South Devon College is contender in respected national sustainability awards

A Devon college has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland.

South Devon College is up against three other education establishments for the Sustainability Institution of the Year category.

Now in its 20th year the Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being taken by universities and colleges across the world. This year there are 133 finalists representing 84 institutions.

Sustainability has been at the heart of South Devon College for many years.

“15 years ago we began to identify, develop and deliver innovative, multiple cross-college projects and ideas. We now have an established Sustainability Strategy that continues this for our future journey and goals,” said Matt Green, Head of Commercial Services and Sustainability at South Devon College.

“Our students are our future and our planet is our priority. It can no longer just be about the ‘obvious’. We are thinking, understanding and behaving differently. We are developing Sustainability based qualifications. We work with employers to understand how sustainability prepares leavers for the workplace, what they can do in their business to support sustainability and inspiring them to move to net zero.

“It’s our planet, our people, our economy and our community and we believe that uniquely we are playing an active role as a local anchor and civic institution through supporting a sustainable local community.”

Key milestones over the years at South Devon College have been opening the ground-breaking and pioneering South West Energy Centre, launching a Green Travel Plan, investment in solar panels and air source heat pumps and opening the £17.5 million Hi Tech & Digital Centre built to high BREEAM standards with many sustainable features.

The college’s Sustainability Group encourages and drives college wide sustainability initiatives for both students and staff. The focus is on student and curriculum involvement for cross college events including community volunteering.

Other sustainable actions include students planting different crops in the horticultural areas that provide food supplies for the catering department, closing buildings at weekends and holidays to save energy, water saving initiatives and planting indigenous trees, shrubs and wildflowers across the site.

“Our ambition is to seamlessly weave sustainability into everything we do, in all its forms; Social; Environmental and Economic. We are committed to bringing sustainable thinking to life, informing our students, developing knowledge, skills and behaviours and understanding so they know how to lead sustainable lives now and in the future, becoming great global citizens with meaning and impact,” said Matt Green.

In 2022 the college was awarded two Association of Colleges’ Beacon Awards. The Nous Group Award for Education for Sustainable Development and the RCU Award for Students. The awards followed 10 years of work and recognised in particular the embedding of a sustainability agenda into the college’s Personal Development curriculum, which is delivered in tutorials.

Laurence Frewin, Principal and CEO at South Devon College said “We are very proud of everything we have achieved so far. This is the culmination of the hard work of colleagues and students over the last 15 years. Everyone engaged with all our work is very proud of the green thread, our sustainability credentials, and most importantly the impact we are having.”