Low Carbon: Connah's Quay's Deeside College promotes sustainable living with help from Flintshire County Council

The group has also received training on the correct way to plant trees from the Welsh College of Horticulture in Northop.

A conference-style programme of seminars and films was available throughout the day which raised awareness of sustainable development.

The keynote speaker was environmental campaigner Phil Williams, of Plan-It Eco who promotes environmental, sustainable and cultured respect and understanding of our planet.

There were also exhibitors from a range of companies providing products and services for sustainable living.

They shared best practice and offered college staff environmentally friendly gifts such as energy saving light bulbs. In other events, lecturers took part in workshops on ESDGC (Education for Sustainable Development & Global Citizenship) which will help staff embed this important topic through the curriculum.

Deeside College already leads the way on sustainable issues and promotes a more sustainable way of living by its proactive management of energy and waste. The College are the only Further Education establishment in Wales to hold the highest possible level 5 Green Dragon environmental standard. This prestigious standard is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment Agency. Students at the College also learn about sustainable living through the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification and in Personal Tutorials.

The College aim to embed sustainability into the main curriculum and work based learning for 2009-10 onwards so that sustainability is a central feature of the Deeside College experience for staff and students alike.

Deeside College Principal and Chief Executive David Jones, said: "The sustainability day was a huge success and I would like to thank Colin for joining us. ESDGC is a key driver in the curriculum and will be a focus of the new Government Inspection Framework from 2010. The events today have reinforced the importance of this topic to staff, many of whom are already beginning to integrate sustainable themes into their teaching plans."

Speaking after the event, Colin Everett added: ""Trees symbolise purity as they recycle carbon dioxide into oxygen. The Welsh native rowan tree I was privileged to plant was a symbol of the College's first class commitment to sustainability."

The picture shows Colin Everett, chief executive of Flintshire County Council, with David Jones, Helen Wright, Rick Bedson, Niki Shuttleworth and Shirley Minton of Deeside College to plant a rowan tree as part of the college's sustainability day.