We are in a climate emergency, and it is our responsibility to make change possible. It’s time to change at London South East Colleges.
A new report by the Association of Colleges has highlighted how vital education is to climate change and sustainability. We as a nation can collectively achieve our net zero emissions goal by 2050. As an education organisation, this means we need to rethink everything we do to ensure sustainability is at the heart of our operations.
As part of The Green College Commitment, London South East Colleges has pledged to become a net zero college by 2050, increasingly reducing its environmental impact annually. From its education programme to its campus and learning community, London South East Colleges is inviting everyone to play their part.
We believe that by focusing on these four themes, our organisation can make positive environmental changes in these ways:
- Positive impact. Making a positive impact to reduce our carbon impact through all our operations, functions and delivery
- Adding nature. Introducing more natural solutions, environments and choices in operations and decisions, supporting nature
- Inspiring action. Being a responsible provider by offering aligned learning, upskilling and encouraging a collective responsibility
- Your contribution. We all have a collective responsibility to make a positive impact in our lives and actions – what will you do or lead today?
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Our Vision
Our vision is to be a NETZERO Group by 2050 or before, but so much more is possible.
The foundations of our vision are:
- Inspire learners in their futures by embedding throughout our curriculum and making available to every learner the chance to learn more
- Run our operations sustainably by reducing our consumption purchasing responsibility, reducing reusing and recycling waste, encouraging nature and biodiversity
- Empower everyone to have a collective responsibility and make hundreds of small contributions everywhere, in everything we do and in their own lives, too
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Our commitments to our students
- Ensure sustainability is a core part of all our governance and leadership forward plans, strategies and delivery plans
- Every learner pupil will learn about aspects of the 17 UN Sustainability goals as part of their course or curriculum
- Every learner pupil will have the opportunity to learn more through a specific curriculum on the subject matter
- Every learner pupil will have the opportunity to be involved in an initiative that makes a measurable sustainability impact by start
- Every year, our learning provision will evolve and build greater knowledge depth and learning opportunities for all on the subject
- The College will be an ‘early adopter’ in offering courses in specific sustainable breakthrough technologies aligned to employer needs and microeconomic demand
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Our commitments through our operations
- Signing the Global Climate Change letter for FE and HE institutions
- Upskill our teaching staff to be pillars of knowledge in their curriculum\areas key stages
- Make year-on-year reductions in the impact of utilities, paper waste, water transport purchasing/consumption
- Be a single-use plastic, plastic-free organisation by September 2027
- Be a fairtrade accredited organisation by September 2027
- Procure over 75 of our products and services via sustainable national frameworks or through a cost/quality approach with sustainability embedded by 2028
- Take ZERO waste to landfill or incineration by 2030
- By September 2025, have no more than 20 non-recyclable waste by employing the hierarchy of reduce reuse recycling
- The Group will have over 50 of all staff and learner/pupil journeys (business travel) made by public transport, cycling or other means of sustainable travel low emission vehicles by 2025
- Zero carbon electricity supply by September 2025
- Have a zero-carbon fleet by September 2026
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Sustainability policy
View our Environmental Management and Sustainability Policy here.