The IDS Green Team has been awarded three leaves in the University’s Sustainability Benchmark award 2020-21. 

The three leaf award recognises excellence in embedding the benchmark criteria across the team’s activities, and shows that the team are engaging with a wide range of sustainability issues and activities.  

Sustainability initiatives run by the team include putting recycling front and centre by replacing unnecessary general waste bins in the Campus Library with recycling bins, and providing recycling for various items.  

The team have also used technology to reduce their carbon footprint and support the wider Keele community – launching digital-only processes for checking reading lists and damaged books and using Microsoft Teams to create a Virtual Book Club and monitor progress of the directorate’s Race Around the World challenge contribution.   

Student auditors prepared reports with feedback from the audit process. They said: “It is clear the team is embedding sustainability into its practices and is striving to make positive changes wherever possible, demonstrating a real commitment to sustainability.” 

This is the second year in a row that IDS’ Green Team, made up of colleagues from the Library, IT and the Careers service, who also call the Library building home, have achieved the three leaf award.  

Dan Perry, Chief Information Officer and University Librarian, said: “I’m delighted with this award, recognising the work of Steve Parton and the whole of the Green Team. 

“This is not the first award, rather further demonstration of continued great work over several years, and I look forward to more of this leadership guiding the rest of IDS as part of our upcoming Sustainability Roadmap.” 

The directorate is now working to implement a sustainability strategy, which will help the team to further embed sustainability in everything they do.  

Steve Parton, Liaison Librarian and leader of the IDS Green Team, said: “This would not have been possible without all the hard work of my colleagues in the Green Team and support from others in IDS.  

“Despite the challenges of the last year, it was encouraging that we were still able to report several achievements in the audit.”