How many companies have you heard say that they can’t afford to implement environmentally friendly policies in their business practices because it is too expensive? The answer quite simply is too many.

Deepdale Farm is a farm with a first class diversification project that has taken to its heart the policy of earning money whilst trying to reduce its impact on the environment. When farming began to decline Alister Borthwick had the foresight to look outside the box at alternatives to earn his crust. First came camping. Then a group hostel, and onwards until currently there is a 1,000 Acre farm surrounding an 18 bed group hostel, a 51 bed backpackers hostel, an 81 pitch campsite, Tipi’s, Yurt, Information centre, and the retail outlet at Dalegate market. All built and developed on the same ethos; conservation, reduction, recycling and good management.

Environmentally friendly business does not require a diminished quality, indeed Deepdale has attained 4 star ratings in both the campsite and the hostel, but it does require a change in mindset and values towards a less consumptive lifestyle.

Conservation

Deepdale farm has a series of stewardship paths across the land. These paths are suitable for walking, cycling or horse riding, and supplied under the Countryside Stewardship scheme, which also includes 6 metre strips around each field creating better habitats for nature.  The most recent addition to the network of paths goes all the way to Burnham Market.

Earth Day is an annual event hosted at Deepdale where traders and developers of eco friendly technologies and products can attend to display their wares. A small selection of this year’s stall holders included;

·         River Nene organic box scheme

·         Comp Bio Products Ltd, Suppliers of 100% compostable bags, liners, tableware and catering supplies

·         RSPB

·         Green Party/Zero Carbon Caravan, Travelling to the Copenhagen climate talks without fossil fuels to demand a zero carbon world, as fast as we can

·         Solarworks Ltd, Solarworks are installers of Bristish made Thermomax Systems as used by Deepdale

·         Renenergy Limited, Underfloor Heating, Rainwater Harvesting, Air Source Heat Pumps, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Biomass, Wind Turbines, Solar, SAP Calculations

·         Millard Consulting, Civil engineering, energy and environmental consultants.

Visitors are welcome free of charge and everyone is open to advising, educating and assisting people to make the best choices they can in regards to their lifestyle and how they can do the best for themselves and the environment.

Deepdale farm and Backpackers also run an annual conservation weekend; people come from all over the country to get some hands on experience in forest management, planting hedge rows, putting up bird boxes, setting out pheasant hoppers and such.

Reduction

All individual companies throughout the Deepdale and Dalegate are encouraged to reduce the amount of resources they consume and look at ways to reduce their carbon foot print. Examples of these include lights that are on sensors around the campsite. Scrap paper is used as notebooks as opposed to purchasing notepads that are half used before being thrown away. The toilet block over the retail unit utilizes rainwater harvesting to run the grey water and toilet flushing rather than mains water.

The average journey to work across the farm and the campsite is less than half a mile, across the retail unit it averages at 2 and a half miles. People are encouraged to walk or commute by the local bus, not always possible but we do try! Guests and staff at Deepdale  backpackers and Camping regularly use the Coasthopper bus service and since they have worked very hard to tie their service in with train times at Kings Lynn station and work with Deepdale backpackers to supply tickets it is possible to step off the train and get directly to the door of the hostel! As well as the conservation side of the stewardship walks there has also been the added bonus of enabling staff at the Information centre to devise the Deepdale Quest!  A series of clues and riddles designed to show off some of the highlights of Burnham Deepdale and Brancaster Staithe as families and individuals are invited to walk the quest and enter their time into the competition. See website http://www.deepdalebackpackers.co.uk/events/index.asp for more details.

Recycling

Recycling bins are put all around the site with signs on to encourage customers to recycle.

Paper, plastic, cans, tetrapacks, food waste, glass, gas and aerosol cans, light bulbs, and fluorescent tubes are all recycled. All other waste recycled or otherwise utilized. Vegetable crates are used as kindling rather than being sent to landfill.

The Farm, campsite and backpackers and Dalegate Market work as a localized waste management co-operative. The costs of recycling and disposal of waste are spread proportionally across the businesses and as a result it makes environmentally friendly disposal an economically viable option. To give an example of the amount of waste going to landfill that has been reduced by implementing all of the recycling, there are 4 Landfill bins emptied biweekly spread between farm, camping, hostels and 12 retail’s outlets in Dalegate market - nationwide Fat face would have four landfill bins for themselves emptied twice weekly.

These are just some of the activities that are undertaken continually on site, for more information please visit the website www.deepdalebackpackers.co.uk, or call the information centre on 01485210256.

Good Management

By implementing environmentally friendly technologies as they became financially viable rather than on first being developed the financial return from expenditure to profit is shortened enough to make them a viable option. For example photovoltaic cells the current technology the cost of installation to produce enough electricity to supply all of farming and 75% of the tourism needs would take about 20 years to payback. In other words, before the outlay was recouped against the cost of what the electricity would be to supply the farm and tourism. This simply is not cost effective and therefore it is a bad business idea. The new generation of PV cells that are due to be commercially available in 2010 or 2011 will produce a 7 years payback. A much more palatable proposition!

Deepdale also works very closely with many of the local businesses in the surrounding villages, encouraging the natural synergies that have formed over many years of development. Such as links to the Jolly Sailors and White Horse pubs in the next village, the local sailing school and chandlery. Developing outlets for local photographers and artists.

When asked why he started to run his business this way Alister responded very simply, “I do this because I live here and it makes sense.”