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Sustainability

Our pledge is to reach net zero by 2030

We recognise that mitigating our negative environmental impacts and improving our resilience to the triple planetary crisis is imperative. Our Culture Declares Emergency declaration, as well as our public commitment to reach net zero by 2030, reflect our dedication to climate adaptation.

Our Goals

The vision of the West Horsley Place Trust is to bring about a quiet revolution in the way a historic estate is managed and be a place that improves people’s wellbeing.

Environmental resilience and sustainability are key to realising these goals and are therefore embedded in our underlying mission, which includes:

  • To be sustainable – financially, environmentally, and socially

  • To enhance the natural landscape by increasing biodiversity and habitat connectivity

Our progress so far

  • Establishing an Environmental Management System, which helps us to meet our environmental goals through review, evaluation, and improvement of our performance.

  • Creating a Land Management Plan, which will ensure we manage the estate from a nature conservation perspective.

  • Mapping and quantifying our baseline conditions including our CO₂e emissions.

  • Ratifying our Environmental Policy.

  • Securing some funding, which has been put towards immediate actions or ‘quick wins,’ such as an electric utility vehicle and rainwater harvesting.

  • Finalising designs for a low-carbon heating system.

  • Drafting an innovative financial model for the estate.

  • Establishing an Environment and Sustainability Advisory Group, to constructively challenge and support our decision-making and progress.

What we are working on

We are still very early in our journey. Our steady progress on a shoestring may be something to take pride in, but there is a lot more that we can do to embed resilience and support our environments and communities.

Our very long ‘to do’ list includes:

  • Refining and continuing to implement our novel financial model for the estate.

  • Increasing the amount of carbon sequestered by the estate.

  • A 60 ha grassland restoration project.

  • Undertaking actions to restore the health of our ancient woodlands.

  • Addressing significant components of our footprint such as our heating systems and waste management.

  • Our Work

    Our mission, our milestones, and projects in the pipeline.

  • The Trust

    How our charity was founded, and how it operates

  • Our Team

    Meet the people behind the mission

  • Our News

    The latest comings and goings at West Horsley Place

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