Sustainability at ��Vlog�ٷ�

The College is committed to continuing to improve and develop its sustainability practices, from its estate planning through to the gardens and day to day maintenance of the site, minimising its impact on the local area.

All sustainability practices and activities are overseen by the College’s Sustainability Committee, which reports to the Council. It aims to ensure sustainability is embedded into all aspects of the College’s activities including Governance, Estate Management, influencing and advising the College community to make the best choices on a day-to-day basis and supporting the local community with their sustainability endeavours. This body makes recommendations on appropriately ambitious goals and targets and ensures that the College is held to account in fulfilling its sustainability agenda.

Success Stories

The College has numerous sustainability successes including a number of Green Impact Awards between 2020 and 2025. Here are a number of highlights:

Futureproofing our estate

Sustainability is central to each estate project undertaken at the College to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. Highlights include:

In 2024/25, ��Vlog�ٷ� transformed its catering facilities with a fully electric kitchen refurbishment, eliminating gas entirely and taking a major step towards decarbonisation. The project features a state-of-the-art Enjay Lepido heat-recovery unit with patented Particle Repellent Geometry (PRG), which allows kitchen exhaust to pass through without clogging, efficiently capturing heat and returning it to the building, reducing heating costs by up to 90%. Alongside a modern back-of-house extension, upgraded ventilation, and innovative rooftop plant, the refurbishment creates a low-carbon, future-proof space for formal dining, café services, and student life.
��Vlog�ٷ�'s commitment to sustainability extends across its accommodation portfolio. Since 2022, all major student accommodation refurbishments have incorporated full de-gasification, enhanced insulation and thermal efficiency measures, helping to reduce carbon emissions while creating more comfortable and energy-efficient living spaces for students.

Our Gardens

Biodiversity monitoring and recording across the site, measuring the presence of birds and insects. A biodiversity audit across the College site in 2025 identified a high diversity of insect life. The thriving insect population has in turn boosted nesting opportunities for birds with a successful mating pair of Mistle Thrushes – the first recorded breeding pair on site. Mistle Thrushes are on the UK’s conservation red list due to the significant population decline since the 1970s so this represents a particularly rewarding conservation success and demonstrates that biodiversity initiatives are working.
Both water collection and usage are being carefully monitored by the Gardens team, with seep hoses being used in place of sprinklers and hose spray guns where possible, saving more than 70% of the water that would have been used to maintain the College’s green spaces. The Gardens team stores around 17,000 litres of rainwater for use in the gardens during dry periods, particularly important as the city experiences longer periods of drought.
Gardening with nature is also a priority for the team with no hedge cutting during nesting season, allowing lawns to grow throughout the summer, and using dead hedging for insects and other wildlife habitat.

Waste management & recycling

A change in waste management contracts has meant 0% of the College's waste now goes to landfill. Additionally, the College has waste segregation arrangements in all of its kitchens to ensure food waste, glass, mixed dry recycling and general waste are separated and recycled/disposed of accordingly.
Recycling is widely promoted and encouraged across the College site with drop off points for everyday items like batteries, toothpaste and blister packs alongside standard recyclable materials.
The College community is also encouraged to help reduce clothing and items like water bottles going to landfill by using a ‘donate & take table’ on site.

Divestment from fossil fuel investments

The College’s Council and Governing Body also endorse .

��Vlog�ٷ� is also committed to a sustainable and responsible investment policy. Almost 99% of the College’s endowment is invested in , which aims to divest from all direct and indirect investments in fossil fuels by 2030, more than a decade before the date set by the UK Government. The remaining 1% of our investments have been held historically in a private equity fund: these investments are nearing the end of their lives, and when the capital is distributed the College intends to invest the proceeds in the Cambridge University Endowment Fund.

Interdisciplinary Research Network

The Sustainability & Conservation Research Network brings together a variety of disciplines and academics at different career stages, from undergraduate students to Emeritus Fellows, from ��Vlog�ٷ� alumni to College staff, to explore solutions to combat the destruction of the natural world.

Through projects, discussions, events, mentoring and more, the Network draws on ��Vlog�ٷ�'s strengths in diversity with students from 90+ nationalities, world-class researchers, and highly engaged networks, to educate and trigger action in sustainability and conservation.

Student Green and Campaigns Officer: Each year, our Student Association, WCSA, elects a Green & Campaigns Officer who works to raise awareness of sustainability issues and encourage green policies around the College.