Focusing on the future – Students at Burnley College celebrate Earth Day as they tackle sustainability and raise funds

Burnley College students are being encouraged to “invest in our planet” and are raising money for environmental charities as they celebrate Earth Day 2023.

The College will celebrate on Monday 24 April to ensure students get the chance to experience everything on offer, as the official day falls on Saturday 22 April.

Fundraising and educational events will take place during the day raising money for the World Wildlife Fund.

The events have been organised by a dedicated team of Student Sustainability Innovators who are passionate about the environment and want to impact the futures of everyone at Burnley College.

The Earth Day event commemorates the anniversary of the start of the modern environmental movement in the 1970s.

Burnley College has already made huge advances in reducing its own carbon footprint.

It’s a passion of Stuart Arnfield, Director of Finance and Resources:

“We only heat rooms during the week and when our sensors detect they are in use.

“We even monitor our energy meters every 30 minutes to ensure we’re keeping energy usage as low as possible without effecting the high standards of education we deliver.”

One of the biggest innovations of the past two years is the Low Carbon Hub developed with support from the Strategic Development Fund.

It’s designed to ensure employers have access to the very best training and latest innovations to reduce their carbon footprint, helping them to secure their future prosperity and save the planet.

It allows small and medium-sized employers from across the region to develop a vital understanding of the business incentives, the need to become more environmentally aware and how they can make necessary changes.

The College also:

• Provides free water machines for students to fill their own reusable bottles
• Uses rainwater collected from roofs to water outdoor plants
• Has abolished polystyrene from its refectory, using only paper boxes for takeaways
• Does not use plastic cutlery
• Offers a huge range of more eco-friendly options for vegans and vegetarians
• Has a cycle to work scheme
• Offers free electrical car charging points for students and staff.

Are you passionate about sustainability? Do you want to be part of a college which is thinking about your future as well as the future of the world around us? Join the Burnley College family and share your ideas, innovations and plans for the environment with like-minded students.

Learn more: https://www.burnley.ac.uk/about/sustainability/