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Education
The restoration of the walled garden has been managed and proudly opened by Plumpton College. We are the leading college for land based education in the South East, covering 19 specialist subjects and providing immersive education for a changing world.
Biodiversity
We encourage wildlife through pesticide-free gardening, using mechanical and predatory sacrificial methods of control. We opt for 100% peat-free horticultural products.
Carbon Footprint
Heating and powering buildings and glasshouses makes up a large proportion of our total energy output. Our buildings and especially our glasshouses serve a vital function in educating our students and minimising emissions by growing plants in-house rather than importing them.
Circular Economy
We actively work with suppliers that have sustainability certifications (such as FSC, Fairtrade coffee21 and RSPO). We compost a large amount of green waste on-site for reuse within the Gardens. Food waste goes into compost bays and coffee grinds are used as a mulch in the garden.
Projects
As an environmentally conscious organisation, we are working to make sustainability rooted in everything that we do.
Our strategy is an ongoing project that will evolve and grow over time.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions.
- 90% less land - the vertical design uses 90% less space than you’d usually need
- Uses 2% of water used in traditional growing as water is infinitely recycled
- Plants grow three times as fast - we can grow a full head of lettuce in 3 weeks!
- Eliminates shipping and storage
- Minimal nutrient loss-vegetables refrigerated for 7 days lose 15%-77% of their vitamin C content
Chemical free gardening
We grow a range of trees, shrubs and climbers, mixed hedge to provide food and shelter - a biodiverse garden is a messy one, we purposefully leave our winter pruning as late as possible, as natural debris offers food and habitat for many species.
Our recent volunteer project introduced a wildlife pond to the garden, which helps many creatures thrive, from birds and dragonflies to frogs and newts.
Partnerships
We are part of an international community that prioritises sustainable development.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a framework of 17 global goals across the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. We work within this framework to support the global path for sustainable development.
The Living Coast Biosphere
Biosphere Reserves improve the relationship between people and their local environment, globally. They are sites created by UNESCO that find creative ways for people and nature to thrive together. The project has a revolutionary approach to managing the ecosystem's sustainably for future generations.
