Britain’s greenest colleges revealed

10 April 2007

The winners of the prestigious Green Gown Awards have been revealed. The Pershore group of Colleges and North Devon College both received awards for their green practices. The awards recognise and celebrate the progress of universities and colleges in promoting sustainable development. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) sponsors the awards as part of its work to meet the needs of learners, employers and the environment, both now and in the future.

Professor Peter James, Co-Director of HEEPI, who organise the Awards, said:

“The Green Gown Awards show how commitment, energy and innovation enable universities and colleges to respond positively to environmental and social challenges”.

The Pershore Group of Colleges won the best college category for 2006/07. Pershore has implemented a range of initiatives to reduce fuel use, reduce the use of chemicals on its land, recycle rainwater, source food locally, enhance biodiversity, train staff on sustainable development and integrate the subject with the college curriculum.  Benefits are already being realised for the college, staff, students and the local community.

Dr. Heather Barrett–Mold, Principal and Chief Executive of the College, said:

“This College has for a number of years been integrating the principles of sustainable development through everything it does, from teaching students composting to using bio diesel and local sales of organic food.  We are delighted that our efforts have been recognised by this award.”

North Devon College Student Green Group was highly commended in the Student Initiatives category.

Melanie Hunt, National Director of Learning at the LSC said:

“Congratulations to everyone recognised in this year’s Green Gown Awards.  It is wonderful to see colleges being recognised because it reflects the growing enthusiasm and commitment to sustainable development in the FE sector.  We will continue to sponsor the Awards – and expect an even more difficult task in judging next year”.

Bill Rammell, Minister for Further, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning said:

“Education is fundamental in bringing about the behavioural change needed in this country to secure and drive forward progress on key environmental issues such as climate change and sustainable consumption.

“Through the Learning and Skills Council's National Capital Prospectus, we have already announced that colleges and other qualifying providers will need to embed principles of sustainability in the design of their buildings and building systems.

“This is part of the Government’s commitment to making FE buildings more eco-friendly, efficient and cost-effective - and it is through the Green Gown awards that those providers who are fully embracing these principles are being recognised today.

“This Government is making record levels of funding available to the FE sector for the renewal and modernisation of its estate, with the aim of delivering learning in buildings that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. These are already encouraging better participation in FE.

“We want buildings designed to meet the needs of individuals, employers and our communities, both for the challenges we face today, as well as for those we will face in the future”.

This year’s winners have demonstrated progress in a range of areas including the use of champions across campus, energy and water efficiency, building refurbishment, sustainability in the curriculum and student initiatives.

More information on their achievements, and those of previous winners, are available on the HEEPI website.

The Green Gown Awards will be presented at the AUDE Annual Conference (2-4 April 2007) and at the EAUC Annual Conference (17-19 April 2007).