[Music]
as a charity we know we have a
responsibility to take
environmental action so we can adapt to
the challenges posed by climate change
and better protect our properties and
collections
we're looking to become more sustainable
across the whole estate and that covers
everything from our
our catering and our retail through to
our site operations and conservation
one example of the work we're doing
right across the estate is to phase out
single-use plastics by 2022
in all our catering and retail
operations
we will invest in recyclable cups and
better recycling and composting
facilities
and completely eliminate the use of
plastic bags
we're also reviewing our procurement
processes so we can buy better
and eliminate unnecessary waste so we're
starting off
reducing our energy use across our top
10 heaviest using properties
and that includes rest park and dover
castle and stonehenge and osborne
and our ambition certainly is to look
not just at our top 10 sites where we
know we can make a big difference if we
get that right but also a lot of our
smaller sites as well
a lot of our small sites are a little
more than a ticket hut or a little sales
area
we could potentially take all of those
off-grid and become
totally self-sufficient many of our
sites are already utilizing local
resources to reduce food miles
take for instance our productive gardens
at warmer castle
where they harvest produce seasonally to
use in the cafe
one of the key things that we've just
building into our commercial ambitions
now is
become soil association accredited by
2023
which demonstrates our commitment to
local produce
ethical sourcing and sustainability
there's no escaping the dramatic drop in
biodiversity we're seeing globally
our historic sites can be an oasis for
wildlife
particularly species of bird insects and
bats
so we have a responsibility to preserve
this natural environment for generations
to enjoy in future
at dover castle we're working on a
project with kent wildlife
trust to reintroduce the chuff for
enhancements to the castle grounds
building a more sustainable future
doesn't necessarily have to involve
making radical changes
and it doesn't happen overnight we're
installing smart
meters at many of our properties so we
can better understand our energy use
and reduce waste small changes can add
up over time
and we all have a part to play in this
we're going to be
encouraging a lot more of our staff and
our volunteers to take part in that
process
we want them to feel part of the green
challenge and the green
changes we want to make across the
estate looking after the past is not
just about
caring for what we see now but also
thinking the long term and thinking
about
our own impact we have in the
environment the impact that climate
change might have
what responsibilities we've got and what
changes and positive actions we can make
by just being more sustainable
foreign