Sustainability

This standing committee of FIE staff and faculty works to promote sustainability issues and raise awareness throughout the entire FIE community. Organizational advocacy has led to initiatives including, but not limited to, strategic policy development, comprehensive recycling programs, energy-efficient facility upgrades, and student energy-saving residential competitions.

StAG created its StAG Champion Outstanding Sustainability Awards in 2014 to recognize students, faculty, staff or institutions that make a significant contribution to FIE’s sustainable development initiatives. Recipients are announced before the end of the Spring and Fall semesters and are awarded a gift, receive an award letter, and recognized on our plaque in Foundation House. 

FIE is proud to be a member of AASHE, a non-profit membership organization that empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. 

We are humbled and honored to have received a Silver rating by AASHE through its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). This recognition is a significant indicator of the quality of FIE’s delivery of Sustainability, one of our core values.

FIE is the only non-university or degree-granting institution (from hundreds of participants) to be awarded this accreditation and we are only one of a handful of non-USA/Canada institutions to be recognized in this way (alongside the likes of the University of Edinburgh and University of Greenwich). We are proud to be in such esteemed company alongside many of our partner institutions. It is rewarding to share our values with so many of the colleges and universities that we work with.

Since 2012, FIE has partnered with ClimateCare to tackle the impact associated with the business travel of our London, Dublin, and US-based staff and offset our CO₂ emissions. ClimateCare is an organization that offsets global greenhouse gas emissions on behalf of companies and individuals. These offsets are made through a range of projects around the world that not only make real reductions in carbon emissions but also make a difference to people’s lives in some of the world’s least developed countries.

Since 2012, FIE has offset 437.94 tonnes and contributed £3,282.28 towards sustainable projects around the world.

FIE’s values of Diversity and Inclusivity, Sustainability and Social Justice have manifested themselves in many ways over the past twenty years. Our values were firmly established and laid out from the beginning of our organization. Over time, we have let them guide our big decisions as well as the small ones on a day-to-day basis. They are firmly and intrinsically woven into the fabric of our culture.

As we have continued to develop, we have connected our values with the wider world through those globally addressed by the United Nations. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call for action to end poverty, protect the planet, reduce inequality, and make sure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity, while being treated with inclusivity and respect. This is the perfect complement to FIE’s values and we will continue to strive to expand our commitment, and reach the same targets as other companies, governments, and individual citizens to make the world a better place for all.