Green Goals Update, Quarter 1 2024

Visitors may remember that earlier this year we shared our Green Goals for 2024. We have made fantastic progress over the last 3 months and we are proud to share the first of our quarterly updates;

1. Organic Waste

Food waste in the UK is associated with around 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year. By recycling food waste, we can actively reduce our organisation’s carbon footprint.

From November 2023, all food waste from the Kingfisher Club at Riverside Holiday Village has been separated at source and removed by a licensed waste contractor. It is then taken to a local, state of the art anaerobic digestion plant where it is processed.

After processing, the solid by-product is used as a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser, coveted by farmers as a substitute for unsustainable fertilisers. The methane-rich biogas produced during the breakdown process is used either to generate renewable electricity for homes, or to produce enriched biomethane (a ‘green’ gas which can be used to provide transport fuel or to supply local homes).

2. Single-Use Plastic

Single-use plastic is a huge contributor of marine plastic pollution - studies suggest that by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.

In an effort to measurably reduce our plastic footprint, we have replaced a number of single-use plastic items with environmentally friendly alternatives, including; cardboard takeaway boxes, paper straws, wooden cutlery and biodegradable carrier bags. We have also replaced individual plastic sauce packets with a refillable pump station.

To help visitors avoid single-use plastic water bottles, Riverside Holiday Village has also become a recognised ‘Refill Station’, providing refills of free drinking water.

3. Sustainable Travel Options

With 41.2 million licensed vehicles on the roads in the UK (June 2023), travel is one of the major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions.

In order to help our visitors explore more sustainable transport options, we have partnered with Brean Bike Hire, who provide bike hire throughout Burnham-on-Sea and Brean. Brean Bike Hire offer a wide range of rental bikes (including mountain bikes, tandem bikes and kids’ bikes) which they will deliver to our guests to use for the duration of their stay.

4. Community Environmental Projects

Providing a clean and attractive destination for our visitors to enjoy not only benefits our business, it also positively impacts our local community and the wider environment. Which is why we are proud to support North Somerset Councils brand new ‘Greening the High Street’ initiative.

Aiming to implement long-term strategies for improving urban green spaces and introducing green social prescribing initiatives at Alexandra Parade in Weston-super-Mare, ‘Greening the High Street‘ aims to boost biodiversity, foster community resource and skills sharing, and create a more vibrant and welcoming environment within the urban landscape.

Our sponsorship will contribute towards supporting the ‘Greening the High Street Planters’ initiative.

5. Conservation of Wildlife and Biodiversity

Locally, nationally and globally, biodiversity is under threat from the impact of climate change and human actions. In our ongoing commitment to support the increase in biodiversity at our holiday parks, we have begun a Riverbank Regeneration Project.

To date, we have planted 10,000 bird friendly mixed native hedging plants and 40 Alder and Willow trees along the riverbank at Riverside Holiday Village. These plants will encourage birds, bats and invertebrates by providing a much-needed source of food and shelter for our native wildlife.

So, as you can see, we’re well on our way to meeting our Green Goals for 2024 and we look forward to updating you of our progress later in the year.