Green Practices
From reed beds and recycled natural waste to wood chip boilers and light sensors, at Low Sizergh Barn we take our commitment to greening our business very seriously.
Green Tourism at Low Sizergh Barn
The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the largest eco quality assurance scheme in the country. There's a website for visitors that want a more sustainable choice
www.green-tourism.co.uk, and lots of resources for businesses that want to operate in a responsible way. More than 2000 organisations from b&bs to visitor attractions are measured against a comprehensive set of criteria: purchasing, waste, travel & transport, energy, water, marketing & management etc. It's a rigorous process and, well, we're thrilled to have been awarded gold, the top level. There's still loads more to do, there always will be!
In 2008 we refurbished much of the 17th century barn that houses the farm shop, craft and gift galleries and tearoom. As part of the work we chose fixtures and fittings that minimised the use of resources e.g. push taps, dual flush toilets, light sensors in the public toilets, new external fitted doors and low energy lighting.
It’s an approach that you can see throughout our business as well as one that stretches far beyond the public eye. Our staff facilities, offices and warehouses converted from farm buildings were designed to be energy efficient, as were the cold rooms and display refrigeration. All of which has reduced electricity consumption, as has the wood chip boiler.
The heating system installed in the barn to improve visitor and staff comfort in the winter is powered by a 90kW wood chip boiler fuelled by local wood. Similarly we switched our waste treatment to a more sustainable system with the addition of a reed bed. The bed provides a third level of filtration for additional water purification. It’s also a mini wetland and as such adds to the bio diversity of the farm.