Green Gown Awards 2020 - Buxton & Leek College - Winner

WINNER (Small Institution): BLC: Keen to go green!

Buxton & Leek College (BLC) took a college-wide approach to improving our green credentials in 2019/20, embarking on a number of projects which saw students take ownership over the ways in which they wanted to improve the sustainability of our campuses and wider communities. The concept of sustainability was introduced during induction, and the theme was then carried through the whole academic year, with regular opportunities to participate in green initiatives.  

Student-led projects included The Recycle Squad, recycling electrical goods; community partnerships with Tittesworth Reservoir, removing litter, and Peak Park Rangers, completing conservation work including planting a wildflower meadow; the Cycle of Good partnership project, supporting communities in Malawi with designs using recycled materials, and the design and creation of play materials using natural and recycled materials.  

Enrichment opportunities, open to all, included a tree planting event; conservation workshops, run by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust; the Shell Eco-Marathon engineering project, and introduction of new recycling bins. 

Top 3 learnings:

1. We all need to play our part in increasing our organisations’ sustainable credentials. 
2. Students will come up with exciting and innovative sustainability ideas when given the opportunity.  
3. Environmental projects can have wider reaching benefits for students’ mental health and wellbeing. 

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)
• 2021 International Green Gown Awards - Student Engagement Video (click to hide)