Sustainability at Colchester Institute

At Colchester Institute, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise the urgent need to address climate change and are committed to reducing our environmental impact through meaningful action and long-term strategy. From cutting carbon emissions to embedding sustainable practices across our campuses and curriculum, we are dedicated to creating a greener future for our students, staff and wider community.

45% reduction of emissions goal by July 2026
15% of our energy is from our solar PV panels
400 trees planted in 2025

Join us at Colchester Institute to screen the People’s Emergency Briefing – an eye-opening film bringing together nine leading UK scientists and experts with the latest evidence and why it matters for things like extreme weather, biodiversity loss, food security, health and cost of living.

The film is based on the National Emergency Briefing in Westminster (featured by ITV, Channel 4 and The Times) with appearances from Chris Packham, Deborah Meaden, and a range of voices from across the UK.  The film is only being shown at in-person screenings and is not available online.  After the film there will be a short panel and open discussion about what it means for our community and what we can do to help.

Colchester Institute declared a climate emergency in October 2021, and pledged to reduce scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 with full net zero in operation by 2042.  Our latest independently verified carbon report shows that in five years since July 2020, there has been a 33% reduction in carbon emissions, despite a significant growth in college activities.

We have a call to action for all colleagues to support achievement of our targets whilst crucially using our influence to raise awareness among students and our wider college community.  There is much to do to continue the pace of progress, with current and recent initiatives underway to raise awareness.

LinkedIn Sustainability Spotlight

Sustainability In The News

Declaring a climate emergency
22nd October 2021
Colchester Institute has declared a climate emergency. With the UK hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties...