As part of our drive to operate in a sustainable way we struck up a conversation with Eco Island (another CIC) on our vision of what we can do at VBG. We hope to work with Eco Island go beyond the basics we have already tackled on packaging and water use and start driving really down our power costs and CO2 emissions. We expressed our willingness to host an electrical vehicle charging point at VBG and Mia arrived from Eco Island for a trial creating an instant buzz amongst staff, Friends, and Visitors. The need for a charging point became apparent as only 26 miles of charge flashed on the dash indicator with well over 26 miles of interest showing on our team’s faces as we drove Mia down the entrance ramp to the front door.
We are also working with Eco Island to get a demonstration set of solar panels on the Visitor Centre roof. Britain’s hottest garden should make those panels outperform the averages. Ultimately, we would like to see VBG as a net exporter of green power onto a smart grid or micro grid driven by Eco Island. Because of VBG’s interest in showing what sustainability is all about we will not hide anything we install in utility rooms, but rather put everything on show on an Eco Trail.
