Green Team Efforts Achieve iiE Silver Award

Education Training Collective (Etc.) is a college group incorporating Stockton Riverside College, Redcar and Cleveland College, Bede Sixth Form, NETA Training and The Skills Academy. The group is determined to make a sustainable impact, and inspire students and staff to do their bit for the planet at college and at home.

Etc. pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by improving sustainability, increasing recycling and reducing general waste, and decreasing energy consumption. The efforts of the college group to improve their green credential have been recognized by receiving the Investors in the Environment (iiE) Silver Award.

The college group previously achieved the iiE Bronze award in 2019, and started their green journey by implementing small changes, such as reducing the number of plastic bottles in the fridges, rewarding the use of reusable cups in their cafes and swapping single-use plastic cutlery for more sustainable options. However, the establishment of the Green Initiatives Group, formed from dedicated and forward-thinking individuals, led to bolder and more ambitious ideas.

Etc. has now introduced new environmental policies including a travel plan, and is monitoring its use of electricity, water, gas and fleet vehicles with specific targets in place. Furthermore, the college group is tracking general and recycling waste, and food waste from all sites is diverted from landfill to disposal by anaerobic digestion.

The college group now aims to achieve the iiE Green Award, and use its platform to help people understand and learn the small changes they can make to collectively have a big, positive impact on the environment.