Award
Green Gown Awards is an award given to acknowledge institutions of higher education such as colleges and universities on their exceptional efforts towards sustainability,[1] under the purview of the Environmental Assocation of Universities and Colleges (EAUC), with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).[2] This award is referred to as the "highest recognition given to higher education institutions that carry out sustainability efforts" in reaching United Nations (UN)'s global sustainability objectives.[3][4]
The award was initially only given to institutions in United Kingdom and Ireland, although it was later expanded to other universities across the world as International Green Gown Awards.[5] Among the most sought-after category is the Sustainability Institution of the Year.[6]
The Green Gown Awards was first awarded in 2004 by EAUC to institutions of higher education in United Kingdom dan Ireland.[5] The award consisted of six categories - Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Construction, Transport, Sustainable Procurement, Waste Management, and Water Efficiency, with the categories ever-changing throughout the years.[7]
There are two levels of acknowledgement in the award, i.e., Winner (awarded to best institution within a category) and Highly Commended (sometimes awarded as an honourable mention).[6]
In 2010, the award scope was expanded beyond United Kingdom dan Ireland when the prize for the two countries was renamed Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland, and another award was created for the Australasian region, Green Gown Awards Australasia.[5] It was later expanded to French-speaking countries in 2014.
The award was further expanded to the rest of the world with the introduction of the International Green Gown Awards in 2014, won by RMIT University (Australia) for the category Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change, Hull College (UK) for Social Responsibility, and Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) for Student Engagement.[8]
Since 2019, it began awarding Sustainability Institution of the Year to institutions who sustained whole institution commitment and delivered impact towards sustainability while being a sustainable organisation as a whole.[6]
The award began differentiating small and large institutions in their acknowledgements since 2020.[9]
International Green Gown Awards
[edit]United Kingdom is the country with the most awards totalling at 15 awards from 12 institutions. The institution with the most victory is International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia with six awards, including four awards at once in one year during 2024, the only institution to with more than two awards in the same year.[10]
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change
|
 RMIT University
|
| Social Responsibility
|
 Hull College
|
| Student Engagement
|
Manchester Metropolitan University
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Community Innovation
|
De Montfort University
|
| Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change
|
 Université Laval
|
| Student Engagement
|
Edinburgh College
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change
|
University of West of England
|
| Community
|
 Fiji National University
|
| Student Engagement
|
University of West of England, UWE and University of Bristol
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Community
|
University of Tasmania
|
| Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change
|
Canterbury Christ Church University
|
| Student Engagement
|
 Chiba University
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Benefitting Society
|
 Victoria University of Wellington
|
| Student Engagement
|
 Ndejje University
|
| Sustainability Institution of the Year
|
McGill University
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Benefitting Society
|
Ayrshire College
|
 Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
|
| Student Engagement
|
 Facens University
|
University of Strathclyde
|
| Sustainability Institution of the Year
|
 Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia
|
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Benefitting Society
|
Facens University Center
|
 The Chinese University of Hong Kong
|
| Creating Impact
|
 Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana
|
 Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology
|
| Next Generation Learning and Skills
|
 Covenant University
|
University of Gloucestershire
|
| Student Engagement
|
 oikos St Gallen
|
| Sustainability Institution of the Year
|
 Polytech Montpellier
|
Keele University
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Climate Action 2030
|
Chiba University of Commerce
|
 University of Sopron
|
| Benefitting Society
|
 De La Salle Lipa
|
Deakin University
|
| Creating Impact
|
University of Technology, Sydney
|
| Next Generation Learning and Skills
|
University of Technology, Sydney
|
| Student Engagement
|
Universiti UCSI
|
University of Tasmania
|
| Sustainability Institution of the Year
|
Dawson College
|
| Category
|
Winners
|
| Climate Action 2030
|
Borders College
|
| Benefitting Society
|
Centro Universitário Facens
|
Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia
|
| Creating Impact
|
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
|
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Sustainability
|
 Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences
|
University of West of England, Bristol
|
| Nature Positive
|
 Universidad del Norte
|
| Next Generation Learning and Skills
|
St.Teresa’s College
|
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
|
| Student Engagement
|
 The University of Faisalabad
|
University of Otago, Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou
|
| Sustainability Institution of the Year
|
 University College Cork
|
Asian Institute of Technology
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
Collegio Borromeo
Haramaya University
Singapore Management University