United Colleges Group is building the workforce of the future, and that means we play a crucial role in making sure that our students understand and embrace sustainable practice and ideas. Some ways that we achieve this is by folding environmentally conscious features into our estates - through building biodiverse outside spaces that everyone can engage with - and into the student experience by engaging our learners with exciting eco competitions.
To celebrate AOC Colleges' National Green Week, check out some of our recent activations:
Living roofs/ outside spaces
City of Westminster College Paddington Campus opened some fantastic staff and student terraces in the summer of last year that encouraged our college community to enjoy some city views and fresh air. There is even new outdoor furniture made from beautiful iroko hardwood reclaimed from our former North Wharf Road campus.
What's more, across half of the terrace area on the third floor, there are living roofs to encourage wildlife and increase biodiversity. Our living roofs also house the college solar panels, which contribute to our energy supply.
Our new EV fleet
Clean Air Day is coming up in June, and the air around Willesden Campus will be feeling a little different now that we have introduced two new electric vans to our fleet. The transition has significantly lowered our fuel costs, reduced carbon emissions, and decreased air and noise pollution on campus, contributing to an all-round healthier place to learn.
Camden Breathing Better Charter
United Colleges Group is part of the Camden Breathing Better Charter: a Sustainable Markets Initiative dedicated to reducing air pollution emissions and supporting the respiratory health of our workforce. The Camden Breathing Better Charter is made up of more than 23 organisations, with a total of 32,000 Camden employees, who are each taking part in a 12 step roadmap to transform Camden's air, showing that the most impactful change happens when we work together.
Willesden garden
ESOL Study programme learners have created peaceful outdoor space in an unloved corner of campus at College of North West London. It's been no small task: they have been digging up weeds, clearing nettles, cutting back hedges, planting flowers and painting murals to create a space for outdoor learning in the summer term.
Level 3 Welding students even donated a handcrafted metal bench made from recycled materials and sustainable hard-wearing paint.
London Eco Awards
City of Westminster College was the only college to win awards at London Clean Air Initiative’s London Eco Champion Awards in December. The college picked up second prize in the Junior Heroes category for our Performing & Production Arts students’ production of Mia & the Fish by Satinder Chohan. Making low impact, environmentally friendly theatre, learners worked with a portable lighting rig, recycled materials, and rechargeable batteries as part of the annual UK-wide, National Theatre Connections Festival. City of Westminster College also took home third prize in the Super Schools category.
Planet Earth Games
City of Westminster College was crowned the winner of Planet Earth Games Further Education 2025 earlier this year for our huge effort creating activities that incentivised sustainability. This included Bottles to Beacons, a workshop transforming used bottles into ornaments, Health and Wellbeing Indoor Games, a series of games designed to enhance mood and physical fitness, Seven Day Salad, encouraging consistent healthy eating, Barnyard Bonding, which involved a visit to Mudchute farm, and Seal the Chill, teaching people how to make their own draught excluders.