Green Impact
The University is committed to embed sustainability practices in our day-to-day lives. With this aim in mind, the Green Impact program provides an opportunity for staff and students to get involved and bring positive change within and beyond our campuses. Green Impact raises awareness of the challenges of sustainable practices by offering a focused and supportive approach to tackle key issues through targeted actions. This voluntary program is a fun, flexible and social to contribute to enhancing sustainability across our campuses and communities.
Green Impact was developed in the United Kingdom in 2006 by the National Union of Students (NUS) and is delivered in Australia by Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS). The program helps people to understand sustainability and social responsibility, and provides a framework via an online toolkit to help them achieve actions that make a difference.
Why choose the Green Impact program?
The University of Newcastle makes a Green Impact
Green Impact is a change and engagement program, developed in the UK by the National Union of Students (NUS) and delivered in Australia by Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS). It has been implemented by over 400 organisations worldwide to consistently positive feedback from participants.
The university staff, students, clubs, and retailers are welcome to take part in the Green Impact Program. Simply create a team and start completing sustainable actions from an online toolkit that has been designed for the University of Newcastle.
Additionally individual students will have an opportunity to register as GI Student Auditors to conduct assessments while gaining practical experience. Reach out to the sustainability team by email.
Step by step guide to get started
- The University staff can join the Green Impact by forming a team. Teams can be any size and are typically from the same department, workspace, or floor. Encourage your colleagues to join your team.
- Join with fun team name by following Green Impact link and click on ‘Register’ to sign up.
- Assign a primary and secondary team leader/ champions. If you are a new team, your primary team leader has to select 'register', enter in your team details and the registration code 10052. If you are signing up to an existing team, select a team from the drop-down list provided, and enter the registration code 10052.
- Make sure every member of the team is registered using their individual details and we encourage you to join the university Microsoft Teams group for additional support
- Start completing actions from the online toolkit
FAQs
It's simple! Grab a few colleagues, register your team, and start making the changes you’ve always wanted to make. You don’t need any technical knowledge just a passion and a flair for doing something and making a difference.
Once you have registered your team with their super cool name, you can set about completing the actions from the pre-designed Green Impact toolkit. In consultation with the sustainability team, IFS and ACTS we have designed the toolkit to improve the environmental performance of your workspace, collaboration spaces, social space, or any other space of influence.
By implementing and recording your achievements, your team will accrue points based on the actions you choose to complete throughout the program’s duration.
The program is designed to be flexible by completing even just one or two actions you'll have taken a positive step toward a sustainable campus.
Why not have a look at some of the actions that are in the toolkit.
Not if you don’t want it to be. Select the actions out of the pre-designed toolkit that you and your team can achieve – set yourself up to succeed and don’t over commit. Anything you can do is a win for sustainability on our campus.
We have this site with associated resources, a TEAMS site to chat as well as an online toolkit with all sorts of information. We will also do a call-around to see how you’re getting on and you will receive regular (but not spam) communications. And of cause, we are just a phone call or email away.
Teams can be any size as long as it is more than one. On average team sizes are around 6 - 8 people, however, you can have as many members as you want, we just suggest that the team size is manageable.
You can join an existing team in your office area, or if you are unsure of the teams in your area, email the sustainability team who can help you find a team near you.
If you are not sure about a team in your department/building, just pop us an email and we can help you out.
Once the program is launched you can sign up at any time, however, we do recommend you do this before September, 2022. This will give you time to implement your actions and take advantage of the support provided by the Sustainability Team.
Yes, However, tool kit actions are designed keeping staff in mind. So, we will recommend forming a team with staff members, RHD / PhD students who have dedicated spaces of their own.
But during the next phase, students can participate as volunteers to undertake an audit of the completed actions of the teams, students will be able to gain some work-ready skills through their participation.
We are working towards a more sustainable campus but also the kudos and recognition that goes with completing levels within the program. This year we have launched with bronze, silver, and gold levels.
- To obtain the kudos that goes with the Bronze level, you must complete seven of the actions in the bronze level within the program.
- To obtain the kudos that goes with the Silver level, you must complete the seven bronze actions and five silver actions of the program.
- To obtain the kudos that goes with the Gold level, you must complete the seven bronze, five silver and three gold level actions of the program.
There are also “Working Towards” certificates and acknowledgements for those that make the effort towards Bronze, Silver and Gold.
The feather in your sustainability cap will be for the overall “Green Impact Champion” - this award goes to the team with the overall highest points irrelevant of the level you obtain.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.