18th green award in a row for top Welsh college

COLEG CAMBRIA’S (@colegcambria) commitment to the environment and sustainability is a roaring success.

The north east Wales college has again been awarded the Level Five Green Dragon Environmental Management Standard.

All its sites in Wrexham, Deeside, Llysfasi and Northop have achieved the prestigious accreditation.

It is the highest level of the Groundworks scheme that can be achieved via the Green Business Centre, a Cardiff-based environmental and quality auditing and training service that provides support to businesses and public organisations across the UK.

Cambria was lauded for demonstrating effective management of its facilities and taking action to understand, monitor and control surroundings for students, staff and visitors.

A delighted Rick Bedson, Head of Estates and Facilities at the college, said:

“This award recognises the exceptional standards of sustainability management within the college and its commitment to securing a sustainable future. 

“It also pays particular attention to evidence of continuous improvement and investment from year to year. 

“Coleg Cambria has reached the required standard for this award at Level 5 on all sites for the past 18 years – an incredible achievement we are all very proud of.”

He added: “Retaining this accreditation is of paramount importance to us as it recognises the continuing commitment of both staff and students.

“As a college we are developing the young people of the future and sustainability is an important part of that.”

A panel of professionals evaluated the college’s sustainability management system, its implementation, and the institution’s overall performance. 

Among the advances made in the last 12 months include two new 100 kW solar PV systems, extended LED lighting and automatic lighting controls.

“We have also increased the number of charging points for electric vehicles and students played their part by planting hundreds of trees as part of the UK-wide Green Canopy Project,” added Niki Shuttleworth, Cambria’s Health, Safety and Sustainability Officer.

“We will continue to reduce energy consumption, use of water and the amount of waste sent to landfill, ensuring that we keep working hard to reduce the college’s impact on the environment, securing the future for generations to come.”