Truro and Penwith College is officially a Bronze Carbon Literate Educator!

Truro and Penwith College have today announced that they have been accredited as a Bronze Carbon Literate Educator, highlighting the institution’s commitment to embed climate education and action, through Carbon Literacy, into its institution and ethos, and facilitate a cultural shift towards a zero-carbon society.

Carbon Literacy is defined as, “An awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis,” and revolves around a day’s worth of learning and action on climate change.

Truro and Penwith College first engaged with Carbon Literacy following a meeting between a tutor and a sustainability advocate speaking at one of the College’s events. The College then used Manchester Metropolitan University’s shareable Carbon Literacy courses for Further Education and for Further and Higher Education Leadership, as a result of which 47 staff and students received the training and went on to become formally certified as Carbon Literate.

A Carbon Literate Educator is an educational institution that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being “culturally Carbon Literate”, maintaining a substantial proportion of its students and staff as Carbon Literate and positively utilising its influence in the community and wider world. CLE accreditation is a tiered system with Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels, requiring increasing levels of commitment to action on climate change and creating a low-carbon culture.

To become accredited as a Bronze Carbon Literate Educator, Truro and Penwith College trained 47 staff and students from across several departments using bespoke Carbon Literacy training materials, pledged to take action to reduce the College’s carbon footprint, and make the commitment to extend the reach of Carbon Literacy into other areas of the College.

Truro and Penwith College are delighted to receive this award which highlights the work of the College in the sustainability sector. The award not only identifies work to establish Carbon Literacy into the College but also demonstrates their commitment to ensuring sustainability education is available to staff, students and the community.

Lucy Langdon, Chief Finance Officer at Truro and Penwith College, commented: “Truro and Penwith College is pleased to achieve Bronze Level Carbon Literacy Educator, reflecting our commitment to sustainability, promoting green skills, and helping raise awareness of the effects of climate change.”

Dave Coleman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Carbon Literacy Project, said: “Carbon Literacy is an essential skill for any student to be properly prepared for the world of work and to thrive in a twenty-first century society. By becoming a Bronze Carbon Literate Educator (CLE), Truro and Penwith College have demonstrated a commitment to empowering its students through Carbon Literacy.

“But CLEs are not only great educators. CLEs run great organisations, taking responsibility for their own impacts, and are able to demonstrate their own efficiencies. CLEs connect themselves and their learners with all the other organisations on their own Carbon Literacy journeys all around them, to the benefit of everyone. This award recognises Truro and Penwith College’s efforts and success in facilitating the cultural shift to a positive low carbon future for us all.”