Green Resolutions 2022 – Update

At the beginning of 2022 we set ourselves some “Green Resolutions” for the year. Four resolutions which continued our focus on sustainability as a business. These resolutions were aimed at helpfully focussing our environmental efforts toward specific goals, to help us improve our sustainability credentials and reduce our carbon footprint. As we enter 2023, we look back on our progress toward 2022’s resolutions and consider any new resolutions.

Green Resolution #1: Reduce our energy

‘We want to be able to fully power our business with our own renewable energy – without any top-up energy from the grid. We will monitor and report on the difference made by our new low carbon refrigeration system, the first of its kind in Scotland which aims to reduce our energy consumption by up to 80%. That would get us one giant step nearer our goal of 100% renewable self-sufficiency!’

We completed installation of our state-of-the-art low carbon refrigeration system in the second half of 2022. Already, the efficiency of the system requires lower energy inputs, while keeping our ice cream much colder. The process of fully commissioning the system so that all the component parts work together is well underway. This final stage will see us transfer the main source of the system’s power from electrical energy to renewably sourced biomass fuel, hopefully reducing our refrigeration-related energy use by around 80%! We’re very excited about this and when it happens, we’ll let you know!

Green Resolution #2: Get ready to host some bees

“We will prepare the site of our 10-acre solar farm to house bees. Bees need enough variety of plants to pollinate to thrive, so we will plant the solar farm with wildflowers and special bee friendly plants in a bid to create a bee-friendly home in the next year or two.”

After consulting with a bee expert in Spring, we’ve selected the ideal strip for our bees atop the hill between strips of solar panels. This was planted with grass, and we have now stripped the grass, ready to be planted with wildflowers this past autumn and the coming spring, ready for our bees at the end of summer 2023. We look forward to welcoming our honey producing, biodiversity improving friends when the temperatures begin to warm up and our flowers have established themselves.

Green Resolution #3: Cows

“We will find a way, however small, to help reduce the Green House effect of our lovely cows. We are investigating new feed stuff and a system to store and handle manure – and we will report back when we have the information and can take the next steps!”

In our efforts to reduce the associated emissions of our lovely herd, we have been trialling a new food mixture in 2022 which has proved a success in not only reducing the cows’ emissions but also increasing milk yield. The Carbon Trust validated feed has been proven to significantly reduce enteric methane emissions in dairy cattle without affecting productivity. Trials have seen a reduction in emissions by as much as 17.7% per litre of milk.  While this is one green resolution we will continue to monitor and work on, we’re delighted to see these early positive results.

Green Resolution #4: Electric Bikes

“We will provide two electric bikes on the farm – so that staff can take a trip over the hill at lunchtime, book them out for weekends or use as a new way to get to and from work. They’re double green, because they will charge using power from our turbines and hopefully save on car miles!”

We have bought two electric bikes for the farm, which have been taken on weekend adventures by Morna in the chocolate factory, Yzanne, who (amongst other things) is overseeing the installation of the low-carbon refrigeration system and a few others who have taken the farm dogs on many walks! We are sure these will provide many more adventures during the coming warmer months and will continue to be powered by power from our turbines!

2023 will bring another year of Green Resolutions for us in our continued focus on sustainability as a business, details of which we look forward to sharing with you all soon.