5 minute read
A Sustainable V enue
PEMBROKE COLLEGE: A SUSTAINABLE VENUE FOR YOUR EVENT
As a working Oxford University College which is also available year-round for conferences and events, Pembroke recognizes the importance of committing to sustainable practices to reduce the damaging effect events can have on the environment.
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Written by: Ellen Brady Photography by: Emir Hasham, Phil Sills, Ellen Brady, Quintin Lake
As a venue we don’t just focus on our stunning historic back-drops, state-of-the-art conference facilities & outstanding cuisine. We put responsible innovation at the heart of what we do, implementing initiatives to provide a better and greener experience for event organisers and their delegates - specifically focusing on sustainable procurement, recyclable materials, and the efficient management of energy and waste. In November 2019 we were absolutely delighted to receive a Special Commendation at the CN Academic Venue Awards for our work in this area as a catering service.
What are some of the steps we take to be a better venue?
Think Green When Building
Pembroke’s Rokos Quad opened in 2013 and has 96 bedrooms, a 170 seat auditorium, 3 meeting rooms, a Barista Café and an art gallery. It is linked to the historic College site by an elegant steel and glass bridge across the medieval South city wall. As part
66 of the environmentally-friendly design the College installed ground source heat pumps and a solar water system, the combined effect of which provides a 35% energy saving and 25% carbon emission saving. For this energy-efficient and sustainable approach to construction we were awarded the David Steel Sustainable Building Award. However we haven’t rested on our laurels – a recent programme invested £25k in LED lighting to reduce our energy use and costs even further.
Ditch Single-Use Plastic
Approximately 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year. In our campaign to reduce single-use plastic we use compostable disposable cups, paper straws, wooden teaspoons and plasticfree teabags (not many people know that the average teabag contains plastic!) We have now completely replaced all plastic bottled drinks with glass or cans, including canned water provided by the innovative company Canowater. Re-using is always one step better than buying new, even with recyclable containers, so we have water coolers and
fountains around the site for refilling bottles, and our on-site Café offers a discount for those who bring their own cup. To encourage this further, the College sourced its own Pemboke KeepCups - offered to all staff and students on arrival, and available as a delegate gift to conference clients. We also now do not provide plastic bottled toiletries in every guest room – however we do have stocks available at reception in case you forget your own.
Source Locally
We try to maintain the smallest carbon footprint possible, particularly in catering. 95% of our meal elements are homemade onsite in our 5* hygiene rated kitchen - from the bread rolls at the start to the ice-cream at the end - and our menus are unique to Pembroke, devised seasonally by our Chefs using fresh ingredients from local suppliers. For example, we serve a mouthwatering gin-cured trout starter which comes from ChalkStream on the Test River in Hampshire. We also stock our own ‘Pembroke Ale’ from Chadlington Brewery, 22 miles away and our cooler water comes from Blenheim, 12 miles
away. We have reduced the number of suppliers we regularly use from 20 to 10 and the number of delivery days by 50%. Working on the principle that every little change should help, we are now talking to suppliers about their use of electric vehicles.
Embrace Veganism
We find that delegates have increasingly extensive dietary requirements for ethical, cultural, religious or medical reasons, for which our kitchen brigade create tempting alternatives. Specifically, growing numbers of people are turning to veganism in an attempt to reduce their impact upon the environment. We offer an entirely vegan banquet menu complemented with vegan wine. Our investment in training in this area certainly paid off – two of our pastry chefs went on a vegan dessert course, learning how to make exceptionally delicious high end desserts using only vegan ingredients - the Lemon Meringue Cheesecake with Blueberry Sorbet and Lavender Shortbreads proved a particular hit (and we promise it’s all vegan!).
Manage Waste Responsibly
The average conference delegate produces 1.89 kg of waste per day, the majority of which goes to landfill. Multiply that by 120 delegates over 2-3 days, 40-50 times a year and that’s sobering. Our general waste is converted to energy in a process that meets the highest environmental standards and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, at a facility which generates enough electricity to power at least 56,000 homes.
Our kitchen uses methods to reduce food waste such as exacting accuracy in portioning, which helps to prevent over-ordering and under-eating. All food waste is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant near Cassington, Oxfordshire, where it is used to generate electricity which powers over 4,000 homes, and to create fertiliser which is spread on local farmland and used to grow crops. Finally we recycle everything we can and re-use if at all possible.
Host Your Event Here
Responding to the sustainability challenges we face in this industry is an ongoing journey, but we are dedicated to proactively adapting and working towards our sustainability goals. If you are looking to host a conference, day meeting, banquet dinner, drinks reception or group accommodation and our values align with your event vision, come and visit our beautiful site and chat through your requirements. Call or email our friendly and professional Events Team on the details below.
