Introduction
Regardless of size, all businesses consume resources (such as water, energy, fuels) and produce waste.
Did you know?
Lincolnshire currently produces 361,000 tonnes of waste each year.
Resource consuming activities have an impact on the planet, whether contributing to carbon emissions or polluting the natural environment.
For your business to reduce its impact on the planet and become more sustainable, it’s important to first understand and quantify the impacts so that improvements can be made, and measured.
This section of the Green Hospitality Toolkit will help you understand your impact on the planet and provides guidance on next steps…
Bitesize Masterclasses
Quick overview
In this third chapter of four, Léa explores one of the key elements of Green Hospitality – Planet. All businesses have an impact on the planet whether it is contributing to carbon emissions or polluting the natural environment. Find out how your business can be more energy savvy and environmentally efficient.
Downloads
Carbon Calculator Tool
Calculate your carbon emissions with Visit Lincolnshire's simple carbon calculation tool.
Planet : Checklist
✓ Read the ‘Planet’ section of the Green Hospitality Toolkit
ENERGY
- Monitor and manage your energy consumption
- Switch things off when not in use and use lighting controls
- Adjust your thermostat and boiler temperatures
- Upgrade to LEDs
- Maintain your equipment
- Invest in energy efficiency (refer to the grant funding section to learn about how funding opportunities could support investment).
WASTE
- Follow the waste hierarchy: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle
- Monitor all waste streams
- Reduce use of single-use items and become plastic-free
- Provide recycling bins for staff and customers
- Use organic waste bin
WATER
- Monitor and manage your water consumption
- Use low-consumption water fixtures
- Maintain your equipment and look for leaks
- Use rainwater and recycle greywater
- Involve staff and customers
TRANSPORT
- Provide amenities supporting cycling
- Advertise local walking and cycling routes
- Indicate nearby electric vehicle charging points
- Install your own electric vehicle charging point
- Offer rewards for using low impact transport
- Communicate the accessibility of your business
POLLUTION
- Reduce the use of harmful cleaning products
- Use eco-cleaning products
Safely dispose of fat, grease and oil - Monitor air quality and pollution
- Reduce waste to landfill
CARBON FOOTPRINT
- Calculate your carbon emissions with the simple carbon calculation tool
- Set targets and start initiatives to remove or reduce your carbon emissions
- Offset any unavoidable emissions through a local offsetting scheme
Useful links – additional resources
A case study – Vine House Farm
Who is Vine House Farm?
Based in Deeping St Nicholas, Lincolnshire. Specialists in bird food, growing as much as possible on their family farm in the Fens. A thriving e-commerce business, together with an onsite farm shop, café and wildlife garden.
What is the business doing?
Grows over 400 acres of bird food including sunflowers, millet, canary seed, oats, wheat and oil seed rape. Sold through mail order and originally a fairly simple farm shop. The new Farm Shop and 80-seater Café is much larger and is a really well-designed offer which is surrounded by a two acre Wildlife Garden and Pond. It is now a quality visitor destination in its own right. Their wild bird food is sourced direct from their conservation award winning farm. They farm with wildlife in mind and also aim to be as environmentally responsible as possible, by ensuring a low carbon footprint through selling their own and other UK responsibly sourced products. In addition to the bricks and mortar site the centre has an extensive website inventory and sells internationally online. The website also hosts a well read blog with expert advice and knowledge on the antiques industry.
Key strengths and green credentials
Story Telling: very compelling in telling the story of how they began the business in 1992; the monthly newsletter gets across their nature credentials and personal commitment.
Connections: local sourcing in the café, the wildlife garden attached to the café, use of renewable energy (solar, wind and ground source), use of excess heat from potato store and reuse of tractor oil. Financial support to the Wildlife Trusts.
Sharing their Knowledge: programme of farm walks and tractor and trailer tours throughout the year to show how they manage the whole farm with wildlife in mind.
Find out more at: www.vinehousefarm.co.uk
Managing Sustainability
Learn why managing sustainability is important, and how you can do it in your business.
Grant Funding
Learn how you can capitalise on government schemes to improve your business.
