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At The Outward Bound Trust the natural environment is integral to what we do; as such we are working to make sure we look after it.
We are well placed to ensure that young people who come to our centres have a positive experience in the outdoors, and that it teaches them to have increased concern for, and awareness of the natural environment.
We also understand that our activities have an impact on the environment in a number of ways, from the resources required to run our centres, to the impact of taking groups into the outdoors.
Our  environmental policy describes the ways in which we have committed to reduce this impact.
CEMARS
In 2009, The Outward Bound Trust received its first CEMARS (Carbon Emission Management and Reduction Scheme) audit, with the aim of measuring and ultimately reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The audit revealed that in 2008-9 The Trust emitted 1514 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent of 600 cars driving on Britain’s roads for nearly a year.
Following the audit, The Trust committed to reducing its absolute emissions by 2% between May 09 and December 2010. We also pledged to make an annual reduction to our CO2 emissions by 30.3 tonnes. In other words, that’s the level of pollution you would emit if you drove around the world about three and a half times in an average car.
The first review of our progress has shown that we are almost on target for our carbon reduction plan, with a decrease in our emissions of 27 tonnes in 2009. By making simple but effective adjustments to the way we work, The Trust has been able to significantly lower its environmental impact in a number of areas including staff and customer transport and heating our centres.
Our carbon reduction plans
The Trust has developed a carbon reduction plan for each of its centres to set about limiting our environmental impact. These measures are, for the most part, based on making changes to the way we plan and organise our business activity, ensuring that our practices are more environmentally sound. Below are just a few measures that we have been working on:
Outward Bound Metro
Greater use of bikes and public transport for meetings
Purchase second minibus and canoe fleet to provide flexibility and efficiency of venues
Plan venues dependent on client location to minimise driving
Head Office
Reduce use of hire cars, encourage train journeys
Introduce car share schemes
Coordinate meetings for mobile team to be held on the same day, saving mileage
Use of recycled paper and limiting of printed materials for marketing purposes
Ullswater and Howtown centres
Install sensor and energy-efficient lighting
Install new storage heaters and move old heaters away from windows
Reduce minibus fleet
Increase use of local bus service and Ullswater steamers
Implement water saving measures
Aberdovey centre
Install loft insulation
Install radio-controlled thermostat
Wi-fi lighting system
Continue to use public transport wherever possible
Loch Eil centre
Reduce number of heaters
Decrease size of drying room
Installation of renewable energy system
Our partnership with The John Muir Award
The John Muir Award was launched in 1997 to offer people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to engage with wild places, conservation and biodiversity. It is a nationally recognised environmental award scheme that encourages awareness and responsibility for the natural environment, in a spirit of fun, adventure and exploration.
Around 20,000 participants get involved in the John Muir Award every year, through provider organisations such as The Outward Bound Trust. For more information click here.
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