4 minute read
Environment 58
London on the Grow Back Greener scheme, which closely connects with our own aims to protect the environment and invest in the communities we serve.
“We’ve seen during the pandemic how important access to green spaces and nature is to people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
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“We kept Walthamstow Wetlands open during lockdowns, which meant over 650,000 Londoners could enjoy the fresh air and see the wildlife the site has to offer. It really mattered to us that we could share such an amazing space during that difficult time.
“Sadly, not everyone has a nature reserve or waterway on their doorstep though, so we’re really supportive of the ambition to make sure every Londoner lives within 10 minutes of green spaces and am proud we’re cofunding this inspiring initiative to create a positive legacy for generations to enjoy.”
An additional £4 million under the separate Green and Resilient Spaces Fund will help protect against climate change by replacing hard surfaces with sustainable drainage and natural flood management schemes; tree-planting to increase shade and reduce the heat given off by roads and buildings, and the restoration of waterways.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I want London to lead the way in tacking the climate emergency and for all Londoners to have access to great green spaces close to where they live.
“The new funding I am announcing today during London Climate Action Week is just the start of even more investment in green spaces, nature and projects to help tackle the climate emergency.”
As well as a shared ambition for a greener, healthier and more equitable London, Thames Water has over a decade of experience administering similar funds across the south.
Since 2015 alone the company has invested nearly £10m through its own Community Investment Programmes with a variety of partners, from large wildlife organisations to small community groups.
THAMES WATER
thameswater.co.uk
VENERABLE CIDER COMPANY MOVES WITH THE TIMES
Rooted in the soil of Herefordshire for five generations now, multi-award winning Westons Cider is wedded to the countryside it cherishes.
By HELEN COMPSON
“We are passionate about the environment where we both live and work,” said Darryl Hinksman, head of business development. “Looking after it is important to us and to our brand.”
DEFRA minister Victoria Prentis, who holds the remit for beer and cider, paid a visit recently.
During her tour, she took a look at the reed bed filtration plant, used to clean waste water, that covers around 10 acres of Westons’ headquarters near the village of Much Marcle, and the main office block, built a decade ago, which is covered in solar panels to power the lighting and computer usage within.
The ethos of closing the loop with sustainable practices is very much at the heart of this family business. In 2019, Westons began sending the pomace – the stuff left over after apple pressing – to anaerobic digester-owning BioCarbonics Ltd.
As a side note, BioCarbonics, supplier in turn of high-quality green CO2 for the carbonation of bottled and canned drinks, is a joint venture between J V Energen and the Duchy of Cornwall.
Hence Prince Charles opened Energen’s newly installed CO2 capture facility near the Duchy of Cornwall’s Poundbury development in Dorset in June.
The fact one of the venture’s anaerobic digesters is just six or seven miles down the road from Westons has ended the need to bring CO2 all the way from Teesside.
The premium cider company is currently working on the other half of that particular equation by installing a new production line that will allow canning to be brought in-house - under the same roof as its bottling and keg-filling plants - for the first time.
And in another improvement, the plastic rings that used to hold four cans together have also been replaced with a recyclable cardboard version. That surfaced as being an important detail for some of its key customers, Tesco, Sainsbury and the Co-op among them. Behind the scenes, perhaps the most important element of all, in terms of sustainability, is quietly taking shape. Darryl said: “As a leadership team we have just appointed consultants who are working with us on a road map to becoming carbon neutral. “They are gathering the information now and then they will set our route, telling us when we can become carbon neutral and what we have to do to get there.” Westons proved equally adaptable and responsive to the times when ‘sustainability’ took on the added dimension of ‘sustaining the business’ in the eye of the pandemic. Within weeks of its descent, the management team had ramped up the online business 20 fold, all the while adjusting the nature of the stock they held.
