Environmental impact Low
Employer/employee ranking 8/20
Staff numbers 130
Energy reduction 35%
Recycling 100%

The student population of Loughborough is turning green. Not because of having one too many at the local pub, rather because of increased environmental awareness being fostered by the students’ union.

“We aren’t just aiming our environmental policy at our own staff, but the whole student population of Loughborough,” says Steve Black, the union’s vice president (finance and commercial services). That means the target is the 14,000 students at Loughborough University, the 4,000 at college in the city and a further 1,000 distance learners.

Employees of this £5m business say people in their team think green, giving an 81% green score in our survey. They say the environmental performance of departments is monitored (72%) and the organisation meets its environmental targets year on year (74%).

Earlier this month the union held its annual Reality Check week. This is an awareness campaign to drive down the environmental impact of the union staff, as well as the university students and staff. This year it included offering free bike checks and information on car-sharing, handing out free energy-saving light bulbs and holding a clothes swapping session.

But being green isn’t just a one-off event at Loughborough. The union holds weekly competitions in conjunction with the university’s residential management team to encourage recycling on campus and to reduce energy consumption. Students’ greenness is monitored and those who recycle the most and use the least energy are rewarded with a donation to a charity of their choice.

This commitment has led to Loughborough being named the greenest students’ union in the UK for the past two years, and it wins our green award for best small organisation with low environmental impact.

There are posters all around the union encouraging people to turn off lights and staff say they are a constant reminder to think green (74%). They also say bosses are open to suggestions for improvements (82%).

All energy used is renewable and staff say their boss encourages them to recycle (81%). The union recycles all the waste it produces and employees believe Loughborough opts for the most environmentally friendly solution rather than the cheapest (a 73% positive green score).