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Efforts to make Â鶹´«Ã½ Leicester (Â鶹´«Ã½) one of the greenest campuses in the country has been recognised in a celebration of businesses in Leicestershire.

Â鶹´«Ã½ is a finalist in the Eco Excellence category in this year’s Niche Business Awards, which take place on Friday (SEPT 8).


The category, one of 17 that has been judged by an independent panel who conducted in-depth research into the semi-finalists, champions companies that have made green practices and sustainability a top priority to reduce their impact on the environment.

From managing buildings to embedding sustainability into teaching and learning, to engaging staff and students on global issues, Â鶹´«Ã½ has a long list of measures in place to make the university more sustainable, including:

•    using a carbon neutral wood pellet boiler
•    fitting the leisure centre with air source heat pumps
•    using solar panels on four of Â鶹´«Ã½’s buildings to generate electricity
•    using ground heat pumps in some buildings
•    a greener travel policy which sees four times the national average of staff cycling to work
•    embedding sustainability into all teaching and learning
•    delivering Carbon Literacy training to staff and students
•    growing food on campus for use in the Â鶹´«Ã½ catering outlets
•    developing a Hedgehog Friendly Campus
•    a furniture recycling scheme to reuse and repurpose redundant furniture
•    a recycling rate of over 90%

Karl Letten, Â鶹´«Ã½’s Sustainability manager, said: “We are proud to see the work we have all done here at Â鶹´«Ã½ to make it a more sustainable campus be recognised by the team at Niche.

“We know that addressing sustainability and tackling our carbon emissions is important to our students and our staff, and we aim to achieve this through effective management of our campus, engaging with our staff and students on this important topic and making sure that our students have the right skills and knowledge to make sustainable choices throughout their careers. We wish everyone in the awards the very best of luck for Friday.

Formed nine years ago, the Niche Business Awards aim to celebrate the success of Leicestershire businesses, showcasing the organisations and individuals that make a positive impact on the local economy.  

Among the finalists are  large businesses that operate across the UK as well as family-run SMEs. Industries range from leisure to logistics and from education to environmental.

An independent judging panel conducted in-depth research into the semi-finalists, who were chosen by their category sponsors.

Jenny Cross, CEO of Cross Productions, said: “We’ve received more nominations than ever before, which tells us that Leicestershire businesses are more determined this year to celebrate their success. It shows they’re also clued up as to where trusted networking and PR opportunities lie. The cost-of-living crisis has caused businesses to become savvier and more proactive with their marketing and I think they’re making the effort to get involved with ceremonies like the Niche Business Awards because they see that award recognition can ultimately build trust and attract new clients and customers.

"Leicestershire has a thriving business community, one that acts as a benchmark for other cities to aspire to. We’re very keen to welcome guests to the 2023 ceremony and finally get to reveal the surprises we’ve planned throughout the night. It’s a fantastic theme to celebrate Leicester’s culture and bring the community together.”

Bhumika Parmar, founder and director of BP Legal, which is the headline sponsor of the Niche Business Awards said: “Working with Cross Productions on the Niche Business Awards has been an excited journey. It’s encouraging to see so many nominations come in and to get to inspire and connect with other business owners that have made it through to the final round.”