Environmental policy

We have committed to reducing the environmental impact of our lives and work. This is an ongoing process both in terms of reducing the impact/ replacing our existing practices and planning and adopting new ones.

 

Aims

To reduce and maintain our carbon footprint below CO2 equivalent 1.8 tonnes/ annum/ person. 

To carefully select materials, reduce waste and create a culture of rethink, reuse and recycling.

Transport

We currently use vehicles with diesel internal combustion engines, they are our primary source of long term sunk CO2 emissions. We are looking at ways to replace them with a single electric vehicle. We are researching the use of EV and it's environmental issues and will review our actions asap.

We live in a remote location and it is difficult to function without a car, however, where possible we cycle on either push bikes or ebike. Maintaining bikes, lights, waterproofs and purchase of other equipment e.g panniers to make the use of bikes more practical is a priority.

Travel to meetings in cities; where practical we use the train from Dumfries or Lockerbie. If possible we request to have remote video meetings using skype or similar. Our aim is to replace face to face meetings by 50%.

Detailed and effective planning for face to face meetings allows us to limit the number of trips. When meeting with us please allow plenty of time to cover all aspects of the commission.

Our intention is to avoid flying unless absolutely necessary, e.g working outside Europe.

We have joined the Gatehouse Climate Action group carshare and have given and received lifts. 

Energy

Our house, studio and workshops are heated with solid fuel in a wood burner or by electric heaters.

We buy electricity from Bulb on a 100% renewable green tariff.

Firewood is cut and chopped by us from fallen trees within 1/2 mile of the property and air dried and used when below 20% moisture. The wood is regarded as carbon neutral because it is within the short term carbon cycle, however given the urgent timescale of the climate emergency the idea that wood is in the short term cycle is questionable.

We are exploring options to upgrade to a much more efficient wood burner that is DEFRA approved clean burn in order to reduce fuel use and pollution.

We are reviewing our website hosting for our own sites and our clients sites with the intention to migrate to zero net servers.

Materials and equipment.

We aim to follow a principle of reduce, reuse and recycle. Putting environmental considerations at the centre of our exhibition design planning our aim is to limit our impact to a minimum and to promote sustainable practices within our work.

Climate Action

We have joined the Gatehouse Climate Action Group where we are spearheading a rewilding project of land recently felled from a commercial timber (Monoculture Larch) site. Working with the community our intention is to plant diverse native broadleaf trees on the site, this in in the early stages of planning however our intention is to follow principles researched at Carrifran Wildwood. 

Basis

Our policies are based on the scientific evidence and recommendations of the leading international climate panels including the IPCC and UN.