After being one of the first institutions to pilot NUS’ Green Impact Project Assistant scheme, University of Sheffield Students’ Union is now using Students’ Green Fund to take the highly effective Green Impact model into students’ homes.

Creating a workbook of environmentally friendly actions for both students and landlords to work through, Green Impact Student Homes will audit and give awards to 100 student homes, engaging some 500 students along with their landlords.

Criteria included in the workbook will include small lifestyle changes such as switching to environmentally friendly washing up liquid and replacing inefficient light bulbs, to cooking according to seasonal eating and using sustainable transport on campus.

The highest scoring homes will earn the students in residence a free month’s rent, along with home improvements like solar panels and double glazing – incentives which benefit both students and landlords. These houses will be used as an exemplar of good practice – used as part of tours for both students and landlords as an example of how effective and beneficial environmental improvements to student accommodation can be.

Green Impact Student Homes uses positive competition and peer to peer influence to create more comfortable, more efficient, and more sustainable homes for students.

University of Sheffield Students’ Union
£100,404