Sustainability project sees College attend Green Gown Awards ceremony

A joint sustainability project resulted in @BordersCollege being part of the 2023 Green Gown Awards UK and Ireland, having been nominated in the Creating Impact Category.

In partnership with Valley and West Lothian Colleges, and in collaboration with the EAUC Scotland, the group were recognised for their efforts in devising an innovative strategy to bolster sustainability at the event, held at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool.

Part of the project included appointing a Sustainability Project Manager, and this proved instrumental in enhancing sustainability practices and policies at the colleges, significantly broadening their scope and ambition.

With additional resources and expertise, the manager facilitated the successful acquisition of funding for crucial campus decarbonisation projects via the Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation Scheme. Furthermore, they spearheaded the development of comprehensive Net Zero Plans, outlining concrete actions to achieve the ambitious goal of net-zero emissions.

The partnership’s work across multiple institutions has been particularly beneficial as this has allowed for experience and knowledge to be shared, whilst making use of resources efficiently. Based on its success, CSSCP is planning to continue the partnership and EAUC is exploring similar partnerships with other institutions.

Director of Facilities and Estates at Borders College, Robert Hewitt, commented:

“Being part of the Green Gown Awards is a fantastic achievement for the partnership, especially considering we are three of the smallest FE institutions in Scotland. It demonstrates what we can and must achieve collectively to tackle the Climate emergency. 

“The partnership has been instrumental in driving us forward on our sustainability journey, which to date has focused on reducing our emissions by implementing Co2 reduction measures, including Solar PV, greening our fleet, building an ECO House and installing Wastewater Heating System.”