WWT London Wetland Centre Gets Gold!
Awarded Gold in the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS)
Staff and volunteers at the nature reserve were delighted to receive the accolade in November, awarded 'due to the excellent and successful efforts to not only increase the biodiversity of the wetland area but also to educate visitors on the much wider area of sustainability'.
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) created London Wetland Centre from four redundant Thames Water reservoirs, recycling the concrete they were built from, planting 27,000 trees and 300,000 plants and building paths, hides and creature habitats such as lakes, gardens and meadows. The Centre opened in 2000 and since then the wildlife has flourished; the species of birds, bats, plants, reptiles, amphibians and dragonflies on site have all increased. Chris Packham, BBC Springwatch presenter, said "London Wetland Centre is one of the greatest triumphs of 20th century conservation. If we had one of these in every major city we'd be much better off."
 WWT London Wetland Centre by Ron Gilbey |
The Centre was also praised for its creative exhibitions such as the RBC Rain Garden and 'Down the Plughole' which were described as a great way of getting across very important messages in a fun and interactive way. Staff have worked hard over the years to improve the Centre's green credentials. Initiatives include recycling 98% of waste, providing bike racks for staff and visitors, reducing energy usage where possible and monitoring the carbon footprint each year. GTBS stated 'The site has a very high environmental performance regarding transport, waste, purchasing, energy and water with some excellent systems in place'. |
April 14, 2010