25 universities to share £5m for green projects – as A-level results are revealed

As a record number of people are accepted into UK universities, the National Union of Students (NUS) has revealed the 25 institutions that will share £5m for environmental sustainability projects.

The Students’ Green Fund will provide between £150,000 and £300,000 of funding over two years.

The projects include City University London’s plans to set up a funding pot for students to propose their own sustainability initiatives. The University of Greenwich, meanwhile, is to set up a sustainability hub and hold an ethical fashion event.

Sheffield’s higher education institutions have united for the ‘Sheffield on a Plate’. Sustainable food production sites are to be installed on participating campuses, and the University of Sheffield will set up a social enterprise vegetable box scheme. Students in Newcastle plan to develop derelict land to grow local fresh produce.

The projects will be run by student unions in partnership with their parent institutions.

Over 100 unions applied for the funding. NUS vice-president Dom Anderson said, “We knew that students and students’ unions are dedicated to doing what they can to adopt pro-environmental behaviours, and to be part of a wider movement towards global sustainability, so we knew that the opportunity to be awarded £300,000 to drive greening projects would be extremely popular.

“But I certainly didn’t expect the overwhelming level of interest which we got: 120 students’ unions applying with proposals of a total value of over £22m. It’s a powerful message, telling us that sustainability is a core priority of our movement, and that students want to lead the way in driving the change to a low-carbon future.”

The NUS said the investment would produce graduates who are both “qualified and sustainably literate.”

As of last night, 385,910 students had been accepted into a UK university or college, an increase of 9% from 2012, UCAS has revealed.

Almost 10,000 applicants are still awaiting results or decisions, and over 145,000 are free to seek to apply for clearing courses, both lower totals than for recent years.

The 25 institutions sharing the £5m, along with their respective projects, are:

– Bedfordshire Green Hub (University of Bedfordshire)

– BrightGreen (University of Brighton)

– City University Green Challenge (City University London)

– Create a Greener Future (University of Cumbria)

– Edible Campus (Lancaster University)

– Energise Worcester (University of Worcester)

– Green Guerrilla Gardeners (University of Newcastle)

– Green Guild (Liverpool Guild of Students)

– Green Impact Student Homes (University of Sheffield)

– Green Ladder (University of Central Lancashire)

– Green Living Project (Falmouth University & University of Exeter)

– GreenPad (Staffordshire University)

– The Green Transformation Project (Bristol University)

– Greener Gloucestershire (University of Gloucestershire)

– Greenwich Sustainability Hub (University of Greenwich)

– Growhampton (University of Roehampton)

– Leeds Green Exchange (University of Leeds)

– P2 (University of Northampton)

– Recycle and Up-Cycle Cafe (Birmingham City University)

– Sheffield on a Plate (University of Sheffield)

– Smart Green Scheme (Wigan & Leigh College)

– Southampton BEES (University of Southampton)

– Sports 4 All (University of Bradford)

– Students’ Green Unit (University of Exeter)

– Sustainable Food Production on Campus (University of Leicester)

Further reading:

NUS to begin £5m sustainability engagement with education institutions

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Social responsibility most important to Generation Y investors, says survey

Climate change to remain on school geography syllabus