Sustainability
At Fitzwilliam we balance the needs of our community today with those of future generations. This is not easy, but we work collectively to understand the impact of our own actions (as individuals and as a community) and to make choices that both support our activities now and protect our future.
Fitzwilliam invests directly in its future in a number of ways: through the day-to-day behaviour of members, to developing the fabric of the College, and through investment. In everything the College does it commits to placing environmental at the heart of any agenda.
See below for some of the ways in which we uphold our responsibility to the environment and prioritise sustainable practices in both the daily operations of the College as well as the long-term investments.
We are in the process of applying for the Green Meetings certification awarded by Green Tourism. Check back soon to see our progress!
- We use non-chemical products such as chilli powder and used coffee grounds from the College Coffee Shop to deter unwanted critters from crops and plants, and use organic based herbicides in our gardens that are non-residual in the soil.
- We have created habitats across the site for wildlife and to encourage biodiversity, including insect hotels, bee stations and bird boxes.
- We are an accredited Hedgehog Friendly Campus, having introduced feeding stations and 'Hog Hotels' throughout the gardens.
- We have installed several rainwater butts to reduce our water usage.
- In 2018 the New Court lawns were transformed into a potager garden where a variety of vegetables are grown. Once harvested, they are offered to staff and students of the College.
- We source locally wherever possible and work with suppliers who adhere to sustainable practices in their operations.
- Our menus are designed to prioritise seasonal ingredients.
- Bumper crops from our vegetable patches get put to good use in the kitchens.
- The fish on our menus is not specified by type until the day of the event, as we serve what is caught rather than ordering a specific variety.
- Leftover food from formal dinners and conference bookings is used in the buttery wherever possible to reduce food waste.
- In 2021 we gave up compostable packaging in the Buttery for Lent and demanded that staff and students bring their own containers in for takeaway.
- Cardboard waste is sent back to our suppliers for recycling.
- Any food waste that we have gets collected by the council and delivered to local recycling centres for composting.
- We reduce organic waste by planting 80% of our gardens with trees, shrubs and perennials and mowing only 20% of our lawns. Most of our organic waste that we do collect gets put back into our gardens as compost.
- We have a charity bin on site for collecting pre-loved items for donation.
- Linen in our accommodation is refreshed no more than twice a week in order to reduce water usage.
- Cleaning equipment such as cloths and mops are washed on site.
- Mattresses in our accommodation get recycled when they reach the end of their life.
- For day-to-day cleaning we use refillable spray bottles and have a refill station.
- Our toiletries for conference and B&B guests are paraben free.
- We have solar panels installed on our Auditorium roof.
- 80% of our lighting is LED, with plans in motion to be 100%.
- Our Maintenance Team travel by bike to off-site accommodation and use an electric van for further distances.
- 75% of our windows are double-glazed and for refurbishment projects we install triple-glazed.
- Most lighting across the site is PIR motion-activated.
