Gold award for Teesside University

Staff at Teesside University are celebrating after receiving a prestigious gold award for their commitment to the environment.

The University achieved the gold status from EcoCampus, the leading environmental management system and award scheme for the higher and further education sectors.

It follows a five year initiative to manage and improve its environmental performance and practices.

The University has a dedicated approach to its environmental responsibilities and set up an Environmental Advisory Group in 2010 to work towards the EcoCampus gold accreditation.

Darren Vipond, Acting Director of Campus Services at Teesside University and Chair of the Environmental Advisory Group, said: 'I’m delighted that all the hard work of the last couple of years has been recognised in a gold award from EcoCampus. Many colleagues in Campus Services and other schools and departments have done a huge amount to make significant improvements in our environmental systems.

'The gold award is the start of a journey, not the end. We are continuing to work to improve the University’s environmental performance and have a number of initiatives already planned for the months ahead which will improve this already excellent performance further.'

Malcolm Page, Chief Operating Officer at Teesside University, added: 'We continuously strive for environmental improvements and are aware of the impact of our operations locally, nationally and internationally.

'The gold award is a fantastic achievement for the University and a testament to the dedication of our staff who are committed to this vitally important aspect of our work.'

The EcoCampus gold award sits alongside the University’s Carbon Trust Standard, an award that is given to organisations who strive to measure, manage and reduce carbon emissions across their own operations.

EcoCampus was launched by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 2005 and provides an opportunity to report and benchmark performance and measure environmental improvements. When an institution has attained a certain level of environmental performance, it will be, subject to a successful external audit, given an EcoCampus award.

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