Environmental Policy
Goodenough College provides a safe, welcoming and caring community for its members and staff. The College recognises that the size of its community and the nature of its activities have an impact on the environment. The purpose of this policy is to set out the aims and aspirations of the College in relation to environmental issues.
The College Strategic Plan includes a Strategic Goal ‘”To sustain the College as an enduring institution which is underpinned by secure finances, a well maintained estate and high quality staff, with a commitment to minimising its environmental impact of College activity, and to promote environmental sustainability amongst its members and staff.”
The College has established an Environment Panel with the support and active involvement of College members and staff to demonstrate its commitment to environmental sustainability and to provide leadership and direction to the College’s Strategic Plan.
This environmental policy provides the framework for setting and reviewing environmental strategies within the College. Our principal aims are to minimise College greenhouse gas emissions in order to reduce the impact of climate change, and to promote the waste hierarchy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Our environmental objectives are to:
- Reduce our energy requirements through improving energy efficiency and reducing consumption.
- Manage our waste by minimising, storing, recycling and disposing of waste and packaging in a responsible manner.
- Reduce our water consumption.
- Investigate the use of materials with a lower environmental impact and reduce hazardous products and practices directly and indirectly associated with our work.
- Explore green procurement options and encourage suppliers to support our objectives.
- Work with College members, staff, service providers and other contacts to understand behaviours and practices, and to assist them to make improvements (particularly energy and waste) where we are able.
- Ensure environmental strategies are effective and represent an appropriate and affordable allocation of resources alongside other College goals and priorities.
We will set targets for our performance and monitor our performance against them.
This Policy and our achievements will be communicated widely within the College and to others interested in our environment management and performance. It will be reviewed regularly by the Environmental Panel.
Alice Walpole, Director
July 2021