Environmental and Social Responsibility
Environmental and Social Responsibility
The Prince of Wales has been an environmental leader for more than 30 years, working with businesses, governments and other national and international organisations to protect the environment and tackle climate change.
Their Royal Highnesses’ Household is continually looking at new ways to help reduce its impact on the environment by reducing energy use, water use and waste. Between 2007 and 2008 the Household succeeded in reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 18 per cent and has set a target of a 25 per cent reduction by 2012. Some of the measures that have already been taken include:
Energy
- Woodchip boilers have been installed in Highgrove and Birkhall (Their Royal Highnesses’ home in Scotland) which replace fossil fuels with sustainably-managed wood;
- 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.
Water
- A new water system at Birkhall cuts water use by collecting rainwater and reusing grey-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;
- Paper is saved by printing double-sided, re-using paper or using electronic communications where possible.
A more environmentally-friendly stationery system has been introduced. Where alternatives are available, products such as water-based ink highlighter pens made using recycled paper are selected.
Travel
Travel, around the UK and throughout the world, forms an essential part of Their Royal Highnesses’s work and its environmental impact is a significant factor in organising 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 Prince’s Jaguar, Audi and Range Rover cars and the Royal Train (since September 2007) run on used cooking oil;
- The Prince’s Aston Martin runs on bioethanol made from surplus wine;
- 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 fertilisers 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!
Carbon offsetting
The priority for Their Royal Highnesses’s Household is to reduce its carbon footprint through reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Remaining emissions are offset through investment in high-quality sustainable development projects in the United Kingdom and overseas.
Click here to read the Carbon Report 2008.