Green Impact Excellence
Case Study
Green Impact team:
CCE - Excellence
Project Title:
Attaining Laboratory Bronze
Background
Institution:
Queen’s Belfast
Team Name:
CCE - excellence
No. of years participating in Green Impact:
3
2013-14 Award Level:
Individual Gold laboratory awards
Combined team Platinum award
Highlights
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Finished product – a video demonstrating how we achieved
laboratory bronze level.
Student and staff buy in – oversubscription of volunteers
Diversity – achieving all of the KPI targets with respect to inclusion.
Description
As one of the first to attain Green Impact lab Bronze in our University we
were aware that we were sometimes viewed as a useful source of
information for others trying for the same level. We were also cognizant
of the Universities desire to have as many areas as possible included in
and engaged with Green Impact. It has been our experience that new
teams were overly daunted by the perception that Green Impact Bronze
is unattainable without imposing major changes to the running of each
area. In addition, there was the belief that Green Impact imposes duties
and tasks which are unachievable. We hoped to dispel some of those
perceptions by providing a video guide which would encourage others,
simply by presenting our experience of the process.
It was intended that the production as a whole would use stimulus
variation to enhance the prospect of engaging the audience and increase
the potential for imparting our message. We used multiple locations, on
screen digital enhancements, personnel variations and, where
applicable, props.
This project presented several challenges, not least of which was the
potential cost. Originally we had thought of using a specialized
production company to produce our final product, but the cost for this
was in the thousands of pounds. Instead we made full use of the talents
within our teams. Everything from storyboarding, script editing, props,
right through to filming and post production editing was undertaken in
house and hence at minimal cost.
Green Impact Excellence
Case Study
This had the added benefit of assisting in overcoming the second of our
challenges – staff and student buy in. As a School we are not practiced
at presenting ourselves in this manner, we normally let our work speak
for us. To make the teams feel more at ease with the project we
selected locations within our School which had meaning to them. These
included, as you would expect, laboratories, but filming also took place
in the Head of School’s office and in front of our orchard – planted as a
result of our previous Green Impact efforts.
The in house production and the steps we took to make all comfortable
with the process yielded results with 25 people volunteering to become
involved; presenting, filming and producing with many more giving
encouragement. The academic fraternity was represented by our Head
of School; we had two members of technical staff and a complete mix of
the student body and researchers. As filming progressed and word
spread of what we were doing, we became oversubscribed with those
wishing to be part of filming and we have a waiting list of talent for the
sequel!
We successfully fulfilled our remit and we hope you enjoy the final
product. We know we have created a buzz round Green Impact in our
School and lifted it back into daily conversation. We hope this renewed
enthusiasm will deliver further reductions in our Carbon Footprint.
Our guide entertains and informs, dispelling negative perceptions and
showing Laboratory Bronze is possible.