Chichester College Group targets net zero in Platinum Jubilee Challenge report

Chichester College Group has demonstrated its commitment to achieving net zero in further education by contributing to the prestigious Platinum Jubilee Challenge report, which looks at reducing the sector’s carbon footprint.

Released on Monday (23 January), the ‘Accelerating towards Net Zero’ report includes contributions from organisations across the sector, providing a number of recommendations for achieving net zero in further and higher education.

The report, published by the Royal Anniversary Trust, outlines an ambitious roadmap for carbon reduction in the sector. It also highlights some of the innovative measures that colleges and universities are already taking, including Brinsbury College’s mini solar farm which was installed in 2021 and contributes significantly to powering the college’s land-based campus.

Chichester College Group’s inclusion in the report follows a period of significant work in it’s effort to limit carbon output, including the introduction of VRF technology at its Chichester College site. Recent investment from the Department of Education’s Strategic Development Fund has also enabled the embedding of green technology into the curriculum, including electric and hybrid vehicle training.

Andrew Green, Chief Executive Officer at Chichester College Group, said: “As a group, we believe it is imperative to play our part in tackling climate change – and that includes taking steps to reducing our carbon footprint.

“We are investing in green projects, suggested by our staff, including introducing water saving technology in our hair salons, planting mini orchards and developing living wall projects – to name just a few.

“We were proud to be asked to contribute to this prestigious report, which we hope will be a catalyst for the sector to take further action and make it easier for colleges to analyse, monitor and report their carbon footprints.”

The report is the result of a year-long research project – The Platinum Jubilee Challenge – led by 21 higher and further education institutes from across the UK, all recent winners of the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize.

It offers a robust profile of the sector’s carbon footprint, using detailed modelling which highlights target areas for emissions reporting and reduction. It also proposes a new, standardised reporting framework designed exclusively for the sector and concludes with 14 clear recommendations to Government.

Kristina Murrin, Chief Executive Officer of The Royal Anniversary Trust, commented: “Our ambition was to bring together the extraordinary winners of the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes to collectively tackle a tough shared challenge.

“The resulting report sets out a clear action plan for the tertiary education sector to accelerate progress to Net Zero, with recommendations for institutions and government. We are enormously proud of the proposed carbon reporting Framework – if adopted sector-wide, this will allow for consistent, transparent, and data-led decision making.”

To read the report in full, visit: https://bit.ly/AcceleratingNetZero