Climate change is already playing and is going to play a significant role in our lives. To tackle this, there is unequivocal evidence that human society needs to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. Whether as individuals, small organisations, or more powerful entities, everyone has a role to play in taking responsibility for and acting to reduce their emissions. With ultimate aims in connecting all generations with nature and empowering them to take meaningful action for nature and the climate, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) has a specified focus on understanding and reducing their emissions. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to have done some work experience with Jess Thimbleby, who leads Carbon Reduction for both the Trust and Wiltshire Wildlife Community Energy (WWCE). Through this, it is clear to see the efforts being put into making WWT run as a more sustainable organisation and spreading the word throughout the county. 

Measuring Emissions and Working with WWCE 

Firstly, it is hard to reduce emissions without knowing what is being produced and where. Monitoring and measuring the emissions produced is therefore fundamental, and through Jess, WWT is starting to gain a greater understanding of their emissions produced each year. This is broken down into different elements and sites, examining everything from calculations of purchased goods and services to the energy used and miles travelled. 

From measurement comes action. Actions taken in recent years include using renewable electricity generated by WWCE-owned rooftop solar panels at Langford Lakes nature reserve and Clattinger Farm (on the Lower Moor Farm reserve). 

Created in 2013, WWCE is a not-for-profit community benefit society owned by shareholders. It develops community-owned solar arrays across Wiltshire, with a focus on reducing carbon and supporting nature. It currently operates two community solar projects at Chelworth and Braydon Manor, along with the three rooftop arrays on WWT buildings and a new rooftop scheme at Silverwood School, generating a total of c.6MW of electricity each year – enough to power around 2,000 homes¹. Surplus funds generated by the solar arrays are donated to the Community Fund, which awards grants to community-led initiatives designed to reduce carbon emissions and support wildlife in Wiltshire.  The fund is managed by a panel and administered by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust; recent recipients of the grant include Cycle Chippenham and Warminster Toad Patrol.

My Summer Placement with the Trust

During my few weeks of helping at WWT, I was fortunate enough to work on several different research projects. These covered areas which Jess and the Trust wanted to build a bigger picture and more in-depth understanding of. 

My first task was to analyse WWT staff public transport data, part of the business travel element of the Trust’s Operations Greenhouse Gas emissions calculation. This involved working through staff expenses claims, finding the expenses that were for travel by public transport, checking details and calculating miles travelled by bus or train to apply the relevant emissions factors to. 

Closer to the HQ, looking at the electricity consumed by a kettle compared to an urn was a small task, but fun to investigate. A week-long survey showing an average of 14.6 kettle boils per day revealed that a switch to an urn could save both energy and money. 

Finally, I built on some work that Jess had begun on reducing emissions by switching from diesel to alternative fuel for the Trust’s heavy vehicles and farm machinery. These were HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), GTL (gas-to-liquid fuel) and using the additive AdBlue with diesel. For the first two, there were question marks over what they are, their availability in Wiltshire, and whether they reduce emissions. Research involved looking at scientific papers to understand which greenhouse gases were reduced and to what extent. Switching fuel type might seem a small step compared to moving to electric vehicles, but they can help when heavy EV vehicles are unavailable or prohibitively expensive. This could contribute to meaningful reductions in emissions over time and help make WWT a leading organisation in carbon reduction. 

A Valuable Experience and Plans Moving Forward

Given the size of WWT, its comprehensive carbon accounting and emissions reduction drive is paving the way for others to follow. While they don’t have all the resources of a large organisation to put towards it, having a Carbon Reduction Champion demonstrates their commitment to moving forward, bringing down their emissions, and pushing towards greater sustainability.  

On a personal level, this experience was invaluable. Having studied Ecology at university, this brought new opportunities for exploration and has given me ideas that I will carry forward. It also provided a perfect stepping stone into my new job as an Energy and Sustainability Graduate at Landmarc. 

Reducing emissions can be complex, but the work of WWT and WWCE shows possible pathways to making reductions, and in many areas, reducing costs too. While there’s always more to do, it’s encouraging to see sustainability embedded at the heart of their work. With WWT and WWCE working together, there is great hope for a more sustainable future for Wiltshire.

¹Calculated using typical domestic consumption figures from Ofgem