Green Gown Awards 2021: Sustainability Institution of the Year - Forth Valley College - Finalist

Sustainability Institution of the Year

Forth Valley College is literally built around sustainability. Over the past nine years the college has constructed three new campuses in Alloa, Stirling and Falkirk. All three have been constructed to very high sustainability and energy efficiency standards with BREEAM ratings ranging from Very Good to Excellent - putting them in the top 25% of efficient new builds.

The Alloa and Stirling Campuses use solar panels to heat water, utilise a rainwater harvester for flushing toilets, and boast food waste stations that grind food waste to fine particles removing excess liquid and reducing waste by up to 80%. The newest campus in Falkirk takes new technologies to another level with solar photovoltaics used to generate electricity, a ground source heat pump to provide heating and power the chilled beams, which regulate the heating system in summer and in winter.

All in all the three campuses are a model for sustainable learning, cutting total CO2 emissions from 2501 (tCO2e) in 2014/15 to 1454 (tCO2e) in 2019/20.

Top 3 learnings:

1. With the right will radical carbon reduction is possible.
2. Think carbon reduction across all College activities.
3. Every small step adds up to big emission cuts.

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)