19 August 2025
Fife College has become the first educational institution in Scotland to be accredited as a Bronze Carbon Literate Educator, highlighting its commitment to embedding climate education and action through Carbon Literacy.
The accreditation, awarded by The Carbon Literacy Project, recognises organisations that are actively building a low-carbon culture through student and staff engagement, leadership, and community impact.
The College began its Carbon Literacy journey through Climate Action Fife, a project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Using a shareable sector toolkit, the College trained over 50 students and staff in climate awareness and action, resulting in formal Carbon Literacy certification.
As part of the criteria for Bronze accreditation, the College delivered tailored Carbon Literacy training to Leadership and Board Members, including the Principal, Deputy Principal and Chair of the Board. Leaders made personal pledges and committed to strategic carbon-reduction goals, aligning climate action with institutional decision-making.
The accreditation follows major national recognition for Fife College’s sustainability work, with the College recently named a finalist in three categories across the Green Gown Awards and edie Net-Zero Awards 2025.
Shortlisted projects include the Net-Zero Retrofit Skills Course (delivered with Verdancy Group) for its innovative training on home energy efficiency; CampusCast: Showcasing Sustainability, a student-led podcast exploring climate issues; and the new Dunfermline City Campus, Scotland’s first net-zero-ready tertiary education building, recognised for its sustainable design and construction.
Jim Metcalfe, Principal at Fife College, said:
“Becoming the first educational institution in Scotland to achieve Bronze Carbon Literate Educator is an immensely proud moment for Fife College and an important step forward in our climate journey.
“This accreditation highlights the leadership role we’re playing in embedding sustainability at the heart of our work – from how we teach and operate, to how we empower our students and support our communities.
“Combined with our recent national award nominations, this recognition shows that Fife College is leading the way on climate education and action in Scotland. I’m so grateful to our students, staff, and partners who are driving this positive change.”
Dave Coleman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Carbon Literacy Project, said:
“Carbon Literacy is an essential skill for any student to be properly prepared for the world of work and to thrive in a twenty-first-century society. By becoming a Bronze Carbon Literate Educator (CLE), Fife College has demonstrated a commitment to empowering its students and staff through Carbon Literacy.
“But CLEs are not only great educators. CLEs run great organisations, taking responsibility for their own impacts, and are able to demonstrate their own efficiencies.
"CLEs connect themselves and their learners with all the other organisations on their own Carbon Literacy journeys all around them, to the benefit of everyone. This award recognises Fife College’s efforts and success in facilitating the cultural shift to a positive low-carbon future for us all.”
Carbon Literacy is defined as “An awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis,” and revolves around a day’s worth of learning and action on climate change.
A Carbon Literate Educator is an educational institution that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being “culturally Carbon Literate”; maintaining a substantial proportion of its students and staff as Carbon Literate and positively utilising its influence in the community and wider world. CLE accreditation is a tiered system with Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels, requiring increasing levels of commitment to action on climate change and creating a low-carbon culture.
Winners of the Green Gown and edie Net-Zero Awards will be announced later this year.
Photograph: (l to r) Dennis Savage, Assistant Principal for Engineering, Construction and Technical Skills at Fife College and co-chair of the College's Climate Action Group, Hayley Williamson, Sustainability Manager at Fife College, Lucy Jackson, Sustainability Co-ordinator at Fife College and Jim Metcalfe, Fife College Principal, are pictured with Fife College's Bronze Carbon Literate Educator award.