Travel
College staff are auto-enrolled into the bike-to-work scheme. The College owns two motor vehicles (two all-electric vans).
Food and Drink
We don’t sell single-use plastic water bottles. Instead, we have free water refill stations and we provide students with free reusable water bottles. We also run 'green nudge' experiments such as displaying the carbon footprints of meal options, and we are experimenting with various methods to reduce waste.
Biodiversity
We have installed new bird boxes and bee hotels, we have relandscaped to increase biodiversity, and we have a number of environmental policies (such as no hedge cutting during nesting season).
Initiatives
The College community has launched various sustainability initiatives, including a biodiversity event, clothes swap, sustainability bingo, and a litter-picking marathon.
Societies
We have two student Green Officers and our students created the Lucy Cavendish Cycling Club, the Lucy Sustainable Fashion Society, and the Lucy Cavendish Climate Society. Our alumni have created the Lucy Alumni Climate Network.
Investments
We have fully divested from direct investments in fossil fuels and we pursue positive investment opportunities (such as renewable technologies).
Buildings and Energy
Our new eco-friendly building meets and exceeds the Passivhaus standard. To avoid fossil fuels, it uses air-source heat pumps to provide heating and hot water; a first for Cambridge College accommodation. 100% of the electricity for all our buildings is supplied by renewables (with over 80% generated from solar farms within 20 miles of Cambridge).
Awards
Lucy Cavendish College has received the Platinum Award for Green Impact which was thanks to the great progress made with infrastructure and procurement, our new building won Best Project at the RTPI East of England Awards for Planning Excellence and the Architects’ Journal Award for Best Higher Education Project Award. The College's research labs have received fours awards for leading-edge sustainability research: the 2023 and 2024 Excellence Award, the Regional Innovation Award, and the National Innovation Award.
