The University of Westminster has been shortlisted for three Green Gown Awards, which recognise, celebrate and showcase exceptional sustainability initiatives from universities, colleges and other post-16 institutions across the UK and Ireland.
The Cavendish Living Lab (CLL) and the Westminster Climate Assembly have been shortlisted in the Student Engagement category, which reflects collaboration between students and colleagues to achieve goals using top-down and bottom-up grass roots methods to achieve maximum understanding and engagement across an institution.
Since its launch, the CLL has secured over £200,000 in funding, created over 100 paid student internships, engaged more than 200 volunteers and delivered sustainability activities to over 800 school pupils. Working with partners including Westminster City Council, ReLondon, the Fitzrovia Partnership, local schools, businesses, charities and community organisations, students tackle challenges such as food waste, circular economy innovation, sustainable packaging, urban food production, sustainable fashion, air pollution and community wellbeing. Through community-based research, innovation projects and environmental education programmes, students generate measurable impact while developing leadership skills. Their achievements have been recognised through awards, conference presentations, media coverage and public exhibitions, demonstrating the value of student-colleague partnerships in driving sustainable change.
Using a democratic lottery, the Westminster Climate Assembly brought together 42 students, academics, professional services colleagues and contractors who reflected the full diversity of the university community. Collectively, assembly members learned, deliberated and produced 51 recommendations across three areas of climate action. Launched on Earth Day 2026, their recommendations are a community-authored blueprint for change.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Coordinating Group is now overseeing the University's response, with Vice-Chancellor and President of the University Professor Peter Bonfield committing to reconvene the assembly on Earth Day 2027 to review progress.
Sustainability Lead at the School of Arts Dr Rosie Wallin was also shortlisted in the Staff Sustainability Champion category, which recognises people who have implemented a sustainability project or initiative and whose involvement has made a positive impact on their peers, institution, students, local community and/or local workforce.
Dr Wallin is implementing the Education for Sustainable Development programme and increasing awareness of the SDGs within the School of Arts. For colleagues, she ran training and workshops on measuring sustainability in the arts. Together with Senior Lecturers in the School of Arts Nicola Mansfield and Leddra Chapman, she also organised an interdisciplinary Sustainable Seas event for students, which included a panel discussion with Extinction Rebellion, an Ocean Photographer of the Year finalist and Surfers against Sewage. She spearheaded the Sustainable Stories films where students had the chance to relate their work to the SDGs and use them for teaching and public promotion on the School of Arts website. In 2023, prior to becoming an SDG Lead, Dr Wallin worked to ensure sustainability was part of the core curricula at every level of study and led the creation of the University’s Fashion Sustainability MA, with the first cohort starting in 2025-26.
About the awards, Dr Pooja Basnett, Senior Lecturer and Co-course leader for Biological Sciences BSc Honours and Project Lead for the CLL, said: “We are really pleased that the Cavendish Living Lab has been shortlisted for the Green Gown Awards this year in the Student Engagement category. The Lab provides a unique platform for students from different disciplines and levels of study to work collaboratively on real sustainability challenges, develop solutions and engage with external partners. Our students have delivered some amazing projects this year, so I am really glad to see their creativity, hard work and contribution recognised.”
Dr Ro Spankie, Assistant Head of the School of Architecture + Cities and Climate Assembly organiser, added: “We are really excited to hear the Climate Assembly has been selected as a finalist for student engagement. Students were genuine partners throughout: making up half of the assembly membership, working as trained facilitators, logistical coordinators, communications leads, artists, photographers as well as expert witnesses and evaluators. It gives a powerful signal of their appetite for this kind of meaningful climate participation.”
On behalf of Dr Wallin, Caroline Curtis, Assistant Head of the School of Arts, added: “The Westminster College of Creative Arts and Technology is thrilled to be nominated as a finalist for the Green Gown Awards for the second successive year, following last year’s shortlist for the Denim and Sustainable Innovation project. This year’s recognition highlights Dr Rosie Wallin’s long‑standing leadership in embedding sustainability across the curriculum at all levels and championing its importance throughout her career, particularly through the project she led which brought together new students and introduced them to the SDGs at the very beginning of their academic journey.”
The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony on16 November in Leeds.
This achievement directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4: Quality Education, 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and 13: Climate Action. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about Sustainable Development at the University of Westminster.
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