Climate change campaigners call on college to declare emergency

Environmental campaigners have called on two colleges to declare a climate change emergency.

Members of Extinction Rebellion Youth Shrewsbury, who attend Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology and Shrewsbury Sixth Form, say they want Shrewsbury Colleges Group, which runs the two facilities, to stand up and back their campaign.

They have launched an online petition urging the college to make the declaration, which has already been made by Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council.

A spokesman for the group said: “In March, Shrewsbury Town Council declared a climate emergency and set 2030 as a date to reach carbon neutrality. 

“Shropshire Council also declared a climate emergency back in May. We now call on the Shrewsbury College Group to do the same. 

“According to reports we have 11 years to rapidly reduce CO2 emissions before we reach a tipping point that causes irreversible damage to our climate. 

“Extinction Rebellion Youth (XRY) Shrewsbury has been organising student strikes since May. 

“Once a month students from across Shrewsbury have walked out of lessons to demand local action to combat the climate crisis. 

“A high percentage of us go to Shrewsbury Sixth Form or Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology – both of which are part of the Shrewsbury College Group. 

“Previously the college have verbally stated they are committed to reducing their emissions but we need something more concrete. 

“By declaring a climate emergency this would demonstrate the college have a willingness to fight for the future of its students and prepare us both academically and physically for our lives ahead.

“There is a sustainability meeting at the college in January next year where we hope to present this petition.”

A spokeswoman for Shrewsbury Colleges Group said the group is committed to sustainable delivery and has taken a number of steps over the past year to further reduce its impact on the environment. 

For example, the college is currently completing a £150,000 investment at its London Road campus to improve the energy efficiency of lighting across the campus. 

This will reduce the college’s carbon footprint by 50 tonnes per annum.

She said it has also implemented a number of changes across all of its campuses to improve the materials it uses to make activities more sustainable.

Principal James Staniforth said: “Over the past year we have embraced the ‘Shrewsbury Cup’ initiative to replace disposable cups with re-useable cups, replaced water dispensers across the college to remove single use plastic cups and replaced plastic or polystyrene takeaway containers with compostable containers. 

“We have also set aside appropriate space at our London Road campus, and on Saturday, November 30, our staff and students will be planting 420 trees as part of a further initiative to offset some of the College’s carbon emissions.

He added: “We take sustainability very seriously as can be seen from our investment in energy efficient lighting and our initiatives from encouraging recycling to tree planting at our London Road Campus. 

“We do what we can do but the education sector as a whole needs Central Government investment to support national change.”