Association of Colleges

24 June 2009

Colleges were among the winners at this year’s Green Gown Awards, presented yesterday at Imperial College in London to institutions that have proved themselves to be leaders in the field of sustainability.

Warwickshire College, Bedford College and Leicester College were all winners, alongside a host of universities, for the initiatives that they have undertaken to become more carbon efficient.

Winners at the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges event attended by Higher Education Minister, David Lammy MP, were selected from over 170 entries, all of which underwent a rigorous assessment process by over 30 judges from BIS, The Carbon Trust, HEFCE, LSC.

The winner of the BIS Award for outstanding contribution to sustainability in an English College or university, sponsored by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and, was Warwickshire College.

Bedford College won the ‘Embedding Sustainability Award’ for the significant improvements it has made across all areas of College life and the work of its Sustainability Champions.

The ‘Counting the Carbs’ prize went to Leicester College for its Carbon Reduction initiative which has been integral to the College’s redevelopment and refurbishment programme.

Mike Field, Green Gown Awards judge and portfolio holder for the AoC sustainable futures group, said:

 “It was a delight to see the Colleges’ expertise growing in sustainability and their impact on business. The quality of submissions from Colleges was equally as good as universitities.”

Iain Patton, Executive Director of the EAUC said:

 “Undoubtedly the sector is recognising the importance of embedding sustainability initiatives into broader strategic plans and we have seen many fantastic examples of how this can be done.”
 

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Contacts:
Michael Williams, AoC Press Officer, 020 7034 9900/07500 079 210

FE Facts and Figures

• More than half of all Foundation Degree students are taught in Colleges
• 181,000 students study higher education in a College
• 269 Colleges provide higher education
• Colleges educate over 60,000 students from outside the UK

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