 Wilton Park, the West Sussex based conference venue, has made a pioneering investment in sustainability by installing a biomass heating system to reduce carbon emissions and develop an environmentally friendly source of power.
The primary aim of the system is to reduce Wilton Park’s carbon emissions by up to 165 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum; and to contribute to the UK government’s wider carbon emission reduction targets. Wilton Park, a member of Conference Centres of Excellence, is based at Wiston House, a sixteenth-century Grade 1 listed building, surrounded by 5,000 acres of parkland at the foot of the South Downs.
The biomass system – a 165kw boiler with associated controls and integral wood chip store into which wood is chipped directly - provides heating and hot water for Wiston House, with fall-back provided by existing systems. 'Cost savings have been realised from the reduction in gas oil consumption, and continuing high oil prices suggests this technology is a good long-term financial investment,' commented Finance Director and General Manager Tim Willows.
Other environmental practices developed by Wilton Park over the last decade include:
• Food waste recycling through two waste compost machines – with the compost spread on the gardens.
• Re-use of materials, waste compaction and compression, recycling of a wide range of materials (glass, plastics, cardboard, paper etc.), or considerate disposal – reducing waste to landfill to one 1100 litre bin collected twice per week.
• Using in-house water filtration and bottling facilities – reducing transportation and materials for bottled water from external suppliers.
• Investing in energy saving lighting and other energy efficiency measures – identified through Carbon Trust survey recommendations.
The centre also prioritises local products to reduce delivery chains, uses environmentally-sensitive products, encourages shared transportation and encourage individual initiatives by its staff to minimise impacts and contribute positively.
Wilton Park is owned by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Sustainable development and the environment are key international policy priorities for the UK Government; they also form one of the main policy themes of Wilton Park conferences.
Contact
Telephone: 01903 815020
Email: dutymanager@wiltonpark.org.uk
Website: www.wiltonpark.org.uk
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