Posted: 12/05/14
Students' Union strikes gold and beyond
West Nottinghamshire College’s Students’ Union (SU) is celebrating for a second year running after scooping a gold award in the Green Impact Students’ Union awards.
The news was announced during the annual National Union of Students (NUS) Services Convention held in April when it was revealed that the college had also won the Students’ Union of the year award in the Further Education category.
Other winners of the SU of the year awards went to the following universities:
• Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union in the large trading category
• Students’ Union University of the Arts London in small trading category
• Bangor Students’ Union in the non-trading category
• Falmouth and Exeter Students' Union in the most improved category
Over 100 students’ unions across the UK took part in the Green Impact competitions. Green Impact offers a framework for staff and students to improve the ethical and environmental credentials of their union.
Each students’ union is provided with a bespoke workbook of criteria to work through to improve practice in areas such as energy, procurement, biodiversity and waste.
West Nottinghamshire College was highlighted as completing the largest number of tasks and obtained the largest number of points out of all FE unions taking part.
Over the last twelve months, the college has undertaken a range of projects aimed at improving the college and local environment, including reducing and recycling waste, setting up a community allotment, getting involved in the Clean Up Mansfield campaign and planting seeds and bulbs on the main college campus.
Student experience manager Sue Harries said: “To win an SU of the year award and be the only college to do so is amazing and this is testament to the hard work put in by the SU team and our own students for being so actively involved in the work we do.
“We’re absolutely delighted to have won gold for the second time running. Everyone has worked so hard this year to put some very creative and effective ideas to improve the environment into practice.”
