Going Green - Eco

At SERC we are committed to being environmentally conscious. We are working towards being greener and more sustainable in everything we do.

SERC has made sustainable changes across our campuses, including installing electric vehicle charging points, solar panels and motion-activated lighting. We also embed sustainability in our teaching and learning, and have set green themes for our Project-Based Learning including energy conservation, waste reduction and upcycling.

The Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Environment team at SERC run a number of green initiatives, including the SERC Eco Community which offers students and staff the opportunity to create eco change on campus and beyond.

We still have some way to go on our journey to sustainability, but we are committed to our pledge to move away from being passively compliant with legislation to proactively green! To find out more about our exciting projects, see the sections below!

Estates

At SERC, we are committed to improving our environmental impact and have taken concrete steps to increase the energy efficiency of our campuses. We have:

  • Electric Vehicles (EV) - we have invested in 2 electric vehicles for use in connection with SERC activities.
  • EV Charging - we have installed 16 EV charging points across our 4 main campuses, (Bangor, Ards, Lisburn & Downpatrick).
  • PV Solar Panels - SERC has installed PV solar panels at 3 of our 4 main sites and we are currently working on a scheme for the 4th.
  • LED Lighting - SERC has installed motion-activated LED lighting at its 4 main campuses and is working towards implementing full LED lighting across all campuses.
  • Waste Management - All SERC waste currently goes to a recycling facility where approximately 97% of our waste is recycled and thus diverted from landfill.
  • ISO 14001 - SERC Estates Dept currently has an Environmental Management System (EMS) in place and holds full ISO 14001 Environmental Management accreditation.
  • Currently working on - we are developing a new Sustainability / Renewables teaching facility at Holywood, which includes upgrading heating controls across the estate and increasing levels of insulation.
  • Going forward - We are hoping to expand our EV fleet, increase the amount of EV Charging Points and install more high efficiency heating controls systems.