Seven steps

Pre-Registration

In order to be able to register for the Green-Campus programme, campuses must complete a pre-registration phase which involves forming a committee of volunteers from among staff and students, carrying out a scoping exercise and gaining support for the programme from senior management. Completing these requirements means that at the point of registration, committees will have a good idea of the following: how the campus operates, who to approach to gain access to data and which thematic areas are relevant to the site and to the individual committee members. Committees are thus well placed to begin the campaign on site.

Green-Campus Committee
The first step of the Green-Campus programme involves establishing a viable Green-Campus Committee, within the organisational structure of the Institution. The committee may be linked to the constitution of the Students Union and/or Environmental Society or become an official statutory committee within the campus. The chairperson and vice-chairperson should also have access to top level management within the Institution. The committee should be as representative of the whole organisation as possible. It should primarily be made up of students (making up the majority of the committee members whenever possible) and should also incorporate a combination of academic and teaching staff, a member of the executive board or governing authority, non-teaching staff particularly building managers and those responsible for the facilities management onsite, contractors, and any other interested members of the campus and local community.
Environmental Review
The aim of the review is to identify the initial state on campus regarding the environmental management of the theme(s) under investigation. The results of the review are used to derive the action plan. The review helps to establish whether change is necessary, urgent or not required. It also assists in setting realistic targets and monitoring implementation. By thoroughly checking all potential environmental impacts on campus for the theme under investigation, the environmental review should: • Provide a clear view of the range of the campus’ impacts and establish a baseline. • Ensure that significant areas are not overlooked. • Identify areas where current practice is good or areas where current practices are lacking. • Communicate the impacts to the campus community. • Help to prioritise actions to be taken. The Green-Campus Office can provide assistance to the Green-Campus Committee in planning the environmental review.
Action Plan
Information gleaned from the environmental review is used to identify priority areas and create an action plan. Action planning involves setting achievable and realistic targets and deadlines to improve environmental performance on specific issues by listing a number of agreed environmental objectives, along with deadlines and clearly allocated responsibilities for each step. Where possible, action plans should be linked to learning on campus, show any cost implications, and specify arrangements for monitoring and evaluation. The action plan is continually amended to reflect the findings of subsequent monitoring and evaluation. The action plan can also include actions that reflect the Seven Steps of the Programme.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation are used to assess progress made towards achieving targets identified in the action plan and to identify areas that require further attention or modified actions. It also enhances whole college awareness by highlighting the successes of the actions undertaken. Monitoring and evaluation should be developed in tandem with the action plan.
Linking to Learning on Campus
Learning on campus as part of certificate, degree and postgraduate programmes should influence the way the whole college operates. Opportunities exist within Green-Campus to make learning links into a range of subjects at many levels. The Green-Campus Programme can involve the use of research findings, student projects, student and staff induction, and the use of art or media departments to produce posters, videos etc.
Informing and Involving the Campus and Wider Community
The aim of the informing and involving step is to spread the Green-Campus Committee’s message throughout the campus and the wider community through ongoing publicity (website, Facebook, media interaction, posters etc.) and a ‘Day of Action’. The ‘Day of Action’ is an opportunity for students, staff and the wider community to get together to work towards achieving some of the targets set out in the action plan. On some campuses the ‘Day of Action’ was carried out in conjunction with local or national projects (e.g. Tidy Towns, National Spring Clean, Energy Awareness Week, Tree Week, Bike Week, etc.). Green-Campus Committees can also link with existing Green Weeks on Campus to bring local management issues to a wider audience.
Green Charter
The Green Charter is essentially a “this is how we do things here” guide to environmental management on site. Most organisations will have a substantial Environmental Policy in existence with specific policy statements related to waste, energy, water and other environmental issues. This is often a large document and not easily remembered by staff or students. The differences between an environmental policy and the green charter are the former is an expression of what the campus intends to do and provides assistance at the strategic/management level; the latter is the means by which the campus community can achieve the aims through specific advice and information. The Green Charter may contain an environmental policy but essentially it should be a guidance document on how environmental issues are handled on campus. It should include contact details for the Green-Campus Committee, targets from the action plans and best practice guidance specific to the campus. The Green Charter should be a space on the website accessible to those that use the campus, students, staff and visitors, where environmental information can be published and, more importantly, updated. The Green Charter is designed to be compiled after the action plan has been implemented and the monitoring and evaluation steps have been carried out.

Seven steps

Pre-Registration

Steps

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