Hotel school wins social enterprise award

A sustainability module taught at Edge Hotel School (EHS) has won a national award for its transformational education.

The module, developed and taught by Dimitri Lera, picked up the Platinum award in the Social Enterprise category at the Greengage Sustainability Awards.

The module focuses on developing sustainability skills while giving students the chance to undertake practical small-scale projects that solve different sustainability problems.

Student projects have included developing biodegradable room key cards at Wivenhoe House Hotel to replace plastic ones, and presenting a Sustainable Hotel Room at the London Students Sustainability Conference.

Dimitri said he’s “thrilled to have received, on behalf of the Edge Hotel School, the Greengage Award for Social Enterprise. This recognition validates the innovative Education of Sustainability programme, empowering future leaders to be responsible stewards of our planet for a more sustainable industry.”

A spokesperson for the Awards said: “The award judges were impressed with how Dimitri Lera designed and launched an innovative module that embedded sustainability within the curriculum. This is a fantastic example of developing the next generation of professionals in the hospitality and events sector - empowering students as the future agents of positive change.

“We especially liked the combination of transformative learning followed by developing successful practical solutions for commercial partners in the field.”

With around 200 delegates attending and many inspirational guests and talks, the Awards celebrated initiatives and individuals who make sustainability their priority. Judges included leading industry figures from organisations such as Situ and the Business Travel Association.

Dimitri was previously awarded the University’s Excellent Educator Award for the module. He is currently working on collaborative project with festival organisers to develop a training programme for future event and festival managers. The project’s aim is to equip professionals with the skills needed to lead festivals towards a more sustainable future.

Dimitri is speaking about sustainability in education at A Greener Future Conference.