What will always be needed is the passion and commitment of people on the ground and therefore what we’re celebrating here today will be required for times going forward for as long as one can see. You bring two very important things: your passion and your creativity, and final solutions will only emerge from the creative contributions of all of us together.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President, King’s College London
17 July 2024
59 teams across King's receive Sustainability Awards
The King’s Climate & Sustainability Awards 2024 celebrated the efforts that are making King’s a more sustainable place.
The King’s Climate & Sustainability Awards brought together staff, students and members of the public to recognise the commitment and passion of staff taking part in the Sustainability Champions programme, which began in 2013 and continues to grow.
Sustainability Champions work on campus in offices, labs and residences. They aim to make King's more sustainable using the SOS-UK Green Impact toolkit in offices and the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) in labs.
This year, 59 teams received awards - up from 39 in 2023. 36 teams were awarded gold, 10 silver, 12 bronze and one foundation.
In line with the aims of the King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan, which sets out our ambition to address sustainability and the climate emergency, the network focuses on maximising the positive social and environmental impacts of our activities, while minimising negative impacts.
The Sustainability Champions at King’s are truly inspiring: every day, they demonstrate how we can change the way we do things to achieve our sustainability ambitions. It is a privilege to coordinate a network at the heart of action on climate and sustainability at King’s, and the Awards Ceremony is a wonderful celebration of all their achievements.
Rosa Roe Garcia, Sustainability Engagement Officer, King’s Climate & Sustainability
As part of the Awards Ceremony, short presentations were delivered by some of the Champions:
- The Strand Campus Operations team (Estates & Facilities Directorate) have extended a Toolbox Talk on sustainability to over 150 cleaning and security colleagues and are playing a central role in delivering King’s new electric vans.
- The Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience) are implementing TipOne recycling bins in labs and reducing autoclave and glassware washes by logging usage.
- The Clinical Skills Sustainability Project Group, SaIL Centres (Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care) are reducing, reusing and recycling consumables in clinical simulation education. Find out more about the faculty’s sustainability achievements.
- The Libraries & Collections team (Students & Education Directorate) are organising extracurricular events and activities throughout the year relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- The Dickson Poon School of Law are introducing sustainability to staff and students when they join, such as giving students tote bags and reusable cups during Welcome events and explaining why and how the faculty is committed to sustainability.
A big thank you and congratulations to each and every one of you for your awards. It’s remarkable to see how many awards we’ve given out, which has grown by 40%, in recognition of our community.
Nick O’Donnell, Executive Director of Estates & Facilities, King’s College London
In this story
Vice-Chancellor & President of King's College London
Assistant Principal (King’s Climate & Sustainability)
Climate and Sustainability Officer