At Colchester Institute, we take our role as educators seriously. We care deeply about the environment and sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise the urgent need to address climate change and we are committed to reducing our environmental impact through long-term strategy and meaningful actions. From cutting carbon emissions to rewilding our campuses and our nature reserve, enhancing our SDG-mapped curriculum content and personal development programme, working with partners to embed sustainable practices across our campuses and curriculum; we are dedicated to creating a greener college community year on year. Our focus is not just on our college community but on our wider stakeholder base, hosting events and roadshows, raising climate awareness in our communities and beyond including school pupils, residents, stakeholders and businesses. Our sustainability work is intrinsically linked to our Clean Energy Technical Excellence College deliverables, ensuring the future workforce has the skills needed to accelerate the UK’s clean energy transition.
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. We are delighted to confirm in our July 2026 report that the near-term target has been achieved with a 55%* reduction in carbon emissions, despite a significant growth in college activities. (*71% using market-based power methodology)
The College is fully committed to reaching our 2042 target. Less than 1% of our waste goes to landfill, and 100% of our energy has come from renewable sources since 2024, 15% of which we self-generate through our own solar panel arrays. We have a call to action for all staff and students to support achievement of our targets whilst crucially using our influence to raise awareness inside and outside our college community.
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.
Sustainability In The News
