Coleg Gwent

Coleg Gwent is the largest further education college in Wales, occupying some 89,391m2 and operating from 5 campuses located at Newport, Crosskeys, Ebbw vale, Pontypool and Usk. Coleg Gwent is an independent corporation employing over 1500 staff and providing further education to some 37000 students. The college provides a wide range of further education courses and training programmes in a variety of settings that include practical workshops, laboratories and classrooms.

Environmental Management System

The College operates an Environmental Management System (EMS) certified to the Green Dragon Environmental Standards (GDES). Initial work commenced on the GDES during 2007 and the college has progressively worked through each level over the past 3 years. By implementing the GDES the college has implemented the EMS in a structured manner ensuring that all policies and procedures are fully intergrated.

Waste Management

Prior to 2007 the college sent 100% of all waste to landfill. This was clearly not acceptable and the college set out to dramatically reduce this. The initial steps made by the college included consolidation of the waste management contracts. Throughout the college there were various arrangements in place with different waste management contractors. To ensure that this issue was effectively managed the college prepared a comprehensive tender covering all campuses of Coleg Gwent. On awarding the contract the college removed all wheelie bins (47 in total) across the college and set up central waste skips at each campus (waste paper skip, metal waste skip, general waste skip). Each room and office was provided with a blue bin for paper ( 715 bins issued in total) facilities provided for all workshops, laboratories from waste removal recycling for engine oils, chemicals, tyres, batteries, recycling of food waste, etc. This was further supplemented by a series of training programme on waste management for all staff and students. As a result the college recycles 73% of all waste produced thereby reducing waste to landfill from 100% to just 27%. In addition the College implemented the Welsh Assembly Governments ‘Sustainable Procurement Assessment Framework' (SPAF). The aim of the framework is to ensure that organisations embrace sustainable development principles to influence all aspects of procurement, ensuring that environmental, social and economic factors are considered and to encourage all suppliers to adopt a similar approach.

Energy Monitoring

In 2006 the college implemented a web based monitoring and targeting system which has provided the college with a tool to manage the energy and water consumption across all buildings of the college, with the overall aim of significantly reducing consumption and the associated cost. The system allows the college to identify abnormal utility usage by comparison with other institutions in the further education sector and government benchmarks and long term usage trends. In addition the system provides a complete view of utility use by allowing the data entry, processing and correlation of utility metrics from all critical energy usage sources to ensure that the college utility usage performs at peak efficiency.

Sustainability and Biodiversity

Coleg Gwent is committed to integrating sustainable development principles into its new developments. A new development at the Crosskeys Campus due to open in September 2010 has been designed with sustainability being instrumental in the planning process. The Masterplan for the site was developed through a series of key stakeholder workshops and public exhibitions, which considered a wide range of assessment criteria, including the protection and enhancement of wildlife, habitat connectivity within and outside the site, and the potential for an integrated sustainable drainage system to benefit ecology and landscape. As a result the design was awarded the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) standard of ‘excellent’.

Characteristics of the design included: 15% of the value of the materials used were recycled or reused; measures to encourage walking and cycling; provision for public transport services; excellent environmental performance within the built environment, including water efficiency, energy efficiency, and use of low environmental impact materials; a biomass boiler system and the use of a Sustainable Urban Drainage System.

Main Contact Name: Ian Rowe, Manager, Health, Safety & Environment
Main Contact Email & Telephone: ian.rowe@coleggwent.ac.uk and 01495 333510
Further information/website: www.coleggwent.ac.uk
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