Issue Two I heartofyorkshire.ac.uk/sustainability
The Sustainability Newsletter for staff & students of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Welcome to Footprint Hopefully you will be picking up this edition as we mark our first Group-wide sustainability week, celebrating all things sustainability. The week will look back on the best green practice across the Group which took place throughout the year. We hope that this will raise awareness for staff and students of the sustainability actions that we are taking as a Group and to promote initiatives such as reduction of printing, informed choices about sustainable diets, sustainable fashion and more. We all have a part to play when it comes to increasing sustainability and we recognise the role that we need to play in supporting not just the region’s, but the UK’s aspirations in reducing our carbon footprint and reaching net zero. That is why I’m incredibly proud to see so many fantastic initiatives going on across our three Colleges and externally to make this a reality. From the Mayor of West Yorkshire getting our students involved in forming solutions to tackle the climate change emergency, to our students hosting sustainable activities, to our own Director of Higher Education, Clare Hagerup, delivering a keynote at the Association of College’s
Sustainability Conference - it’s clear that we have made great strides so far. Colleagues were also commended by True North Education Consulting for the progress they have made on our sustainability journey and for that, I truly say thank you to you all. The enthusiasm our students have shown to adopting more sustainable practices and raising awareness of climate change is also exceptional. Externally, we are also working companies such as Drax on energy reduction projects and with the likes of Nissan to enhance our students’ knowledge about sustainability. We have come a long way in the last 10 years or so, but there is still much work to be done. I hope you enjoy reading about our sustainability vision, objectives and our journey so far.
Sam Wright Principal and Chief Executive Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Staff Undertake Sustainability Training Staff from across the Group recently took part in two sustainability training sessions facilitated by Mark Thompson of True North Education Consulting. The first workshop explored the ways in which we can better embed sustainability across our curriculum and how we can engage our students in this subject and harness their talents and enthusiasm to drive this agenda forward. The second workshop was centred on what we need to do as a Group to
measure our scope three emissions and critically, where we can further reduce our carbon footprint.
It also became apparent that we do an enormous amount in this space but that we do not champion this work enough.
This workshop was attended by staff from Adult Skills and Partnerships, Estates and Finance and was strategically focused on how the group can take the next step on its journey to becoming more sustainable. It was heartening to hear from Mark that we are further along than many other colleges and are making excellent progress.
Going forward, a key focus for the Group will be to increase the visibility of our work in sustainability and become a champion for sustainable practices, and an example to other organisations in the region.