Environmental and Social Responsibility
Environmental and Social Responsibility
The Prince of Wales has been an environmental leader for nearly 40 years, working with businesses, governments and other national and international organizations to protect the environment and tackle climate change. The Annual Review provides further information on some of this work.
Their Royal Highnesses’ Household is continually looking at new ways to help reduce its impact on the environment by reducing fossil fuel use, water use and waste. Between 2007 and 2011 the Household succeeded in reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 43 per cent, meeting its target for a reduction 25 per cent reduction a year early.
In 2011 almost a third of total energy use (including travel) came from renewable sources including wood chips, ground- and air- source heat pumps, biofuels, solar thermal panels, solar photovoltaic panels and purchased electricity from renewable sources. In the same year almost a half of domestic and office energy use (mainly for heating and lighting) came from renewable sources.
Some of the measures taken by the Household to reduce its environmental impact include:
Energy
- The Prince of Wales has installed solar panels on the roof of Clarence House
- Woodchip boilers have been installed in Highgrove, Birkhall (Their Royal Highnesses’ home in Scotland) and Llwynywermod which replace fossil fuels with sustainably-managed wood;
- Ground-source and air-source heat pumps have been installed on the Highgrove Estate. These take heat from the ground and air and can provide around four units of heat energy for every unit of electricity used;
- Electricity monitors have been fitted in office areas to provide feedback on electricity use and smart meters have also been installed;
- Energy-efficient boilers at Clarence House reduce gas consumption;
- Electricity is purchased from renewable sources where possible;
- Energy-efficient light bulbs have been installed that use about a fifth of the electricity of incandescent bulbs;
- Staff ensure that lights, computers and other equipment are switched off when not in use.
- A grey-water system at Birkhall cuts water use by collecting rainwater and reusing water from bathrooms;
- Rainwater is used to flush the toilets in the Orchard Room at Highgrove;
- A reed-bed system at Highgrove provides a natural way to treat waste-water.
Waste
- Waste going to landfill is reduced by collecting a variety of materials for recycling; • Waste is composted where possible food waste is collected from Clarence House to be turned into fertilizer;
- Paper is saved by printing double-sided, re-using paper or using electronic communications where possible.
Travel
Travel, around the UK and throughout the world, forms an essential part of Their Royal Highnesses’ work and its environmental impact is a significant factor in organizing travel arrangements. Some of the initiatives taken in this area include:
- Organising travel so as to reduce carbon emissions, taking into account security, logistics, cost and other considerations;
- The Royal Train, which The Prince and The Duchess use for travelling between engagements in the United Kingdom, runs on used cooking oil;
- The Prince’s Aston Martin runs on bioethanol made from wine wastage;
- Using an ‘green’ taxi company in London.
Organic farming and gardening
The Prince is well-known for his belief in the clear advantages of organic farming and gardening. His Royal Highness puts this belief into practice at the Duchy Home Farm and in his gardens at Highgrove, Clarence House and Birkhall.
- No artificial pesticides are used – this reduces the amount of potentially harmful chemicals that can get into the air, groundwater or food;
- No artificial fertilizers are used – these consume significant quantities of energy and water in their production and are responsible for large amounts of greenhouse gases;
- A popular vegetable box scheme at Highgrove supplies locally-sourced and fresh organic produce to people in the area;
- The Prince has planted 26 kilometres of hedges and thousands of trees at Home Farm to provide a valuable habitat for plants and wildlife;
- Vegetables are grown in the garden at Clarence House to help reduce food miles to food metres.
Balancing out carbon emissions
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the first and most important stage in minimizing the Household’s carbon footprint. Emissions from official travel by air are offset under the Government Carbon Offsetting Facility, along with government air travel. The Household contribute towards sustainable forestry projects in the UK and overseas to help balance out the remainder of its carbon emissions.