Edinburgh college salon gets green makeover

An Edinburgh college salon has gone green, making it Scotland's first eco hair and beauty academy. Located at the Granton campus, the new academy is the first of its kind to provide a range of environmental features including a ceramic fuel cell that uses hydrogen to convert gas to electricity and produce hot water as a by-product. The new facility also houses a hot water heat recovery system which means that it takes even less energy to heat the water to the required temperature. [hji-gallery-legacy] Other green credentials at the salon include LED lighting and a rigid recycling regime, recycling everything from tint tubes and foils to hair and coffee grounds. It is expected that the academy’s green credentials could save the college £2,500 per year. The college recruited specialist sustainable salon designer, Charlie Hearn, to assist with their plans. He says: "The hair industry is so wasteful in energy and recycling so it was a pleasure to work with the College team, who wanted to look at as many green solutions as the budget would allow, as well as meeting certain design criteria. It's hoped that graduates will take these green credentials with them when they go into the workplace."