Green Impact: sustainability action competition
Green Impact is AUT's sustainability competition for students and staff who want to implement sustainability actions on campus and at home.
It's a free, fun competition where teams complete a range of sustainability actions and earn points, and at the end of the competition teams get awards based on the points they've acquired.
The programme is flexible – easily worked into your schedule, whether you have an hour or just five minutes free a week.
Keen to get involved with Green Impact?
Green Impact Toolkit User Guide
1.
Register your team name and contact details
2.
Encourage your friends or colleagues to join your team
3.
Get started on completing actions from the toolkit
Benefits of participating
Green Impact will:
- Teach you about social, health and environmental issues and how to make a real impact
- Help you develop valuable employability skills and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals
- Provide a digital certification to put on your CV and LinkedIn profile
- Enable interaction with likeminded people
- Give you access to events
Feedback from other Green Impact participants
- “I’ve become more aware of more ways to improve my habits and become more sustainably minded.”
- “From working with other groups, I've gained a new perspective on how people find creative ways to live in a more sustainable way.”
- “Participating in Green Impact gave us insight into how the small things in your day-to-day life can indeed have a positive impact on the sustainability of the local community.”
Frequently asked questions about the Green Impact competition
The team size is up to you. The usual number is between three and ten.
Each action has a point value and level based on their impact and difficulty: bronze, silver, gold or platinum. Earn points by completing actions, and accumulate the required total for a bronze, silver, gold or platinum certificate.
Points system and certificates
Action type | Action value | Certificates and points |
|---|---|---|
▪ | ▪ | Working towards Bronze (<75 points) |
Bronze | 5 points | Bronze certificate (75 points) |
Silver | 10 points | Silver certificate (150 points) |
Gold | 15 points | Gold certificate (300 points) |
Platinum | 50+ points | Platinum certificate (600 points) |
You can mix actions of any level to reach your goal. For example, to earn a silver certificate (150 points), you could complete 14 bronze actions, 5 silver actions and 2 gold actions.
The Green Impact Lead is just an email away. If you have any questions during the programme, just email sustainability@aut.ac.nz
There are also monthly online Green Impact meetings throughout the programme to connect with other teams, and monthly email communications with tips and reminders about upcoming events.
You can complete Green Impact Express.
Green Impact Express is a simplified programme designed to help individuals take practical actions to reduce their carbon footprint.
What is involved in Green Impact Express?
- Complete 10 tailored sustainability actions designed for individuals
- Earn your Green Impact Express Certificate and badge immediately upon completing all 10 actions
- Take it further by joining or starting a team
Yes, participation in Green Impact can count towards your volunteer hours for AUT Edge and Beyond AUT awards. It is also possible to gain leadership hours through the programme depending on the actions you complete.
2025 timeline
Remember these dates for important submissions and events throughout the year.
At the end of the year, we host the Green Impacts Awards ceremony to showcase your fantastic work, with prizes to be won.
Photos from our 2025 Green Impact competition
Join AUT’s Green Impact group on Facebook
The AUT Green Impact group aims to create a community of likeminded people to share knowledge, ask for suggestions and work together to create a more sustainable future. You don't have to take part in the Green Impact programme to join this group.
Sign up to the newsletter
Sign up to our monthly AUT Sustainability Newsletter and get updates on environmental, social and economic sustainability-related initiatives, news and Green Impact.
Contact us
If you have any questions or need help, contact us.
Email sustainability@aut.ac.nz