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Updates: Colleges & Business Units | Commercial Outlets and Nurseries
Advice for: Students, Parents and Carers | College Applicants | Apprentices
We have joined forces with education providers from around the world to take a stand against climate change by signing a landmark pledge to become a carbon net zero organisation.
The momentous move sees our Group named alongside more than 594 education institutions dedicated to supporting the UN’s ‘Race to Zero’ initiative globally.
Signed ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference due to take place in the UK later this year, the pledge commits us to three key actions:
In order to deliver this important agenda, we have created a Climate Change Working Group headed up by our Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Stevens.
He said: “We are totally committed to making our colleges and other premises much greener places to learn and work. Reducing our carbon footprint is a key priority for our students, staff and Governors. Our Climate Change Working Group brings together representatives from across the whole Group and acts as the catalyst for our ambition to become a carbon net zero organisation.
“We are delighted to show our support for this initiative and join hundreds of like-minded colleges and universities across the world. Addressing the damaging impact of climate change is not something that any organisation could, or should, tackle in isolation. As a Group, we are incredibly proud to be working with others in this way and embedding sustainability in everything that we do.”
We decided to develop a sustainability and climate change strategy after students highlighted the importance of these topics to them. As a consequence, we have already developed our baseline carbon footprint after working in partnership with the Carbon Trust to do so and have put in place a range of actions to begin embedding sustainability across much of our estate with six colleges in Ashford, Broadstairs, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Sheppey.
We have started to weave sustainability into our courses, with our Canterbury School of Visual Arts at Canterbury College recently delivering a fashion upcycling project in collaboration with a local sheltered housing scheme. We are also placing more emphasis on our land-based courses, with our Spring Lane site set to deliver courses in horticulture, forestry and arboriculture starting in September.
Sian Suter, a student at our Spring Lane site and a student representative on our Climate Change Working Group, commented: “Ensuring the protection and the future of our incredible planet should be on everyone’s agenda. My passion for sustainability is one of the many reasons I have chosen to study Animal Management. The importance of the current climate crisis is evident every day and we all must take action to behave more sustainably in everyday life. I'm excited to be raising the voices of students within EKC Group and I look forward to the future becoming more sustainable.”
If you would like to find out more about the Global Climate Letter and the UN’s Race to Zero initiative, click here.
