printer and you are now only using the centralised printer service

Reduce and Recycle

The team encourages colleagues to make the best use of resources where possible, for example: * Operating a book/DVD swap scheme * Organising a stationery amnesty to ensure that no one is hoarding Post-It notes and paperclips that would be better kept in the stationery cupboard

If you are an academic department, either the majority of assignments are submitted electronically or, within the last 6 months, the department has reviewed opportunities for the electronic submission of assignments.

The team have held a zero waste social event, such as a brunch or picnic to highlight the opportunities to avoid waste

The team recycles batteries, and staff have been reminded of how to do this within the last 12 months

Travel

The department proactively advises external visitors, and if applicable students, how they can get to meetings, lectures, seminars or conferences via public transport, walking, cycling or car sharing

Are you and your team commuting via the most sustainable mode of transport? Explore all of your options to assess whether you could be taking the bus instead of the car, cycling instead of taking the bus, etc

Open Action

There may be things you do in your department that you feel would be suitable evidence as a Gold action, but isn't covered elsewhere in your workbook. This is your opportunity to record it

Mini Project

Biodiversity and Community

Mentor/partner another Green Impact team

Organise a regular team lunchtime walk around the campus or the local area. This would ideally be every two weeks to once a month

Introduce some greenery into your office

The team encourages colleagues to make the best use of resources where possible, for example:
* Operating a book/DVD swap scheme
* Organising a stationery amnesty to ensure that no one is hoarding Post-It notes and paperclips that would be better kept in the stationery cupboard