UCL Innovation & Enterprise wins gold at UCL’s 2020 Sustainability Awards

UCL Innovation & Enterprise has won a Gold Green Impact Office Award in a virtual ceremony organised by Sustainable UCL. UCL Consultants, part of UCL Innovation & Enterprise, were also awarded gold. Green Impact is a UCL-wide environmental competition and accreditation scheme.

The UCL Sustainability Awards celebrate the inspiring work of staff and students undertaking teaching, research and projects to create a sustainable future.

UCL Innovation & Enterprise received Silver Awards for both their projects, Ditch the Disposable and Food Habits. Ditch the Disposable tackled single-use-plastics at events and in catering, saving over 1000 single-use-plastic items in just one year. Food Habits encouraged behaviour change around food choices both in work and at home, particularly around the consumption of animal products. The success of both the projects was due to a collaborative approach within the department and with UCL’s caterers. 

Our pledges 

To help make UCL as sustainable as possible, staff in UCL Innovation & Enterprise have pledged to:

• use reusable coffee cups more
• only buy biodegradable cleaning wipes for the office
• eat more veggie meals and try to reduce the amount of meat
• use the recycling bins more efficiently and check what goes where
• not take plastic cutlery when buying a take-away lunch, use the ones in the kitchen at work instead
• start using alternatives to dairy milk (oat milk)
• use tote bags rather than plastic bags in shops (and borrow from someone else if needed)
• move towards 100% veggie food at our catered events
• ensure the tea bags we buy have no plastic in them
• get the tap fixed so we don’t need to use the kettle
• talk to estates and our landlord about changing the paper towels to efficient hand dryer to reduce waste
• remember to turn off the lights in the meeting rooms after using them, and turn off screens at workstations when not in use

Read the full article on the Sustainable UCL website.