Southern Regional College has achieved a prestigious Silver award in the 2025 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey, led by Business in the Community Northern Ireland. This follows the College’s Bronze award in November 2024 and reflects a year‑on‑year improvement in environmental management, performance and the embedding of sustainability in strategy and operations.
Actions undertaken by the College since the last review, include delivering substantial reductions in energy use, the investment of a £210,000 435 kW photovoltaic array at the Newry East campus and over £300,000 in LED lighting, low‑pressure hot water upgrades, building‑management system improvements and additional electric vehicle chargers.
Turning to learners and embedding sustainability practices across curriculum, the College continued its work in training and encouraging students and staff members to engage with sustainability practices. During the review period 60 senior leaders undertook Carbon Literacy training. The Students’ Union elected three Sustainability Officers and initiatives such as the Sustainability Fair, Cultural Diversity Day and the My World My Home programme are helping students to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and engage with climate action.
The College’s sustainability agenda extends to social value, wellbeing and inclusion. Through the GoodforMeGoodforFE campaign, staff and students continued fundraising efforts for charity partner Alzheimer’s Society, volunteering hours for charity and community organisations and donating items, such as food, warm clothing and toys, to local community organisations and foodbanks.
Practical support for learners includes the Educational Eats initiative, which delivered 31,400 free breakfasts and 8,738 free lunches during the 2024/25 winter term and the distribution of Winter Wellness Packs to students in need.
Mrs Lee Campbell, Principal & Chief Executive of Southern Regional College commented:
“Our progress this year shows what is possible when sustainability sits at the heart of the College community. From cutting our carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy to embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals across our curriculum, staff development and student experience, we are changing how we teach, learn and operate for the better. Achieving a Silver award in the Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey is a proud milestone, but it is also a stepping stone as we accelerate in our journey towards becoming sustainable”.