Cambridge’s 31 colleges ranked by sustainability – Trinity’s second last despite £2.4bn assets

31. Emmanuel – 0 per cent

30. Trinity – 8.8 per cent

29. Magdalene – 10.9 per cent

28. Murray Edwards – 11 per cent

27. St John’s – 12.3 per cent

26. Lucy Cavendish – 13.8 per cent

25. Downing – 14.5 per cent

24. Sidney Sussex – 14.7 per cent

23. Darwin – 15.3 per cent

22. Gonville & Caius – 15.4 per cent

21. Pembroke – 15.6 per cent

20. Peterhouse – 15.8 per cent

19. Robinson – 16.8 per cent

18. Homerton – 18.8 per cent

17. St Edmund’s – 20 per cent

16. Queens’ – 20.5 per cent

15. Hughes Hall – 21.2 per cent

14. Trinity Hall – 21.5 per cent

13. Selwyn – 22.7 per cent

12. Girton – 24.8 per cent

11. Fitzwilliam – 25.5 per cent

10. Newnham – 25.8 per cent

9. Wolfson – 30 per cent

8. Christ’s – 33.4 per cent

7. King’s – 34.3 per cent

6. Churchill – 36.8 per cent

5. Corpus Christi – 39 per cent

4. Clare Hall – 39.1 per cent

3. Clare – 40.9 per cent

2. St Catharine’s – 47.3 per cent

1. Jesus – 50 per cent

CLOC scores colleges across four criteria: Delinking (fossil fuel donation and banking policies), decarbonisation (GHG reduction strategies and net zero targets), divestment (commitment not to invest in fossil fuel companies), and governance (dedicated climate committees or staff). Clare Hall scores highest for delinking, St Catharine’s for decarbonisation, and Jesus for governance.

A spokesperson for Emmanuel College said:  “We understand that the CLOC compiles its results based on information publicly available, which explains our position. The college’s sustainability strategy continues to be developed by our sustainability committee to be woven into our estates plan, advised by external experts. As such, it is not publicly available.

“It has and will continue to shape the college’s approach to its operations. Our ongoing commitment to short- and long-term environmental and sustainability targets can be evidenced by the build of Young’s Court in 2020, which uses a ground source heat pump as its power source, the current upgrade works involving air source heat pumps in college buildings, our sustainable approach to food waste, and our investments.”

A spokesperson for Trinity College said: “CLOC has not taken full account of Trinity College’s work on sustainability. Trinity is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable world.

“The college divested from all fossil fuel in public equities in 2021 and made a public commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in its endowment. As part of that, the College is working to remove gas from all Trinity-controlled buildings on Cambridge Science Park by 2035 and is also working towards degasification of the College site.

“Trinity’s investment management team actively engages with companies and fund managers to advance positive environmental outcomes. As a result, Trinity College shared the 2022 Green Gown Award for effective engagement with the banking sector on climate finance with Jesus College and the University of Cambridge.”