South Staffordshire College has become the first in the UK to receive a prestigious award in recognition of its wide range of environmental management and sustainability initiatives.
The College’s Rodbaston Campus has been awarded Platinum status by EcoCampus, the leading environmental management system and award scheme for Higher and Further Education sectors.
South Staffordshire College has successfully worked through the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards before achieving Platinum, the highest level obtainable.
EcoCampus is designed to help put in place the necessary systems and procedures to ensure that colleges and universities are monitoring and minimising their impact on the environment. This covers areas as diverse as the use of natural resources, handling and treatment of waste, sustainable procurement and energy consumption.
South Staffordshire College has introduced a host of green initiatives including a Carbon Trust endorsed Carbon Management Plan, a zero waste to landfill target by 2014, a biomass boiler that receives its wood chip fuel from Cannock Chase and buildings with low eco/carbon footprints.
The Platinum EcoCampus award boosts South Staffordshire College’s outstanding credentials in protecting the environment and in sustainability. It won the Times Education Supplement award for Outstanding Practice in 2012 and has received international recognition with ISO certification at its Rodbaston Campus and Gold EcoCampus status. It also has a portfolio of national and international awards for academic excellence, sustainability, innovation, teaching quality, student support, marketing and building developments.
Mark Phillips, South Staffordshire College’s Head of Sustainability and Environment, said “Sustainable good practice makes sense, from both an environmental point of view and business perspective, since saving on resource use will save the planet and save money.”
