University shortlisted for two Green Gown Awards

The nominations are further evidence of the University’s long-held commitments to sustainability research, education and action

Mr Alan Williams

Senior Media and Communications Officer

Communication Services (Marketing and Communications)

17 July 2024

The University of Plymouth has been shortlisted for two Green Gown Awards, further evidence of its long-held commitment to sustainability research, education and action.

In the Research with Impact – Institution category, the shortlisting reflects the University’s pioneering – and ongoing – work on microplastics and other forms of marine litter.

And in the Sustainability Champion – Student category, 2023 graduate Hayley Hill has been shortlisted in recognition of her work to inspire young people to learn more about climate change and the roles they can play in helping to tackle it.

The University has previously won several Green Gown Awards, including last year when it triumphed in the Reporting with Influence category as well as being Highly Commended in the 2030 Climate Action category.

The 2024 winners will be announced at a ceremony which will take place on Wednesday 13 November at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh.

Sources, effects, solutions – alerting the world to microplastics

2024 marks the 20^th anniversary of the first published study to highlight the widescale distribution and long-term accumulation of microplastics in the global ocean.

Led by Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, the seminal paper in Science sparked a whole new area of academic research which has – to this point – been followed by an estimated 7,000 peer-reviewed publications on the topic.

Amid this growing global interest, the University – through the work of its International Marine Litter Research Unit – remains at the forefront of the field.

In addition to establishing the sources and effects of microplastic pollution, its scientists work with partners across academia, industry, policy and the media to present the pressing need for action, and develop and evaluate emerging solutions.

This whole-system approach has inspired individual and collective action at a local, national and international level, while researchers continue to push for robust scientific evidence to be a key consideration for an effective Global Plastics Treaty.

The work has also earned numerous accolades, with the University being awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019 and Professor Thompson being jointly awarded the Volvo Environment Prize in 2022, and the Blue Planet Prize in 2023.

Being shortlisted for this award is fantastic recognition for everyone at the University involved in the study of microplastics, and our many partners worldwide. It acknowledges that our research has been groundbreaking, but also that it has had – and is continuing to have – a significant impact on policy, consumers, industry and society on a global scale.

Richard Thompson OBE FRS
Director of the Marine Institute

Head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit

Championing climate awareness through school workshops

Environmental issues affect every aspect of life on Earth, and younger children will experience their impacts longer than most.

With that in mind, Hayley Hill conceived a project as part of her Environmental Science degree to identify how best to engage primary school children with environmental issues.

After developing a plan with her project supervisor Dr Alison Stokes, Associate Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Hayley worked with an established extracurricular eco club at a school in South East Cornwall.

Published in The Plymouth Student Scientist in December 2023, her project report includes evidence of such clubs being an excellent way to foster interest in environmental issues, in addition to recommendations for schools and teachers.

The initial project involved a small group of children from one school, but – now working as an Education Coordinator for Cornwall Climate Care – Hayley has used her experiences to create and run free workshops across Cornwall and Devon.

To date, these have been delivered to well over 2,500 primary and secondary school pupils, engaging them with some of the key challenges facing our planet and highlighting their role in helping address them.

I am delighted to have been announced as a finalist for the Green Gown Awards. Being able to use the results of my final-year project to teach thousands of children and young people across Cornwall and Devon about climate change in a way that inspires hope for the future, through my work with Cornwall Climate Care, is my dream job. Having the importance of my work recognised by the Green Gown Awards really is the icing on the cake to what has already been an incredible year.

Hayley Hill

BSc (Hons) Environmental Science graduate

Sustainability with the University of Plymouth

Plymouth is making a powerful, positive difference to individual and collective futures, and striving for excellence in financial, environmental and social responsibility across all our activities.

Our sustainability ambitions stretch across campus operations, teaching and research in a unique institutional approach.

Learn more about our approach to sustainability