MidKent College Zero: Reducing Emissions as a Moral Imperative

About

Sustainability is a core value at MidKent College, embedded across decision-making, procurement, education, and community engagement. Through our £15.6 million ‘ZERO’ decarbonisation and retrofit initiative, we are eliminating gas use entirely across both our campuses and targeting a 70% reduction in carbon emissions. Our approach places energy efficiency, biodiversity, curriculum integration, and student participation at its heart. We are equipping learners with green skills for the future through sustainability-rich curricula, staff training, and specialist hubs that support industry with low-carbon training and events. The College’s £10.6 million contribution will also deliver major operational benefits - including an 80–90% cut in energy costs -increasing resilience to fuel price volatility and enabling surplus energy to be stored or
sold back to the grid. Our investment is projected to pay for itself by 2037, while positioning MidKent College as a leader in climate action, skills development, and regional sustainability.

Top 3 learnings

1. A half-hearted goal drives half-hearted action. We set a bold net zero goal and it inspired a significant college-wide response.

2. Embedding sustainability into daily life made ZERO a lasting part of our college culture, which means we'll keep on learning, growing, investing and mitigating our impact.

3. Involving our staff and students from the start unlocked energy, ideas and lasting commitment to change; we did this together which helped everyone tolerate the disruption while work was underway.

What is means to win

Winning a Green Gown Award would be powerful recognition of the bold action we are taking, not just for our College but for the wider Further Education sector. It would celebrate our determination to lead by example, proving that ambitious sustainability projects are possible even in a sector that is often overlooked for environmental funding. We are not just cutting carbon. We are showing our students, staff and partners that Further Education can be a driver for change, encouraging innovation, influencing industry and helping to shape a greener future for all. Through ZERO, we have already begun lobbying for proper investment across the sector, because we believe every college should have the opportunity to achieve what we are achieving: deep carbon reductions, long-term cost savings and meaningful educational impact. This award would amplify our voice, validate our vision and help us inspire even more change.

Sustainable Development Goals