Sustainability leaders from Further Education (FE) colleges across the East Midlands came together at Nottingham College in December 2025. They shared practice, built connections to accelerate climate action across the region.
Hosted by the East Midlands Regional Hub for the Climate Ambassadors Scheme, the event brought together colleagues from FE, higher education and sector organisations. The event highlighted the growing importance of collaboration in addressing shared sustainability challenges.
Speakers included Matt Bunn, Sustainability Lead at Nottingham College, Laura Mayhew-Manchón, Head of Sustainability at Nottingham Trent University, and Jane Dickson, Climate Ambassadors Partnership Manager. Each offered a different perspective on how education providers can move from ambition to action.
On the day:
In the first session, Matt Bunn reflected on Nottingham College’s approach to embedding sustainability across the institution, including community partnerships, student-led projects and biodiversity initiatives. He shared insights from the college’s journey to achieving the Green Gown Award for Sustainability Institute of the Year 2025. Demonstrating how FE colleges can deliver impactful climate action both on and beyond their campuses.
Laura Mayhew-Manchón highlighted the strong similarities between colleges and universities when it comes to sustainability delivery, despite differences in scale. Drawing on Nottingham Trent University’s experience, she emphasised the importance of embedding sustainability as a core principle across operations, curriculum and the student experience, and of empowering students as active partners in climate action. Collaboration, she noted, remains central to driving progress.
Jane Dickson concluded the event by outlining key priorities raised by the FE sector through the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), including the need for clearer policy, accessible funding, technical support and stronger cross-institutional networks. She emphasised that system-level change is most effective when education providers work collectively.
The event provided space for colleges to share their own initiatives, ranging from sustainability-focused library practices and student–staff working groups to the development of climate action plans and exploration of low-carbon infrastructure.
Next steps
Building on this momentum, a second East Midlands FE Sustainability Network session is planned for March 2026.
FE colleges and university partners interested in taking part in future sessions can contact the East Midlands Regional Hub at ca-eastmidlands@nottingham.ac.uk.
Matilda Crane,
East Midlands Regional Hub Manager for the Climate Ambassadors Scheme
January 2026