Lincoln ‘Festival for the Future’ Wins International Green Gown Award

The Green Gown Awards UK and Ireland have been recognising sustainability excellence in Higher Education since 2004 and are delivered by The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, in association with UK Research and Innovation.

Now in its fourth year, the Climate Action Festival from the University of Lincoln has grown into a collaborative series of events across the city, created with the community in mind. The weeklong schedule of events includes art exhibitions, educational workshops, biodiversity walks, performances, and partnerships with the Students’ Union and other stakeholders, all related to climate action.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln Professor Neal Juster said:

“The Climate Action Festival has grown into a real highlight and attracts sustainability partners and members of the community to shine a light on such an important area.

“It is fantastic to see the festival recognised with a Green Gown Award and is a testament to the hard work of our Sustainability Team and everyone else involved. I’m looking forward to this year’s festival which is happening next week with many of the events taking place across the city.

“The University is committed to Net Zero and Sustainability, and the Climate Action Festival is part of a much broader set of activities focussing on a low carbon future. For example, Northern Lincolnshire is Britain’s biggest industrial emitter of greenhouse gases so decarbonising the region and beyond is a huge but vital task if we are to achieve Net Zero: whether that’s producing the skilled workforce that nascent industries such as carbon capture and storage will need, or delivering the applied research that can deliver new breakthrough technologies.”

Prof. Libby John, Dean of Sustainability at the University of Lincoln said:

“I am proud and thrilled to hear that the Climate Action Festival won at the Green Gown Awards last night.

“The festival has grown over the past three years to become what it is now, and this is down to the hard work of the team involved and the passion of the community to bring climate and sustainability into focus through an interdisciplinary lense.

“I am really looking forward to next week’s Climate Action Festival for 2024, which we can now call an award-winning event!”

The Climate Action Festival has been directed and overseen by Alex Foxley-Wood, Estates Communication and Engagement Lead at the University of Lincoln, who has worked with colleagues across the University to bring it to life since its inception in 2021.

She said:

“I’m thrilled that we’ve won the Creating Impact category with the Climate Action Festival at this year’s Green Gown Awards, this festival is a true collaboration between the University and city partners in Lincoln, promoting climate and nature positive action with a community focused approach – where everyone involved has a voice.”

Judges at the Green Gown Awards commented that the festival is a really interesting and exciting concept with an impressive scope and a wide range of participants. There are clearly ambitious plans for future events, growth and permanence. Judges felt the project stood out by celebrating positivity and joy linked to sustainability action. A great example of visible leadership coming from HE, which could be replicated successfully across the sector but feels truly innovative.

In what was a very successful night for the University of Lincoln, two other projects were shortlisted as finalists at the Green Gown Awards. The Green Steel for Change project was a finalist in the ‘Research with Impact – Institution’ category, and the Net Zero Roadmap for 2040 project which was a finalist in the ‘2030 Climate Action’ category.