Staff Sustainability Champions

Our network of Sustainability Champions work on campus and in our residences to make King’s a more sustainable place.

They focus maximising the positive – while reducing the negative – social and environmental impacts of our operations and activities.

Throughout the year, King’s Sustainability Champions deliver projects and complete actions mapped against the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Teams work towards achieving either Climate & Sustainability Foundation, Bronze, Silver or Gold across three broad areas – offices, laboratories (both teaching and research labs) and halls of residences.  

The programme empowers staff to make positive and sustainable changes to their work environments, while providing staff development opportunities and wellbeing benefits.

It is guided by SOS-UK’s Green Impact Programme and UCL’s Lab Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF).

Sign up to become a Staff Sustainability Champion

Watch a video of the 2024 Sustainability Awards:

Timeline and time requirement

October	Sustainability Champions launch An in-person/hybrid launch that explains the workbook criteria for the year ahead, key sustainability updates, and networking and activities to get to know other Champions in the programme
November-April	Completing the actions Forming a team Completing criteria of either Climate & Sustainability Foundation, Bronze, Silver or Gold Updating evidence for criteria of previously attained awards Attending group workshops and events Communicating with King's Climate & Sustainability team about progress and questions Submitting your completed online toolkit (Green Impact toolkit for office and residence teams; LEAF for lab teams)
May-June	Sustainability audits Office and residence team audits take place on 1 day by trained students. Lab teams conduct peer audits and receive training on how to carry these out by King's Climate & Sustainability team
July	Sustainability Awards All Sustainability Champion teams receive an award, certificate and badge as a thank you and in recognition for taking part in the programme.

We estimate being a Sustainability Champion will take up to 30 minutes – 1 hour of your time a week. We encourage you to read through the attached time commitment document. The toolkit actions are designed so you can fit them around your working day, and you may even find your team is already undertaking some of the actions.  

Sustainability Champions: Time commitment infographic - (pdf) 4192 Kb

Benefits of being a Sustainability Champion

Alongside helping King's to become a more sustainable place, being a Sustainability Champion is a great professional development opportunity.

Offering resources and workshops to improve your knowledge on sustainability throughout the year, you'll also learn how to build sustainable decision-making into your role at King's.

The programme provides an opportunity to meet staff in different departments and work together to make sustainable changes. You and your team will be invited to the Sustainability Awards ceremony in July to celebrate your progress and receive recognition for your work.

Throughout the year, King's Climate & Sustainability team are on hand to answer any questions and provide support. 

Join the programme

Complete this short form to sign up to be a Sustainability Champion. Once you have set up or joined your departmental team email sustainability@kcl.ac.uk and a representative will organise an introductory call.

You can join an existing team or create a new team by following the below instructions.

Laboratory teams

Office and residence teams

Students can get involved in the Sustainability Champions programme by acting as Sustainability Auditors at the end of the academic year.

Email sustainability@kcl.ac.uk to find out more.

Green DiSC programme

Green DiSC (Digital Sustainability Certificate) is a NEW sustainability programme run by the Software Sustainability Institute, aimed at those undertaking computer-based research and work. Sign up to the programme (internal only)

Email sustainability@kcl.ac.uk to find out more.

Sustainability Champion stories

Read case studies of some of our Sustainability Champions to learn about what they do and sustainability successes.

2021-2022

2020-2021

2018-2019

Sustainability Awards

2024

59 teams were awarded:

36 Gold awards

10 Silver awards

12 Bronze awards

1 Foundation award

2023 

39 teams were awarded:

24 Gold awards

6 Silver awards

8 Bronze awards

2022

61 teams were awarded:

34 Gold

5 Silver

1 Working Towards Silver

7 Bronze

13 Sustainability Dozen

1 Working Towards Sustainability Dozen

King's Sustainability achievements include:

King’s has reduced its carbon emissions by more than half (51%) since our 2005/06 baseline

King’s ranked in top 5 UK universities for environmental and social impact in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, as well as second in the UK in the People & Planet League table this year.

500+ people taking part in the Sustainability Champions programme and 350+ members of the Climate Action Network (CAN)

Between September 2021 and July 2022, more than 1,400 attendees came together across 87 events and training opportunities run by the King’s Sustainability Team

The development of the KEATS Sustainability and Climate module, which had over 600 students and staff enroll and over 180 complete the full module and receive sustainability awards

Over 1,000 modules mapped against the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with the help of over 60 trained students and staff

All King’s suppliers must now sign up to the Sustainability Supply Chain Code of Conduct. This is a huge step to reducing our carbon emissions, as our supply chain is the biggest source of carbon (scope 3)

King’s Food and King’s Venues choice menus are now 70% vegetation and vegan

King’s has recently been awarded the highest rating of three stars by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) rating, as well as being re-accredited as a Fairtrade university.

Past Sustainability Awards