Eligible Activities For RED Sustainable Action Award

To complete the Sustainable Action Award, you'll need to earn at least 25 points by taking part in sustainability-focused activities aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Points are allocated based on the activity's level and time commitment - the more time and effort required, the more points the activity is worth.

If you are new to the award but have already completed some of this activity, you can backdate anything you have done since you started at the university!

Explore our points guide to learn how the system works

Here are some eligible activities to get you started:

Note: There is some flexibility in how activities are categorised. If your activity doesn’t clearly fit into a listed section, just choose the closest match and use the reflection box in your RED Sustainable Action Award pathway to explain your submission.

1-Point Activities

Point Activity	Point Description
One Off Volunteering/Paid work – one day or less	Volunteering/paid work of less than a day. This must have a Sustainable Action focus to qualify.
Careers Fair	Attend a Career fair and scan your card at the entrance to prove your attendance. This must have a Sustainable Action focus to qualify.
RED Session	Attend a RED session, online or in person.
Global Study Lounge Conversation Cafe - 1 session only	Attend 1 Conversation Cafe session with a Sustainable Action focus.
Membership and participation in national and international bodies	Membership and participation in national and international bodies. Examples include: Institute of Environmental Management (IEMA), Royal Meteorological Society (RMS), Royal Geographical Society(RGS), Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK)
RSU Event	Attend a Sustainable Action focused RSU event.
Careers & Employability Sessions	Attend 1 careers session with Sustainability focus, bookable via MyJobsOnline
Careers Event recording	Watch the recording of any careers events related to sustainability or green careers you missed to earn one point.

5-Point Activities

Point Activity	Point Description
Global Study Lounge Conversation Cafe – 3 or more sessions	Attend at least 3 Conversation Cafe sessions with a sustainable focus.
Sustainability Fundamentals lecture series	Attend the Sustainability Fundamentals lecture series - you will need to attend, or listen to the recordings of, at least 3 sessions.
Student Representative	Serve as a Student Representative with a clear sustainability focus. This could include roles on Student-Staff Partnership Groups or committees where you represent sustainability interests.
Volunteering/Paid work – short term commitment of more than a day	For short term and one off roles of up to 10 days, secured through Campus Jobs, volunteering opportunities, or other paid work such as self-employment or working at an event. Henley Business School Part 4 mentors for placement students – for the five points students need to attend at least 3 sessions in a mentor capacity. Please note: there needs to be a sustainability focus to this, for example participating in events that support University and School-wide sustainability initiatives such as the Fairtrade Audit
Participate in Thrive Mentoring	Participate in a Thrive Mentorship– you must show that your mentor is in a role that reflects the aims of the Sustainable Action Award.
Society Committee Member	Serve as a Society Committee Member. You must show how the remit of the society you help to manage is focused on sustainable action.
Global Sustainability Challenges	Global Sustainability Challenges - Interdisciplinary teams working on real-world challenges. Intensive activities to address a range of sustainability challenges Facilitated by University of Reading academics.
Online and in-Person Training with Sustainability focus	Examples include: LinkedIn Learning, Open Learn, United Nations System Staff College, Life Tools

10-Point Activities

Point Activity	Point Description
Volunteering – Regular and sustained	Get involved in Volunteering with a focus on Sustainable Action.
Work experience (including internships)	Work experience, including internships and longer-term Campus Jobs opportunities such as regular part-time work. Excludes in-curriculum placements. To qualify, the experience must have a focus on Sustainable Action.
Future Learn - Advocating for a Better Planet: Essential Skills for Climate and Sustainability	Advocating for a Better Planet: Essential Skills for Climate and Sustainability. To get free access to this course, you need to sign up for a student account through the UoR website: Future Learn