Educating the educators – Durham College principals take carbon literacy training

New College Durham principal and chief executive Andy Broadbent and deputy principal Alison Maynard will be able to ask others to do as they do, not as they say, when it comes to carbon footprints from now on.

The College’s leading educators joined other staff taking part in the Carbon Literacy Trust’s training programme to make sure they fully understood the key elements of environmental care.

A new sustainability strategy has been adopted by the college and as part of that, it has committed to the Carbon Literacy Project, developed by the Carbon Literacy Trust.

The goal is to have staff and students working together to understand and act on climate change on multiple levels.

In the first stage of the programme, the college trains staff members as Carbon Literacy Champions who can act as advocates and support the Green Skills team to roll out the training to all staff.

The course is delivered in two parts and actively promotes group discussion and personal involvement. Once both parts have been completed, the college will encourage participants to make a pledge of action which would reduce their own carbon footprint.

Mr Broadbent said: “The college is committed to playing its part in tackling climate change and moving towards a low carbon future.

“Research has shown that Carbon Literate citizens have the knowledge to lower their carbon footprint which results in carbon savings of from five to 15% per person.

“We hope that by educating our staff they will be better informed to make sustainable choices in their day-to-day working practices.”

Alison Maynard added: “Our ultimate goal is for every student to undertake the training.

“We want to educate our students about climate change and the impact their behaviour has on the climate.

“We want to arm them with the skills and knowledge to take positive action to tackle the climate crisis while at college, in their home lives, and in their future careers.”