College Awarded Top Honour for Environmental Standards

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22 March 2010

Coleg Llandrillo Cymru has earned itself top marks for sustainability after winning a prestigious environmental award.

The College is celebrating after receiving the Sustainability Award at the Wales Public Sector Waste and Sustainability Awards 2010 for its outstanding efforts towards waste reduction. The ceremony was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Judges selected the College for its strong commitment to sustainability and for the significant steps it had taken towards improving its environmental performance.

The College has also reached Green Dragon Level 5 standard, the highest level available. This proves the College’s commitment to its environmental management. Only one other college in Wales has achieved this level previously and Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is the only multi-site College in Wales to have achieved this. Green Dragon is a national stepped standard recognising effective environmental management and is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The College has set an ambitious target to reduce waste going to landfill by 25%. Other measures introduced by the College include colour-coded recycling bins, new printers and photocopiers and a new travel plan to minimise the College’s carbon footprint.

In September 2009 the College opened the Marine and Built Environment Centre (MBEC), which replaces the old construction department. The heating for the new building is supplied by a wood pellet boiler and solar panels provide some of the electricity and also preheat water. Rainwater is harvested and used for flushing the toilets in the building. This new build technology will help to reduce gas, electricity and water use.

Coleg Llandrillo Cymru’s Environmental Co-ordinator, Francine Smith, said: “A lot of work has gone into revising the College’s environmental policy and to receive this sort of recognition really shows that all the hard work has been worthwhile.

“The College believes that sustainability encompasses environmental issues, at a local and global community level. It is important that its staff and students are aware of these issues and their role in the wider communities. Acting responsibly in the way that individuals use the earth’s scarce and diminishing resources is a key outcome from awareness raising,” added Francine.

The winners were announced at the annual Wales Public Sector Waste and Sustainability Conference which included an awards ceremony for the first time. The awards - which form part of Envirowise’s Public Sector Waste Minimisation Campaign - are the first of their kind in the UK and Europe.

Ann Stevenson, Envirowise Public Sector Programme Director in Wales, said, “These awards enable us to recognise and reward those organisations in the Welsh public sector that are truly committed to resource efficiency and reducing waste. As part of the judging process we have visited a wide cross section of organisations and have been truly impressed by the efforts we have seen.”

Ann added, “Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is a great example of how the public sector can make cost savings especially during this difficult economic climate.”

Coleg Llandrillo Cymru Principal, Huw Evans OBE, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and worthy recognition of the College’s ongoing investment in sustainability and improving the environment. Congratulations are extended to the core team that prepared the submission and worked so hard over many months.”

L-R: Event host Nicola Heywood-Thomas, Francine Smith and Dave Phillips from Coleg Llandrillo Cymru and Karin Black from Welsh Assembly Government.