In October 2022, City College Plymouth joined forces with Pollenize in their mission to protect pollinators. Since then, we’ve been on quite a journey and have provided space on campus as a host apiary site, expanding their Plymouth apiary network.

And, in Spring 2023, Pollenize launched their Pesticide-Free Plymouth campaign, a city-wide movement aimed at raising awareness of the harmful effects of pesticide use on the environment. We proudly supported this campaign by making a bold pledge: to become an entirely pesticide-free campus by 2024.

Working with Pollenize, we’ve been able to forge a variety of green initiatives, including becoming a hedgehog-friendly campus, emphasising the importance of private landowners making nature-friendly decisions.

In October 2023, we continued our commitment to the environment by granting Pollenize permission to transform a 500-square-metre area on campus into a wildflower meadow.

Hedgehog Friendly Campus, initiated at the University of Sheffield during Hedgehog Awareness Week in 2018, aims to address the decline in hedgehog populations by making campuses more hedgehog-friendly.

In support of this initiative, City College Plymouth is offering free hedgehog houses to schools, nurseries and care homes that might wish to provide these prickly critters with somewhere safe and snug to sleep.

Hedgehogs play a crucial role in our ecosystem, contributing significantly to environmental quality and the overall health of the natural world. As they face the threat of extinction, it is essential to ensure their protection and care.

Thanks to a scheme spearheaded by a 17-year-old student, the College has ten flatpack hedgehog houses that are easy to assemble and perfect for providing these cute creatures with a safe and secure home.

City College is actively raising awareness for this initiative by conducting fundraising activities, performing hedgerow and hedgehog surveys, and assessing the College grounds to enhance safety for hedgehogs.

In 2023, we chose Surfers Against Sewage as our designated charity for the year!

Over the last 30 years, Surfers Against Sewage has grown into one of the UK’s most successful marine conservation and campaigning charities. The charity perfectly aligns with our dedication to environmental initiatives, sustainability, wellbeing and the marine and maritime sectors. Since choosing this charity, we’ve raised hundreds of pounds to help protect our oceans and coastal environments. We couldn’t be happier to be supporting Surfers Against Sewage and championing real change in Britain’s Ocean City alongside them.

Carbon Literacy is an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis. We know how important it is to ensure our staff are Carbon Literate and better interact with our communities which is why we regularly offer Carbon Literacy training throughout the year.

We’re proud to have achieved Bronze Carbon Literacy Accreditation and have our sights firmly set on the Silver and Gold awards. Watch this space!

We hold monthly meetings with students and staff on campus to come together to share the amazing work each department is doing to contribute to our sustainable journey, as well as discussing the ways in which we can do better. This helps us keep ourselves accountable, while celebrating our wins!

Alongside our monthly sustainability meetings, we also gather student insights through the Sustainability Skills Survey. This helps us understand how sustainability is being integrated into education and how we can continue to improve. In addition, our Student-led Sustainability Curriculum Mapping Findings Report examines how sustainability is embedded within our courses, identifying opportunities for further progress.

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we are also proud members of Plymouth Climate Connections, working alongside local organisations to drive meaningful change.

We have implemented a recycling program for paper, plastic, glass, and other materials, and we encourage staff and students to minimize waste by using refillable water bottles and reusable bags.

We have installed energy-efficient lighting, upgraded our heating and cooling systems, and implemented energy-saving policies throughout the campus.