Communications, Reports and Awards

Communicating with the College community is essential to maintaining strong relationships, encouraging participation, and keeping members informed about the reasons behind the sustainability measures implemented by the College. From regular updates to comprehensive sustainability reports, the College uses a variety of channels to engage the wider community.

Browse Sections

Communications

College Newsletter

Introduced in 2025, the weekly College newsletter now includes a bi-weekly Sustainable Segment, curated by Sustainability Project Manager Miriam Remshard. Each edition spotlights different sustainability initiatives across the College, aiming to build awareness and inspire the community to take part in these efforts.

The Darwinian

The College continues to celebrate the achievements of its community and its progress on sustainability through its bi-annual alumni magazine, The Darwinian.

Seasonally Darwinian

In the 2023/2024 academic year, a monthly feature called Seasonally Darwinian was shared with the internal community. Curated by Communications Manager Laura Kenworthy it featured regular updates from College gardener Derrienne Bell, and seasonal recipes from Catering Manager Ivan Higney, highlighting seasonal changes while promoting best practice. The collected issues provide an almanac of the year.

↑ Top of the page

Reports

Sustainability Progress Report

The inaugural Darwin College Sustainability Progress Report provides a comprehensive overview of Darwin’s sustainability efforts and achievements in the academic year 2022/2023. It aims to provide information on progress achieved, encourage participation in ongoing projects, identify opportunities for improvement, and help foster a culture of environmental responsibility within and beyond the College community.

One of the College’s strategic aims is to “Act on and promote solutions to global challenges including sustainability”. The report maps progress towards this aim, celebrating the College’s ambitious decarbonisation plans, award-winning members, and leadership in food sustainability.

Intercollegiate sustainability and biodiversity reports

Darwin College is proud to have been involved in the development of two reports investigating the sustainability and biodiveristy of collegiate Cambridge:

  1. The University of Cambridge Colleges Biodiversity Baseline Report
  2. Cambirdge Colleges Environmentla Sustainability Report

↑ Top of the page

Awards

From grassroots actions to global leadership, Darwin seeks to enable, educate, and celebrate outstanding people and ideas. The ongoing achievements of College members in advancing sustainability are widely recognised and celebrated.

  • In 2024, Catering Manager Ivan Higney and his team were Highly Commended in the Green Gown Awards, which recognise sustainable initiatives in the higher education sector nationwide. The College was also a Finalist in the categories of student and staff sustainability champions.
  • In 2023, Darwin College’s May Ball achieved its highest ever Sustain-a-Ball accreditation, with the top Platinum award across all the University May balls.
  • Our students’ efforts to support sustainable initiatives have been recognised through the Vice Chancellor’s Social Impact Awards.

Green Impact

Green Impact is the University’s environmental accreditation scheme. In recent years, Darwin has received the following awards:

  • Platinum
  • Sustainability Hero – Darwin Catering Manager
  • Community Action – Project Second Life and the Community Fridge
  • Student Leadership, National (SOS-UK)

 

 

↑ Top of the page