At Northampton College, we are always looking at positive ways to promote environmental improvement.
Through our college-wide ‘Go-Green Initiative’, we encourage staff and students alike to consider the impact we have as a college, and how we can do our part to create a sustainable future. Students also have the opportunity to take on a more active environmental role at college, by raising any suggestions they may have with the Northampton College Students’ Union (NCSU).
Our Campuses
All three of our campuses were built to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. We set our architects the challenge of creating buildings that are sympathetic to the environment with as low a carbon footprint as possible.
We continue to be conscious of our energy consumption and carbon footprint, which we combat through the use of building management systems, a green sedum roof and 220 kW of photovoltaic solar panels, which covers the College's electrical 'base load'.
Biodiversity
Our Booth Lane and Daventry campuses include several protected garden areas to encourage wildlife. The Lagoon at our Booth Lane campus is a protected conservation area – sealed off to encourage plant growth and wildlife.
Waste and Recycling
Recent improvements made to waste management at the College include:
- Recomissioning two Biomass boilers to burn woodchips, providing heating and hot water for the main building at Booth Lane.
- Eliminating the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in all three college canteens, replacing these with reusable water bottles.
- Ensuring that paper recycling bins are available in hundreds of locations around the College, making it quick and easy for staff and students to recycle their unwanted paperwork.
- Introducing an incentive of 20p off any hot drink when you use a reusable coffee cup at all three college canteens, in an effort to reduce single-use plastic waste. Branded reusable coffee cups are available to purchase on campus for this purpose.
- No waste from college campuses is sent to landfill.
- All food waste from college kitchens is separated and used as biofuel.
- All college waste metal is fully recycled.
Travel and Transport
All three of our campuses are easily accessible by public transport, and our Student Services team work hard to advise students on the options available.
If students would like to get the bus into college, there are a variety of bus passes that can be purchased, and we also offer help with the cost of a bus pass through the bursary. We also have plenty of secure cycle points at all three campuses, and encourage all students to travel on foot or by bicycle where possible.
The recent addition of the Voi e-scooter rental scheme* to Northampton’s roads has also made a positive difference and we see many students opting to make use of this system to get to and from the gates of our campuses, further helping to reduce emissions.
*Please note that all staff and students using these e-scooters must be fully aware of, and compliant with, the law.
Staff that drive to and from work, or use a car for college business, are given the opportunity to donate 1p for every mile travelled to the College Tree Fund. Donations are used to plant trees on the college campuses or at community orchards/nature reserves around Northamptonshire.
We have also recently installed electric vehicle charging points in our car parks at Booth Lane and Lower Mounts, future-proofing our campuses and enabling staff to make the most of green technology.
