Sustainability Policy

Scope

This policy applies to students and employees of Donegal English Language School (DELS) along with the local community.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to actively engage all DELS students, staff and the community in developing a sustainable environment which fosters and inspires best practice and emphasises the importance of preparing and empowering individuals to become responsible for contributing to a sustainable future.

We also commit to ensuring sustainable practices throughout our business.

Buildings: In our buildings and renovations we will aim to meet high environmental standards in terms of energy efficiency, air quality, and materials we use.

Energy: Our students and staff will become more conscious of the energy being used in our buildings. We will work towards reducing our use of electricity and heating oil, and we will explore opportunities to use renewable energy sources along with ensuring our energy supplier uses 100% renewable energy.

Curriculum: Our teachers and activity staff will promote the education and research of sustainable practices in order to improve our understanding of our environmental impact and to foster a mindfulness of our surroundings. We will work to connect the natural environment around us with our curriculum.

Activities:  We will ensure that all activities at DELS respect the natural environment around them and will use the opportunity to educate our students on the importance of being sustainable and respectful to the local environment and wildlife.  We operate a strict leave no trace policy.

Food: We will strive to purchase local and organic food as much as possible while still providing a variety of choices in our canteen, and we will practice proper sustainable disposal methods of our food.

Purchasing: We will consider the life cycle and environmental impact of what we purchase and we will look to buy locally where possible.

Transportation: We encourage carpooling, cycling, and walking for our staff.  For students, we group our transfers together from Dublin to minimise transfers or encourage students to take public transport.  While here, we encourage students to walk or avail of our free bike service.

Waste: We are committed to limiting organic and non-organic waste produce. The school strives to promote the re-use of materials and resources, to encourage recycling and composting, to avoid excess procurement of food.

The 12 Commitments

1. Reduce the amount of energy consumed in the school and switch to sustainable energy suppliers where possible
2. Reduce the amount of water consumed in the school
3. Reduce the amount of paper consumed and move towards a paperless operation
4. Discourage the use of pointless plastics by all staff, students and suppliers
5. Reuse and recycle everything brought into the school that can usefully be reused or cycled
6. Reduce the environmental impact of purchases e.g. by using local supply chains
7. Reduce the environmental impact of all marketing activities
8. Compensate for the carbon generated by students and staff travelling to the school – especially international students!
9. Encourage providers of accommodation services to adopt sustainable practices
10. Include activities that benefit the environment in the school’s programme of social activities
11. Ensure that all staff and students are aware of the school’s environmental policies
12. Systematically include environmental issues in the teaching curriculum