Queen’s Students’ Union has been awarded the bronze standard within the Sound Environmental Impact accreditation scheme, and according to Deputy General Manager Dominic Doherty, the SU are aiming to attain silver status by March 2011.
BY KERRI-ANNE CAMPBELL
The Sound Environmental Impact Awards were launched in 2004 in order to encourage, nurture, reward and celebrate environmental best-practice in Students’ Unions. It is an environmental accreditation scheme which aims to help Student Unions reduce their impact on the environment. According to Sound Impact, it also enables Unions to gain great publicity and help create mutually beneficial relationships between individuals in the Union and environmental staff in their institution.
All entrants are awarded one of four qualifications: Working Towards Accreditation; Bronze Standard; Silver Standard and the Gold Award. There are also three special awards that Unions can enter irrespective of their overall score which include: The Ecologist Communications Challenge Award, The Co-operative Most Improved Union Award and the Office Depot Green Innovation Award.
In order to gain the Bronze Standard, Unions need to meet all 23 criteria marked as bronze essentials. Queen’s SU will be presented with a certificate/award and will receive a digital Sound Environmental Award logo for their achievement.
So great to see this green arwdas program recognizing these organizations for their leadership in sustainability. By celebrating the things that we value, we can guide our society forward intelligently. Congratulations to the Banksia Foundation for holding their 2011 environmental arwdas.