At Linwater we care a lot about our environment and believe it is important to use our world responsibly. 

We are currently following the Green tourism Award scheme in conjunction with Visit Scotland and are graded silver.  We are actively working towards our gold accreditation but regardless of the colour on our certificate we intend to be continually reviewing our actions and business practices to ensure we remain as sustainable as possible.

Our goal is to ensure that as much as possible our business contributes to the circular economy.  Furthermore, we are committed to ensuring all of our environmental management is fully compliant with current government guidelines and regulations. 

Below you will find more information on how we try to achieve this and what you can do to help.

Zero Waste to Landfill.  We have chosen our waste contractors based on the fact that they operate a zero waste to landfill policy.  All your waste is either recycled or incinerated to make electricity.  Obviously the less things you can dispose of the better so please only throw away what you genuinely don’t need and use the correct bins for your waste.  If you are offloading food that can be used by someone else, or equipment you no longer need, please offer it to our team who can try to find another user for it.

Food Waste.  To try and reduce food waste on site we have a drop off point for unopened tins or leftover long life items such as pasta.  Other campers or staff can help themselves and anything left unopened is donated to a food bank.

Nature Corridors.  All our flower beds are designed with insects in mind.  We also actively manage a woodland to the North of the Park, along the canal feeder and river, which acts as a nature corridor in the area.  We are very proud of the abundance of native flora and fauna we have at Linwater; including badgers, herons, otters, barn owls, tawny owls, roe deer, bats and more.  Our Pinterest page has a nature diary which you can add to.

Water Conservation.  Our water is metered for a reason.  It is a precious resource.  Please use it wisely on site.   All of our self-catering accommodation has low usage faucets and showers fitted.

Plastic.  Our plastic decking and benches are all made from recycled plastic; our old milk bottles!  We encourage guests to utilise re-usable containers where possible which is why you will not find plastic plates or cutlery for sale on our site.  In the lodges and statics we use refillable soap dispensers and your washing up liquid is (shamelessly) that of departed guests or refilled from a bulk container.

Linen.  Bed linen for the lodges is supplied by our most local provider and is not pre-wrapped in plastic.  They are also committed to green practices and are always reviewing their products and machines to ensure they are as eco-friendly as possible.  

Energy Conservation.  Most of our lighting around the site is LED powered reducing electricity consumption and the need to be often replaced.  Any areas where we can reduce the use of light have been changed to movement sensors to minimise our consumption.  Our new reception and kitchen have been designed with energy efficiency in mind and are both well ventilated for hot days and insulated to an A+ rating to retain heat when needed.  We heat our buildings to a cool 18 Degrees Celsius to reduce consumption and simply put on a jumper!  We use LPG which is the lowest emitting gas you can use at the moment and our gas provider is also committed to 100% bio gas by 2040, which is why we chose them.  Our electricity supplier is also committed to using 100% renewable sources.

Cars.  COVID 19 has slowed us down a bit, but we do plan to install EV points at our new parking area as soon as we can.  Our electricity supply load has already been increased to meet future demands from EVs so once those points are in we will be good to go!  In the mean time you can use Zap Map to find car charging stations nearby.

Cleaning.  Cleaning has been heavily impacted by new COVID-19 rules which mean we have had to revert back to more cleaning chemicals that we are used to, but where we can we are still using refillable products from a UK based green company. (currently Bio D)

We are an Accredited UK living wage employer.  We are members of the UK Living Wage foundation meaning that all our staff get at least the living wage rather than the minimum wage.  This is better for our staff, our business and the planet as there is a known link between social mobility, opportunity and sustainable living.

Charity.  

• Through our online booking system you are able to donate to our chosen charity Action Village India.  This charity is a small charity run from the UK and rural India which funds education for young girls.  These girls would otherwise not have the chance to have an education.  The level of education of women in developing countries is a known factor when it comes to fighting the climate crisis.  
• We also support  the Scotland region of the Air Cadets through annual donations and free camping for Duke or Edinburgh Award events or other training.  This organisation has been shown to offer opportunity to many young children and also contributed to social mobility of children from poorer backgrounds after their childhood years.   
• If you are visiting the site as part of a charity event please let us know.  In some circumstances we are able to support your cause by donating your pitch fee to the charity you are supporting.
• We also support local community events, including those at the local primary school and a singing group that offers free choir practice for all who want to join.  Local events help to maintain a sense of community and are vital in support of mental health.  As a responsible business we feel it is key that our existence benefits our neighbors and not the other way around. 
• We support refugee charities through our food bank donations as well as sending any lost/left/unclaimed clothing and bedding that has been on the site for more than 6 months to the refugee camps bordering Syria.  At the end of the season any long life food in our shop that we are unlikely to sell with a use by date of less than 6 months also goes to food banks or local asylum seekers.

Procurement.  Where possible we aim to procure all of our products and services from suppliers that have a traceable policy on sustainability and ethics.  This not only includes stock we sell to customers, but suppliers we use for repairs, maintenance and improvements on the site.

The Future.  Future plans include replacing our older water and heating systems in the toilet block to greener options; reducing water wastage through sensor operated taps in the toilets as well as flow managed faucets.  We hope to install solar panels on all of our agricultural sheds and maintenance/office buildings which will go a long way to reducing the parks reliance on grid supplied electricity.  We also want to provide EV charging points to ensure that EVs with towing capacity can be supported when the time comes.

Until the changes are made however, nothing is set in stone .  This is because we want to make changes with the newest technology and science in mind, rather than commit to something which may be less green than a new option in the future.