The College Sustainability Challenge Final 2020
Thursday 12-03-2020 - 11:27
After six weeks of hard work, research and preparations, it was time for the College Sustainability Challenge Final 2020.
The College Sustainability Challenge is a chance for students to collaborate with academics, professional staff and students, to develop ideas and solutions to the various challenges the university faces concerning environmental sustainability. In its 5th year, the challenge is a fantastic opportunity for students to broaden their skills and gain invaluable experience that will fuel future careers. Students conclude the challenge by pitching their ideas to a panel of judges made up of influential figures at the university, giving them the chance to inform and shape the environmental sustainability agenda.
This Tuesday it was time for each college team to present their innovative sustainability idea to our judging panel including university Pro-Vice-Chancellor Simon Guy, LYFE secretary Nancy Mills, VP Community and Welfare Grishma Bijukumar, Enterprise Education Development Manager Amanda Brooks and students' union Sustainability intern Naomi Young. College teams pitched a variety of different ideas, from campus share bikes to fashion swap apps, brilliant ideas were boundless! Following hours of inspiring pitches, the judges had the gruelling task of selecting the runners up and winners, luckily the evening included a tasty vegan buffet to keep the panellists and attendees fuelled for the evening!
After much deliberation, the panellists selected this year's winners and Professor Dame Sue Black presented awards to the runners up Grizedale college and the winners, Pendle college! Grizedale college were commended for their brilliant reusable cups scheme, which would replace the disposable cups currently used in college bars and save an incredible amount of plastic waste each year. Pendle college won the challenge (and £750!) with their simple but effective Ecosia idea! Ecosia is a search engine which in short, plants trees for user searches. Thus, if used the default search engine on a university-wide scale, could have an enormous impact. The team shared their research of Ecosias impacts with stakeholders, including ISS and received support from several key groups. The panellists were impressed by the team's research and idea's simplicity but impressive scope.
We'd like to extend our huge congratulations to winners Pendle College and runners up Grizedale 🏆 and to everyone for developing such innovative ideas and delivering such inspiring pitches 🌍. Let this just be the start of your projects, not the end.
If you'd like the opportunity to...
🌿 A chance shape the environmental sustainability agenda at Lancaster
💵 An opportunity to win £750 1st prize, £250 2nd prize
🥇 An experience that will give you new skills and impress future employers
make sure you take part in what will be our 6th annual Sustainability Challenge commencing at the start of the next academic term.
🙌🌿 Check out the Sustainability Challenge Final gallery.
