As a wetland conservation charity, sustainability means making the best use of our resources while minimising our impacts on the environment and society.
Nature has helped inspire the shape, materials and the function of buildings throughout our Visitor Centre. From reclaimed and recycled materials, a biomass boiler, a wildlife garden and energy systems fuelled by the sun to rainwater harvesting that supplies all washrooms/toilets and a reed bed filtration system for cleaning our wastewater.
We also follow the waste hierarchy by reducing, reusing, recycling and composting waste wherever we can. We reduce single use plastics by providing all takeaway food and drink in compostable packaging and only offering drinks in recyclable glass bottles or cans. You’ll also notice an increasing range of new “eco” products on sale in our shop including our Bag for Life and notepads made from 100% recycled paper.
Sustainability has always been at the heart of what we do and played a key role when Sir. Peter Scott founded WWT. It was his belief that we all have a responsibility to care for the natural environment so that future generations can continue to enjoy it.
Our sustainable practices
Sustainability is embedded in everything we do throughout Castle Espie and this year we have introduced a number of additional practices, which could equally be adopted by you at home.
We’re managing the lawns in our car park area in a more environmentally friendly way to encourage more wildflowers and the wildlife attracted to them. We do this by only cutting grass along the edges of the lawns and leaving the grass in the centre to grow long, cutting it and removing it once a year, in September. We like to monitor the flora and fauna around Castle Espie and will be watching the car park area closely to see how the plants and animals respond to the new maintenance regime. What can be more beautiful than a wildflower meadow?!
Our coffee is legendary and it’s all Fairtrade off course but the good news doesn’t stop there! We add the used coffee grounds to the compost heap in our garden. This compost is then used to grow fruit and vegetables, which we use for tasty snacks sold in the Kingfisher Kitchen.
If you’re a frequent visitor to the Kingfisher Kitchen, you might have noticed that we also give away our used coffee grounds for free to visitors. Coffee grounds are great for adding nutrition to your soil or getting your compost heap going. A mulch of coffee grounds can also deter slugs, snails and ants. Why not grab a free bag of used grounds for your grounds next time you enjoy a coffee from the Kingfisher Kitchen.
We use local suppliers where possible and also grow some of our own fruit and vegetables on site (remember that compost), all peat free as peat extraction damages wetlands. No chemical pesticides or fertilisers are used in the garden either because we like our bees too much.
Our apple orchard contains old Irish heritage varieties of apple trees such as ‘Irish Peach’ and ‘Cavan Sugarcane’, many of which have almost disappeared from our countryside. Our orchard is not only protecting these old heritage varieties of apples for the taste sensation they provide but ensures they can be enjoyed by future generations of visitors to Castle Espie.
In sustainability terms, the availability of a broader gene pool in food crops could play a part in future food security in the event of crop failures and natural disasters, including those resulting from climate change. Wetlands offer solutions to help us manage the impact of climate change.
To learn more about the sustainable practices used throughout Castle Espie you can pick up a leaflet at reception and follow our Sustainability Trail around the reserve