Operated by High Life Highland, the Inverness Botanic Garden’s & Cafe has embedded sustainability into every aspect of its operation, creating a circular model where renewable energy, horticulture, food production, waste reduction, biodiversity and education work together.
By connecting renewable energy, circular resource management, biodiversity and community learning, Inverness Botanic Gardens has become a living example of how visitor attractions can contribute meaningfully to Scotland’s environmental ambitions while inspiring others to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.
All of these activities positively contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions.
This programme combines practical carbon and waste reduction projects with behaviour change, staff development and community participation – embedding greener decision-making across waste, energy, water, staff training, active travel, infrastructure and customer engagement.
Key achievements include over 1,000 litres of waste collected through Leisure Loop, 60kg of carbon prevented from landfill, 11 Leisure Loop collections across SDL sites, and 12 staff becoming Carbon Literate.
South Downs Leisure’s Leisure Loop work has also received national recognition, with Splashpoint named as a top five Leisure Loop collection site in the UK.
It started with a bag of broken swimming equipment heading for the bin.
In 2020, a member of Tadcaster Community Swimming Pool’s team questioned why goggles, floats and other swimming equipment simply had to become waste. After being told by major waste providers that these difficult mixed materials couldn’t practically be recycled, we decided to challenge that answer.
Two years later, Tadcaster became the testing ground for a completely new approach. What made it work wasn’t simply finding a recycling solution – it was their staff, swimmers, families and wider community getting behind it and proving that people were willing to change established habits. Read More >>
Edinburgh Leisure’s Net Zero Framework provides a whole-organisation model for climate action.
Their Net Zero Board, established in August 2024, drives cross-organisational accountability and supported development of a comprehensive Net Zero Framework built around eight goals, providing a practical roadmap for reducing emissions, improving energy and resource efficiency, minimising waste, enhancing biodiversity and engaging staff and communities in change.
One year on, this embedded approach has delivered measurable progress, including a 13.7% reduction in carbon emissions, £30k savings in waste and a 59% recycling rate, alongside waste reduction, water efficiency, biodiversity and a wide range of staff engagement activity.
