Eden Camp: Our Commitment to Tackling Climate Change. #ECGoesGreen!
Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum has been working hard behind the scenes and taking advantage of the difficult situation of lockdown to improve and refurbish the facilities on site. The Museum is making a strong commitment to not only preserving the history and heritage but preserving the planet too.
Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum, just outside Malton, is investing a major cash boost to help reduce its carbon footprint after a successful bid for National Lottery Heritage funding which covers essential costs. The initial award of over £230,000, covering wages and essential overheads, has enabled an investment towards decarbonisation projects across the Museum’s grounds.
Financial Director of Eden Camp Howard Johnson said: “We believe that museums should not only serve as custodians to preservation, but should now focus on conservation, being ideally placed to make a difference. As climate change consistently becomes prominent in day-to-day life, historic venues and organisations have a renewed responsibility of consciousness when it comes to their impact on the environment, and we want to be a part of this. Our focus in the coming years is carbon neutrality and we’re proud to say we’re already on target; looking towards further reductions and promoting sustainability wherever possible.”
The investment made has already seen the installation of a new mains cable to eliminate the use of an onsite gas oil generator for electricity. This is the most suitably efficient alternative to diesel, oil, or gas when powering the vast site, and has instantly reduced the Museum’s annual carbon footprint by over 140 tonnes.
Images:
Left: Financial Director Howard Johnson overseeing cable being installed.
Centre: Ex-camp staff member Andrew from Northern Power Grid returns to connect new cable.
Right: Cable Installation Complete!
The investment has also enabled the development of new toilet facilities in the centre of site. These facilities were long overdue a refurbishment, so with this has come massive upgrades to overall efficiency. With water consumption in England and Wales estimated to be about 150 litres a day per head of population, (the highest in Europe), we want to contribute to the reduction of unnecessary usage of this important economic resource.
Therefore, included in our changes is the replacement of the toilets themselves – a effective upgrade to a modern low water alternative means the Museum saves on up to 80% of water per flush. Other internal features include LED motion sensor lighting, infrared flushing for low contact, infrared taps with an auto-stopping, and upgraded building insulation for a greater heating retention. The external addition of solar PU panels on the roof top also means heating the water throughout the building is sustainable and carbon neutral; the panels are installed on grids allowing no damage at all to the building itself. All these modern features contribute towards the Museum’s carbon reduction mission, whilst retaining and preserving the historic building aesthetic.
Other planned investments include a brand-new purpose-built events centre which will also house some of our newly restored vehicles. The centre will include enhanced insulation and solar PV panels which will power the structure both in the day and at night through energy storage, with the aim of making the building carbon neutral. Another feature to be installed with this new building is electric car charging ports, encouraging sustainable travel wherever possible for both our staff and visitors. We are also re-landscaping the front of site with additional flowerbeds to increase the biodiversity of our site and with any green areas around site use peat-free soil which is locally sourced to minimise carbon impact via transportation.
Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum has already exceeded its targets of a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of 2021 by achieving 77% over the past six months. The Museum’s future targets are to further this reduction aiming for an 85% reduction by 2025, reaching carbon neutrality by 2030. Our environmental performance will be monitored across several fields including climate change, waste, and biodiversity. These will directly drive our investments areas targeting efficiency enhancements, renewable energy purchase and generation, as well as waste management. We aim to maximise recycling with as little waste as possible going to landfill, including using food waste as compost in our very own Dig for Victory garden, and have an expanding biodiversity enhancement program across the site.
The news comes as Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum is gearing up for reopening following the nation’s third lockdown and consequent forced closure. You can follow the progress of the Museum’s Green Commitment by searching #ECGoesGreen on social media.
Read our Green Policy in detail here:
#ECGoesGreen
