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Home > The College > Sustainability

Sustainability and Climate Change 

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The climate crisis means that individuals and institutions need to act now to limit global warming and reduce the impact of the biggest threat our society faces in climate change. 

There are two key elements to our Sustainability Strategy at BHASVIC: 

     1. BHASVIC aims to be a Net Zero organisation by 2030 

     2. We will educate our students so they are Carbon Literate citizens 

 1. Carbon Reduction 

BHASVIC has pledged to become NetZero by 2030 in line with the aspirations of Brighton and Hove City Council. We have calculated our 2019 Carbon Footprint with the help of the Carbon Trust and the report can be viewed here: 

BHASVIC Carbon Footprint Calculation

Our journey towards being a Net Zero organisation is set out by the FE Climate Action Roadmap which can be viewed here. In October 2020 we jointly pledged with Brighton’s two other colleges, GBMet and Varndean to adopt this roadmap and become leading institutions by 2023. The Latest News story regarding this collaborative venture can be seen here. 

BHASVIC’s progress against the FE Climate Action Roadmap can be viewed below: 

BHASVIC Progress towards FE Climate Action Roadmap 

In Autumn 2021, we commissioned the Carbon Trust to compile an Action Plan to help us meet our 2030 NetZero target which can be seen below.
BHASVIC NetZero 2030 Action Plan 
We are now completing Heat Pump feasibility surveys for our buildings as we look to replace boilers from 2026. As the National Grid will not be fully decarbonised by 2030 we will still generate an estimated 200 tonnes of C02 annually. We are working with our students and other stakeholder groups to begin to discuss how we might best offset our emissions to stay true to our NetZero ambition by 2030.

2. Carbon Literacy 

BHASVIC is one of the first colleges to offer students a Carbon Literacy qualification (in partnership with the CarbonLiteracy.com). In July 2021 over 200 students completed a level 3 qualification in Carbon Literacy. BHASVIC, Varndean, GBMet and Plumpton College formed a Pilot group to offer this qualification

Principal William Baldwin said “we were delighted to be asked to pilot the Carbon Literacy qualification. A key part of the FE climate roadmap is to ensure that all students are educated around issues of climate change and sustainability. This qualification provides an accessible platform for students to develop their understanding as well as challenging them to change their behaviours. Over 200 students have completed this course so far as an additional element of their main studies – this shows that students want to be both engaged and informed. We want to raise a generation of teenagers in Brighton and Sussex to understand these issues because we are not going to meet local, national and international emissions targets without individuals changing their behaviour.”

Greener Sussex is a collaborative project funded by the DfE Skills Accelerator national fund to improve Green industry, technology and skills locally.  It is a response to calls from the Parliamentary Business, Education and Industrial Strategy committee (BEIS) to incorporate climate change education into formal education and skills policy.
BHASVIC is leading on a Carbon Literacy strand which is an overarching umbrella to the other green-related collaborative projects within this bid (including Electric Vehicles, Alternative Energy, Decarbonisation and Net Zero agenda).  Our Carbon Literacy work builds the foundations for individuals to understand the science behind climate change and the need for sustainability to complement their courses, learning and skills development.  All colleges in the Greener Sussex project are taking part in this collaborative work which comprises:-
  • Carbon Literacy Qualification – A short L3 course developed in partnership with The Carbon Literacy Project which raises awareness and gives the tools and an important platform for student voice and action.
  • Embedding Carbon Literacy – Training and supporting tutors to develop meaningful ways to incorporate Carbon Literacy and develop accompanying resources for existing courses across a range of subject areas.
  • Masterclasses – Opportunities for students and tutors across a range of subject areas to experience workshops led by professionals working in the green industries or sustainability or research sectors.

      

Every year we build on previous work to become a Greener organisation. We will report progress against future targets to cut waste and meet our 2030 Net Zero ambitions here.


The Association of Colleges Green College Commitment sets out the critical role of colleges in achieving net zero and biodiversity ambitions. 

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