BELFAST Met are celebrating Earth Day by planting over 2,000 trees and hedgerow at their Millfield, Springvale and Castlereagh campuses alongside the installation of new electric vehicle charging points at Castlereagh and Springvale.

Earth Day is celebrated annually on 22 April and is a reminder to protect the environment, restore damaged ecosystems and live a more sustainable life.

The college has also today formally signed up to the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) Accord.

This is the University and FE College sector’s collective response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  The College’s commitment has been further enhanced in its new Strategic Plan 2021-24, with one of its five objectives being “Sustainable by Nature”.

This allows the College to use its role as educator and skills engine, to inspire, celebrate and advance the sustainability agenda, maximising its positive impact on the environment, economy and communities that it serves.

These goals recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth, all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

By signing up to the EAUC SDG Accord this will enable Belfast Met to co-ordinate a whole-institution approach to sustainability.

Louise Warde Hunter CEO and Principal at Belfast Met said that the college is totally committed to the sustainability agenda and has already made significant reductions in their carbon emissions over the past number of years.

"However, we must go further to ensure we deliver on our commitments to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our targets for 2030 and 2050," she continued. 

“This is a level of ambition that presents a huge challenge, which will take time and resources to fulfil. It will mean that the way we deliver some activities will need to be different, projects redefined and vitally, our behaviours need to change too. Belfast Met means to lead the way by investing in our learners and respecting our planet.”