A St David’s pub has received a visit from the Environment Minister – ahead of judging in the Welsh Assembly Government’s Climate Change Pub Challenge.
The Environment Minister, Jane Davidson visited Barry and Janette White, managers of The Grove Hotel, one of three role model pubs across Wales that are going ‘green’ for the Climate Change Pub Challenge.
Brains pub The Grove, on High Street, has been competing in a friendly rivalry against The Turf in Wrexham and The Castle Inn in Caldicot, Gwent, to find innovative and exciting ways of reducing their carbon footprint.
So far the pub has done everything from insulating the loft and installing water saving showers in guest rooms to planting a vegetable and herb garden to use the produce in the restaurant. Recently they dimmed the lights for a spooky electricity-saving Halloween night.
The Challenge runs until the end of the year and as final judging gets closer, Ms Davidson dropped in on The Grove to find out from Barry and Janette what they have been doing to reduce their carbon emissions.
Expert Dave Honeyman from the Carbon Trust has been helping The Grove in the Challenge and was on hand to answer the Minister’s questions about carbon reduction techniques.
Janette White, of The Grove, said: “It was great to meet the Minister, who was pleased to hear how we’ve been able to considerably reduce our energy usage over the past year.
“Being a part of the Assembly Government’s Climate Change Pub Challenge has been both exciting and informative. St David’s is aiming to become a carbon-neutral city and it’s been great to involve the local community in our journey. We all have a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and I hope we’ve inspired people and businesses in Pembrokeshire to do their bit to help the environment.”
Jane Davidson said: “The team at The Grove have embraced a greener way of living and demonstrated their commitment by making real inroads into reducing their energy usage. I know that the other pubs in the challenge have also made positive changes and hopefully other businesses across the country can follow their lead.
“The Welsh Assembly Government sees tacking climate change as a major priority and we have set a target of cutting emissions by 3% a year from 2011. To achieve this we are encouraging the people and businesses of Wales to see the benefits of adopting energy saving measures. These will not only reduce their carbon footprint but also help individuals and companies save money which is especially important in the current economic climate.”
Judging takes place in December by a panel of climate change experts from the Welsh Assembly Government, Energy Saving Trust, Carbon Trust and Dŵr Cymru. The winning pub, which will be chosen as a result of the efforts they have put into the Challenge and the progress they have made, will be announced in December.
