Over the next three years, 18 people aged 18 to 25 from Britain and the Netherlands will graduate from the college to promote the cause of tackling greenhouse gas emissions.

Each year six students will attend workshops and training days, as well as serve internships at "green" companies.

They will also make a field trip to the Arctic to support on-going research into climate change. The project is being run in collaboration with leading polar explorer Marc Cornelissen and the conservation group WWF.

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, will this month join Cornelissen on an expedition to Greenland.