Environmental Sustainability

A RESPONSIBLE FUTURE

"We are excited to continue working towards this ambitious target and share it with the wider Radley community. While the practical work is important, equally important is our engagement with the boys on this topic."

David Anderson, Estates Bursar

Radley has launched a strategic plan on the vital area of environmental sustainability.

In the last 10 years, we have already managed to reduce our carbon footprint by 40%, through projects such as the installation of renewable energy sources, efficient plant rooms, improved systems management, additional insulation, window upgrades and LED lighting.

Now, our overarching goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030.

While we recognise that carbon offsets form part of the toolkit to achieve this, we seek to minimise the need for this by maximising the opportunities on our own land.

We will achieve this by focusing on the four key strands, shown right.

The Estates Bursar is working closely with boys and staff to engage and educate all on the importance of sustainable planning. There is a community-wide opportunity to make a real difference with various individuals involved where possible in the research, implementation and analysis of our work.

We are looking forward to sharing our early progress in the Old Radleian 2022.

To watch interviews with the Estates Bursar David Anderson and Head of the Environmental Society Ollie, please visit: www.radley.org.uk/foundationconversations Energy – simply put, “using less”. Most of our heating and hot water currently is powered by gas. We plan to install a solar farm within the next two years and will trial heat pumps.

Land use and Ecology – we have a 750-acre campus rich in ecology with enormous opportunity for biodiversity, rewilding, and carbon sequestration.

Transport – we have started to replace vehicles running on fossil fuels with electric alternatives – minibuses, operational vehicles, grounds, and garden machinery.

Waste – we are conducting a review of our waste volume in all areas of Radley life. We will aim to eliminate single-use plastic across the campus and upgrade our waste management system so that no waste goes to landfill.