Old Royal Naval College has achieved the Planet Mark Business Certification, furthering the organisation’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

The Planet Mark Business Certification is an internationally recognised sustainability certification for all organisations acknowledging continuous progress and encouraging action. In order to achieve this sustainability certification, the Old Royal Naval College measured its carbon footprint whilst setting reduction targets.

Mark Hosea, Director of Estates and Conservation, said: “We are committed to making sustainability a pivotal consideration in our decision-making process, with the aim of reducing our environmental footprint. The Plant Mark certificate is the first step to understanding our own impact on the environment and understanding the changes we need to make.”

“Our next step is to develop a plan to deliver potential green-energy solutions, which includes the application of low-carbon and renewable technologies and explores new energy infrastructure for the site. We also want to engage our staff and partners to drive change and engage our audiences directly via our public engagement programme.”

A thought-provoking art installation from internationally acclaimed designer Paul Cocksedge, is currently in the magnificent Painted Hall. The six-metre diameter artwork is made from over 2,500 pieces of coal with a combined weight of over half a tonne – the amount of coal consumed by a single 200W light bulb in a year. Coalescence was developed by Paul Cocksedge to question our relationship with, and dependence on, fossil fuels. The new installation invites visitors to reflect on the environment, energy, power, time and history.