Carbon Footprint
At our previous farm, through implementing new farming techniques, we managed to reduce our carbon footprint to below zero. This was mainly achieved by storing carbon within the soil, through non-inversion tillage, and by installing wildlife protection areas. Ironically, before we embarked on nature friendly method of farming, we were producing about 4000 tonnes of food from about 1500 acres of arable land and following the dramatic changes, we managed to still producing the same amount of food. This came with the added benefit to producing both food and habitat for an ever increasing amount of wildlife. On the farm here at Backswood, we are only able to produce a fraction of that food volume but we can contribute to society in other ways. We are keen to make Backswood a model farm for caring for the environment whilst producing public goods whilst recognising that larger farms are more adapted to produce large volumes of sustainably produced food for us to eat. As individuals, we are all responsible for our own carbon footprints and below we have outlined the measures we undertake to mitigate our carbon production at Backswood.
Electricity
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When we arrived at the farm in 2014, we were able to rebuild most of the infrastructure from scratch. We chose to install 2 solar arrays on the farm buildings. One supplies the main farm house and the second supplies the farm buildings and cottages. Unfortunately, given the nature of the supply to the farm we were restricted to how much we were able to generate and feed back into the National Grid. If the panels produce excessive amounts, then we have installed a change over system which feeds the electric into providing domestic hot water. We also have a Solar Thermal system that supplies heating requirements to other buildings. We try to run any timed pumps during daylight hours to take advantage of free solar gain.
Around the buildings we have installed movement sensor switches called PIR’s (Passive Infrared). These devices detect movement in areas which are walked through, such as corridors, in bathrooms and cupboards. With over 40 of these on site, it prevents lights from being left on and are only activated when necessary. In the main house we have also used PIR’s to control the hot water pumps that supply showers. This reduces the amount of water wasted when waiting for the shower’s hot water to reach the shower head from storage tanks. We have also installed LED lighting to all areas at Backswood to reduce electricity. Due to our remote location, we have backup generators to cover all our emergency needs.
Water
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With water becoming an ever more precious commodity, we have taken a number of measures to reduce our consumption. Along with the usual lifestyle changes that we are all having to make to reduce water consumption, we have looked at the farm as a whole. Because, we are responsible for a larger land area than the average person, we have recognised our responsibility to take greater measures to mitigate water use.
Water Run Off:
To mitigate rainwater run-off, we have installed a number of ponds around the farm. These collect water and release it through evaporation, with the added benefit for bio-diversity. The woodland, new trees, flower meadows and hedges all add to mitigate the amounts of run off into the River Exe.
Rainwater Harvesting:
To make the most of the water falling onto our buildings we have installed a rainwater harvesting system. Water is collected from two of the yard buildings, filtered to remove leaves and moss, and then collected in two 10,000 litre tanks. This water is then used to supply all the water used to fill toilets, the pressure washer and green roof irrigation. Troughs fed from roofs are also dotted around to collect water for use in dry periods or for livestock.
Water Supply:
As well as harvested water, we also have installed a 150 ft. deep borehole on the farm which supplies the Farmhouse and livestock water needs. This supply fills tanks up and these are replenished during daylight hours to reduce electric running costs. The cottages supply comes from an additional mains supply, which also acts as a backup for the rest of the system. Some of the showers are fitted with lower pressure shower heads to reduce the flow of water but deliver a good coverage through captured air bubbles within the droplets. Some of the showers also have heated mirrors to make shaving more cost efficient and easier.
Heating and Hot water
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The entire site is heated by a large biomass boiler. This is fuelled largely by wood cut from fallen trees in Backswood. It takes approximately 30 tonnes of wood to heat the site every year which amounts to about 15 average sized trees. We are fortunate to have various backup systems to come into play should the need arise. These include a wood pellet boiler attached to the main biomass boiler and if we really need it, we also have immersion heaters. When we were building the new farmhouse and refurbishing the cottages, we paid special attention to air tightness and insulation to reduce our overall energy usage.
Recycling
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We are extremely proactive in recycling as much of our by-products as possible.
Food:
We produce much of our food from the farm. Venison from the wood provides some of our meat and we grow many of our own vegetables and fruit. Food waste, in the form of peelings, is added to compose and meals are planned, so we produce no wastage from our daily meals.
Compose:
Cattle manure forms the basis of all the composting carried out on the farm. For the garden compose we make the composing process quicker with the use of a JCB. Compose heaps are turned regularly and the cattle manure is incorporated with garden waste, ash from the wood boiler, food waste, sawdust from a local saw mill, and landscapers chipping. This produces a balanced mulch which is added to vegetable and flower beds and around newly planted hedging and trees.
Building Products:
Since arriving at Backswood, we have built many structures. Before starting on any project, we explore alternative ways to deliver the best sustainable outcome and this avoids the use of purchased materials. The Nature Garden is an excellent example of how we have used locally sourced or recycled materials. We have used the stone and oak from the woodland to build structures, old iron machinery to build sculptures and industrial off cuts to replace bought in building materials. The original farmhouse was entirely re-purposed somewhere on the farm and the new house contains many old organic materials from our previous Hampshire Estate.