Where Sustainability Meets Comfort and Style
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint at Mill Farm Eco Barns
Mill Farm Eco Barns is the Winner of the 2024 Visit England Gold Award and East of England Award for Ethical, Responsible, and Sustainable Business of the Year!
We’re Neil and Emma Punchard. In 2013, we returned to Norfolk to raise our daughters Hannah and Eva and convert Mill Farm Eco Barns. Our backgrounds are in Ecology and the Natural Environment, so we put nature at the heart of everything we do and the decisions we made when converting the barns. You can read a bit more about us in this fabulous Guardian article about our approach and the local area.
As signatories of Tourism Declares, we recognise the urgency of addressing the climate crisis and have taken concrete steps to reduce our carbon footprint. From generating our renewable energy to thoughtful waste management, every aspect of our operation is designed with environmental responsibility in mind.
We have developed our own climate action plan and are committed to setting a science-based emission reduction target to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to get us to net zero by 2035 (at the pace and scale that science says is necessary to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C.). We will do this by replacing our Biomass boiler with another heat pump, alongside the solar panels we have already invested in.
It’s key that while we prioritise our commitment to sustainability, we don’t compromise on our guests’ experience. Our guests love our barns and our commitment to nature and the environment, and they often come back for more.
“Just a huge thank you. What an amazing slice of the UK you’ve made for your family. It was inspiring to see how you’ve built such an oasis and love the sustainable approach. We will be back ”
Teena March 2024
Our Journey to Net Zero
Tourism contributes to approximately 8% of global carbon emissions*, with energy, transport, and food being the primary culprits. We’ve been working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and move closer to achieving net zero emissions. We’ve already made impressive progress, cutting our emissions significantly across Scopes 1, 2, and operational Scope 3 from our baseline year 2019-2019.
Using a market-based approach, which reflects the renewable energy we use, we’ve reduced our emissions by 78%, from 1.23 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) to just 0.27 tCO2e. This includes cutting out Scope 2 emissions entirely, thanks to our use of 100% renewable energy and significant on-site solar power generation.
When we report using the location-based method, which accounts for average grid electricity emissions, we’ve still achieved a 25% reduction, from 2.99 tCO2e to 2.25 tCO2e. However, this doesn’t fully consider that we produce more renewable electricity than we consume, exporting the surplus back to the grid.
Our journey has involved significant steps, including investing in solar panels, installing battery storage, and adding electric vehicle charging points. We’ve also reduced our reliance on biomass during summer months and switched from diesel to electric vehicles.
While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, we’re always looking for ways to improve. Reducing emissions is a continual process, and we remain committed to offering sustainable, low-impact holidays that support a greener future for everyone..
Energy Efficiency in our Norfolk Holiday Homes
Our journey towards energy efficiency begins with the very structure of our buildings. We’ve integrated rock wool insulation and state-of-the-art membrane technology during the barn conversion process to ensure exceptional airtightness. Our barns are powered and heated solely by renewable energy. With substantial investments in on-site solar generation, battery storage systems, heat pumps, and solar hot water diverters, we strive to minimise our environmental impact. Energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting further contribute to reducing our overall energy consumption.
Transportation
Opting for a ‘staycation’ in Norfolk rather than jetting off abroad is a significant step towards reducing emissions. At Mill Farm Eco Barns, we have extended this commitment by installing two electric vehicle (EV) charging points. EVs can be charged for a fixed fee of £25 per car per weekend or £40 per car for stays exceeding five days.
Food and Waste
Our welcome baskets are legendary. They’re full of delicious local goodies for you to enjoy, supporting wonderful local producers and bringing you the best Norfolk has to offer. Maybe best of all, they’re all single-use plastic-free!
At Mill Farm Eco Barns, we grow fruit and vegetables in the kitchen garden and have recently diversified to grow flowers, too. You are welcome to harvest seasonal produce yourself.
We provide recycling and composting facilities, including two ‘hot bin’ food composting bins on site. This enables us to process all food waste on-site, effectively eliminating it from our waste stream. The resulting compost is used in our vegetable garden and flower beds on site, ensuring complete self-sufficiency in compost production.
Helping to Restore Norfolk’s Wildlife
We are nestled in 2.5 acres of stunning Norfolk countryside, which we have turned into a wildlife haven with a (fenced) wildlife pond, orchard, native hedge, bird boxes, and wildflower meadow.
At first, our 2-acre site was barren and did little to support the local bird populations and biodiversity. Now, we are restorative. We have planted over 40 fruit trees and 650m of hedgerow around the entire site – that’s over 1800 saplings!
We have created a footpath connecting the farm to the village as part of a much-loved circular walk, entirely away from the road, to make it easier for our guests and locals to get into the beautiful countryside around us.
However, our commitment isn’t limited to Mill Farm Eco Barns. Emma works with the village’s environment group on a variety of projects, including promoting Hedgehogs, rewilding, and Dark Skies. Meanwhile, Neil advises the local estate on hedge cutting.
Sharing Our Passion for Sustainable Stays in Norfolk
While we don’t preach, we try to show that ‘going green’ does not mean compromise. Working together is essential to combating climate change, and we love to share our passion with our guests and our community.
We are committed to promoting ethical, responsible, and sustainable practices with our simple guide to recycling, saving energy, and conserving water or often simply by having a chat! We have learned a lot along the way, so if you are interested in installing solar panels or a heat pump, we are happy to talk through our experiences and take you on a tour of our little corner of Norfolk.
We will continue to update you on our progress towards carbon neutrality every year and hope you will join us on our journey here at Mill Farm Eco Barns.
Here is a little video of us making apple juice from our own Apples. It is delicious, too!
We offer three Eco Barns, sleeping 2, 4, and 8, situated in Winterton on Sea on the gorgeous Norfolk Coast. If you’d like to find out more or book your stay, find out more here.