Case Study Visit: Ringmer College

Environmental Coordinator Stephen Green, Facilities Manager Anthony Frost plus Senior Eco Reps from Ringmer College, hosted a tour and talk highlighting the sustainability achievements of the College as part of the University of Brighton’s Green Growth Platform events programme. The meeting was held in an Eco classroom, with rammed earth walls and passive ventilation systems.

Stephen’s approach to sustainability at the college focuses on the need for students to learn about environmental management, as these issues will impact their future, and they should also learn to take personal responsibility for their own energy use and waste.

This principle also applies to staff and the college operates an accountability system where staff will receive a 75p fine if a computer is left on overnight and students receive a lunch time detention. Sustainability is also a feature in most school subjects with maths and science problems having a sustainable edge, interest in sustainability is high with 200 out of 700 pupils actively involved and 12 ‘eco-reps’ who help Stephen to run the sustainability team.

Stephen and the students spoke about the many types of renewable energy systems installed at the college, including solar thermal, solar PV, a wind turbine, a ground-source heat-pump and a biomass boiler, which uses locally coppiced wood, from a local supplier.

Waste management and recycling are also very important at the college with waste food being used to feed the pigs at the college farm and printing and paper use limited for students. Their new 6th form building is thoroughly insulated and incorporates rainwater harvesting system and passive ventilation to remove the need for air conditioning a gas boiler is used to top up the heat from the biomass boiler, but this is rarely used and cost just £60 in 2015.

These measures have cut their energy bill by £30,000 a year, before taking into account the income from the Renewable Heat Incentive for the ground-source heat-pump, future plans include increasing the amount of solar PV on site.

The college have received lots of recognition for their achievement in the national media and have won several awards including the Green Flag Award for Environmental Sustainability, the Ashden Award and National Teaching Awards.