Words by Smiley Team
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, one of the country’s leading gardens, have released a manifesto for change committing to become climate positive by 2030.
Rather than simply reach net zero for their carbon emissions the next decade, the organisation intends to go further and have a positive impact.
Leaders plan to rapidly reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint and use its trusted voice, alongside a workforce of leading plant scientists and network of global partnerships, to call for the change needed to tackle the environmental emergency.
The organisation, which has bases in London, Sussex and Madagascar, will seek to reduce emissions as rapidly as possible and more-than-offset any unavoidable emissions by investing in nature-based carbon sinks.
Director of RBG Kew, Richard Deverell, explained: “This new strategy and commitment to be climate positive by 2030 is the culmination of many years of work.
“Tackling the environmental emergency must sit at the very heart of everything we do and as a global plant science institution and visitor attraction we have a unique responsibility to act now.
“Failing to take urgent action will cost us severely and will leave us unprepared for the unprecedented challenges of the decades to come. This is just the start of a journey in which we will all need to play our part.”
Kew intends to make several changes to their operations, including generating renewable energy from solar panels on the roof of the Millennium Seed Bank in Sussex, and upgrading the two Kew Explorer vehicles on site at Kew Gardens to 100% electric power.
Other actions include Installing the first net-zero-ready electric heat pump at Kew Gardens and eliminating the vast majority of single-use plastic from food and drink outlets.
Rachel Purdon, Head of Sustainability at RBG Kew added: “The environmental emergency requires more rapid and significant changes to the way we do things at Kew, at home, and across society.
“We cannot do this alone. We want everyone to share the urgency and the commitment to change that underpins our ambitious new strategy.
“Cross-sector partnerships and collaborations are vital, as is the engagement and action of our supporters and visitors in bringing about the change we desperately need to see to save our planet.”
For more information visit Kew’s website or follow them on Twitter.
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