Sustainability

Wherever possible and practical, the College is looking to make more sustainable and energy efficient choices across all its operations and to consider its wider environmental impact.

As a large and busy full boarding school, the choices we make for heating, lighting, transport and cooking can make a significant difference. At the College, we already source our electricity from 100% renewable sources (wind, solar or hydro), have installed over 4,000 LED lights and are converting all our old boilers to new energy efficient condensing boilers and our fleet to 100% electric vehicles. New buildings are routinely fitted with photovoltaic (PV) panels to help power our campus and single use plastics have been removed from our catering operations.

As well as working on our energy usage and on reducing wastage, an action plan is being created to increase the biodiversity of our beautiful outdoor habitats and to improve the outcomes for nature. Numerous projects are in train to create additional wildflower areas and hedgerows and there is a comprehensive programme of tree planting and of restoration work on the Marlborough White Horse. The College is one of the few school campuses to have a chalk stream, the River Kennet, running through it, in our case connected to two man-made trout lakes. These require their own conservation plan, on which we work in partnership with ARK (Action for the River Kennet) and the Wild Trout Trust.

Each year, the College publishes an update on its sustainability activity and the latest updates can be read here