Green award for University Multi-faith Chaplaincy team
The Multi-Faith Chaplaincy team serving Exeter and Falmouth University campuses has been presented with the Green Impact Gold Award at a ceremony. 
University Chaplain Becky Barber and Lay Chaplain Richard Hopper, who is also the team’s ‘Green Champion’, joined nine other teams from across the Falmouth and Penryn University campuses to receive awards.
This scheme, run by the National Union of Students (NUS), sets out 65 “green” areas for action, ranging from biodiversity to travel, energy to procurement, and waste.
Across the UK, 1,509 teams in higher education reaching 55,000 staff completed 214,000 actions in this year’s Green Impact programme. An NUS survey of students in higher education showed 85 per cent are concerned about sustainability and 75 per cent about the impact of climate change. Among Anglicans, “care for creation” is a Mark of Mission.
Richard, who is also a Reader in Carnmarth South Deanery and Secretary to the Diocesan Environment Group, said: “It was an excellent experience from start to finish. The Green Impact workbook outlines carefully selected criteria to work through, with points given according to difficulty. And the two students who interviewed me with the finished workbook were so well-trained and committed. I am very impressed with this well-focused scheme. We can learn a lot from it – a good starting point for parishes is our Cornwall Churches Environmental Award scheme.”
