Read more about the winner and runner up of the 2015 Sustainability Action Award for an Individual Staff Member.
Winner: James Leeming
As the Catering Manager at the University, James Leeming identified opportunities to reduce energy costs and improve the vending machine offering on campus through:
- Removing 28 vending machines that were not covering their running costs, taking the total number down from 108 to 80, saving £7,000.
- Replacing and upgrading a further 28 machines to more energy efficient ones with LED lighting and better refrigeration; and
- Applying for and winning a grant of £10,000 to install energy misers on 49 machines. These misers reduced the energy usage of each machine by approximately 25 per cent by putting them into a very low-energy use state when not being used. This saves approximately £4,000 every year.
Through identifying an opportunity to make a difference, James’ work across the campus is now saving approximately £11,000 every year, as well as the associated carbon emissions.
Runner up: James Wilson
James provides innovative healthcare-related teaching experiences using innovative and interactive theatrical techniques. These sessions provide opportunities that give students voice, choice and control to influence what is seen in the play, whilst also developing their knowledge at their own pace in a safe experimental learning setting. James has been creating and delivering these sessions with no budget for over 10 years, working with volunteers to create a library of over 40 different plays which can be repeated. Working with actors helps the students to explore different areas of healthcare, including dementia, learning difficulties, stigma, dealing with complaints, and helps them learn to make clinical decisions on the best course of action. These innovative teaching methods have raised the bar in terms of student involvement, employability and understanding and being empowered to deliver better healthcare – a major aspect of social sustainability