My Journey to Becoming Scotland’s Sustainability Champion of the Year

RGU student Kemi recently won the Sustainability Champion of the Year Award at this year’s Black Scottish Awards for her inspiring work at RGU Go Green.

Kemi has been leading the Kaim Shop, which provides second-hand clothes and items to our community and prevents waste from ending up in landfills.

Hear about her work, achievements, and next steps in this blog.

I was recently recognised and named the 2025 Sustainability Champion of the Year for the entirety of Scotland! To say I was profoundly humbled and honoured would be an understatement. This national recognition as a leader in sustainability truly feels like a pinnacle achievement and the ultimate validation of my work.

From simply answering the clarion call to driving change for good in my community, being recognised nationally is an unprecedented honour that affirms the relentless effort I’ve dedicated to creating real, measurable, and impactful change here at Robert Gordon University (RGU) and Scotland as a whole.

Filling the Gap: The Origin of My Mission

My journey into formal sustainability leadership began during my master’s studies (Business and Management with Sustainability) at RGU. I was constantly pondering how I could contribute to society and address key gaps in the sustainability sector right here in my immediate environment.

The answer came from spotting an opportunity at RGU GoGreen’s Kaim Shop. This student-led, on-campus initiative is geared toward minimising our environmental footprint and driving a circular economy using the 3R strategy (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

Having sought ways to contribute positively to my community since a young age, this project afforded me the chance to tackle critical global challenges such as the climate crisis through tangible local actions. Specifically, it allowed me to focus on:

Reducing the cost of living for students.
Bridging the knowledge gap through education and advocacy for circular living.
Raising more sustainability advocates in the community.

In a world with too much talking and not enough action, it was inspiring to see institutions like RGU taking the lead. The University is at the forefront of creating innovative solutions for diverse sectors, ensuring significant changes in the sustainability sector—from research and academia to energy and food.

This shows that sustainability is truly at the core of every moving part of RGU’s operations. This powerful institutional effort deepened my resolve and ignited a spark to support the ongoing work as a student.

Equipped with the critical skills gathered from leading prior projects and the additional knowledge gained during my course, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to test my academic learning and turn my existing drive into tangible community action.

Sustainability: A Personal Commitment to the Future

For me, sustainability is a deeply personal obligation. It is fundamentally about safeguarding the future—about justice for our planet, for people now, and for those not yet born.

Leading a team of students who became sustainability agents and advocates was the most rewarding part of this journey. Seeing students, some of whom started with little knowledge about sustainability, learn and become passionate experts driving this field makes me truly fulfilled.

But my commitment extends beyond RGU. I actively volunteer with Aberdeen Climate Action, supporting the climate café to prompt action on climate change and sustainable practices through awareness and education in the North East of Scotland.

Furthermore, I contribute to the effort to drive waste management minimisation at Barnardo’s by effectively deploying the 3R strategies to shift from a linear to a circular economy.

The KaimShop Sustainability Project Milestones

Achievements on leading this project include:

Waste Minimisation: We successfully repurposed over 800,000 grams of waste, preventing it from heading to landfill and significantly reducing potential GHG emissions.
Circular Economy Engagement: We initiated over 1,300 students into the circular economy drive, fostering long-lasting behavioural change.
Volunteer Growth: We grew volunteer participation by an astounding 800%, successfully empowering them as confident sustainability advocates who now educate and inspire others.
Employability: The experience gained in driving the charity operations equipped several volunteers with critical employability skills, giving them leverage in securing paid employment roles.
New Initiatives: We pioneered Scotland’s first campus student-led sustainability fair on campus leveraging waste management, successfully delivering two series that repurposed over 80,000 grams of waste in just seven hours.

Recognition for Driving Change

In addition to winning the Scotland Sustainability Champion of the Year award, these impactful contributions to RGU and its community led me to win multiple prestigious Student Achievement Awards:

Volunteer of the Year (Sole Recipient): Awarded from a student body of over 18,000 to the “Most Outstanding” student volunteer who consistently exceeded expectations and generated a significant positive impact.
Volunteer Project of the Year (Sole Recipient): Given among over 60 student-led projects for bringing together an exceptional number of committed students, resulting in excellent skills development and remarkable community impact.
Half Scarlet Award: Recognition for a highly committed student volunteer who is a core and respected member, actively exceeding expectations in their leadership role and initiating impactful projects.

I was also privileged to be spotlighted during this year’s RGU Black History Month event (themed “Resilience and Progress”), showcasing black heritage resilience through my outstanding work and progress.

Beyond the Awards: What It Really Means

The award nomination process was a humbling experience—it was both rigorous and highly competitive. With numerous nominations and a demanding defence of our work required to reach the finalist stage. The eventual victory still feels quite surreal.

Winning the title of Sustainability Champion of the Year among top drivers of sustainability and senior academics continues to remind me that I am on the right path and inspires me to do more! Seeing my contributions from grassroots initiatives recognised at a national level is truly heart-warming and having my name engraved among Scotland’s Top Sustainability Champions and Changemakers is a laudable achievement.

This recognition is certainly more than a personal accolade; it carries a profound weight and the ability to amplify the message. Coming from an ethnic minority background, my story shows that impactful change is not limited by ethnicity, location, or circumstance and winning this award powerfully illustrates the importance of representation in sustainability.

The legacy of hard work and community service is one I am committed to passing on for generations to come. The seed of this impact will continue to bear fruit, ensuring this moment is never forgotten!

Next Steps: Scaling Change Beyond Borders

But this is not the finishing line. This journey is only beginning! My ambition is to take the successful KaimShop Sustainability Project model beyond RGU, collaborating with institutions and communities worldwide. I am committed to remaining at the forefront of this movement.

Moving forward, I will continue leveraging education and advocacy to drive impactful change, embracing a simple, creative approach. I now develop sustainability education content for businesses, advising SMEs on incorporating sustainability and mapping their agenda. This expertise has led to numerous speaking invitations, including the Holistic Wellbeing Summit, the GYANT Seminar, and Black Architects.

My commitment to shared knowledge remains strong: I represented RGU GoGreen at key events, including the “Our Campus, Our World” event, Volunteer Week, and Student Welcome Week, showcasing our best practices and engaging the community directly.

Furthermore, I was recently nominated as a jury member for UNIForce—a flagship initiative connecting five Scottish universities, where students are tasked to tackle real-world sustainability challenges in teams to foster innovation, build communities, and strengthen Scotland’s economic workforce.

Be a Changemaker!

Whether advising SMEs on sustainability or serving as a jury member for multi-university initiatives, I have learned this: If you see a GAP, step up and FILL IT! If you have a chance, use your voice and platform to lift up others. The world needs each of us to act and take action.

This collection of work has attracted strong interest for further consultations, which is living proof that local acts can deliver global benefits. Awards and recognition should never be a finish line; let them be the rocket fuel for the next wave of impact.

A Final Note of Gratitude

I am deeply thankful to Robert Gordon University and the Student Union for providing a platform to lead a critical project like this, to my amazing team for believing in my capacity to drive the vision, and to everyone who supported me on this journey.

Additionally, I want to thank The Black Scottish Awards team, the Student Achievement Awards, and every other platform for spotlighting the impactful work I do.

Kemi Odunsi-Ujiagbe

Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluwakemi-odunsi-ujiagbe/

Recycling tips with RGU Go Green

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