Environmental Responsibilities

Our Carbon Reduction Commitment

All heat for the Blue Lagoon waterpark and Adventure Centre is generated from the
Biomass Energy Centre. 

Owned by a local co-operative set up in response to Bluestone’s needs, the centre houses two 26 tonne Talbott biomass boilers capable of generating up to 1.6MW of heat, which is bought per unit by Bluestone.

The centre runs on wood chip, miscanthus and willow coppices; all sourced from within a five
mile radius of the site.

We are very proud of the Biomass Energy Centre. Compared to an oil-burning system, it saves
3000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, and represents a pioneering model for sustainable
energy generation.

Other stuff…

One hundred of our lodges are fitted with solar panels to heat water. The sun is the most
sustainable source of energy available.

We purchase electricity on a green tariff, which means our main electricity supplier is contributing
to the development of renewable energy technology.

All of the Bluestone lodges are triple-glazed and thickly insulated with an EcoWarm concept,
providing for the best thermal and sound insulation, as well as 10 inches of insulation in the floors.

In addition, the lodges are built on concrete piles, reducing the amount of concrete used in construction (The cement industry is a significant CO2 polluter, responsible for 8-10% of total CO2 pollution).

We have an approved travel plan, which we are implementing in order to minimise the impact of
transport on the environment.

For information on how you can reduce your carbon footprint, visit the Carbon Balanced website.

Woodlands, hedges, lakes and meadows

Particularly as Bluestone is sited largely within Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, one of the most pleasing, and perhaps surprising, aspects of its development has been the opportunity to enhance biodiversity in the area.

Intensively farmed for decades, the Bluestone site had been regularly treated with pesticides and fertilisers, and subjected to the various land and animal husbandry practices that are part and parcel of modern farming.

Indeed, having found no animals or eco-systems of special interest in the development area, a team
of botanists from Cardiff University described the site as an ‘ecological desert’.

This meant there was an opportunity to develop something new and exciting on the land, and in the process, encourage and attract a much wider variety of wildlife and wildflower flora and fauna to the site.

The planting scheme represents considerable investment in the creation and enhancement of habitats, which is already paying dividends, as you are now likely to see a variety of animals and certainly plants during your stay at Bluestone.

If you stroll along our woodland nature trail in the late afternoon, you are quite likely to see a squirrel,
fox or badger, while the hedges provide a perfect habitat for many birds, mammals and flora.

Bluestone has its own Planted Ancient Woodland and is also bordered by both Minwear and Canaston woods.  We have protected all of the original hedges and trees on site as many of the hedges date back to old Tythe maps of the area, and we hope to improve the habitat with plants such as hazel which encourage the timid dormouse. 

We have put up nesting boxes and have plenty of open meadow which is encouraging high numbers of birds and a broad diversity of species.  In January 2009, we have already spotted over 25 species of birds around site including the elusive Redwing and Siskin, and we continue adding to our wildlife spotting lists!

Our lake is exclusively for colonisation by indigenous plants and animals. Aquatic oxygenating plants have been put in to encourage wildlife and we will continue a programme of improvements to attract a wide variety of wildlife, flora and fauna to the lake ecosystem.

We have been working with The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales who helped us prepare information boards for our nature trail and will continue to help us manage and improve the diversity of wildlife and flora around the site.

Created in 550 acres of glorious countryside near
Narberth, in Pembrokeshire’s historic Landsker borderlands,
Bluestone’s whole ethos is one built upon Sustainable
Development, in other words, ‘meeting the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs’.

Bluestone has always been about generating long term opportunities for Pembrokeshire
and the Pembrokeshire community, not at the expense of future generations.

The development has been both supported and monitored by the Pembrokeshire Coast
National Park Authority and every effort has been made to protect and even enhance the
local natural environment here at Bluestone.

Ultimately, Bluestone will attract 100,000 visitors a year, employ over 700 people – making it
one of the largest private sector employers in the county – and inject around £35 million into
the local economy annually.

Many local people have set up businesses in conjunction with Bluestone and we want the
local community to thoroughly share in the success of the development.

Some of our key local partners include;

PBE: Established in 2004 as a producer co-operative to grow, market and supply biomass and bio-energy solutions to south, west and mid-Wales. PBE are the suppliers to Bluestone Leisure of energy generated from the energy centre biomass burners to heat the Blue Lagoon and Landsker Sports Club.

Wizo Trees’ owner Adrian Thorne started growing trees and shrubs in 2004 on a small scale. By 2008 some 12,000 trees, shrubs and woody climbers were growing in pots on land near Wiston, Pembrokeshire which was once the site of the Battle of Colby Moor in the English Civil war.

Over 500 species and cultivars are stocked but not all are ready for sale at any one time.
 
Wizo Trees have cultivated and planted 167,930 trees, plants and bulbs at Bluestone.

Other Bluestone Sustainability initiatives ongoing and in the pipeline include;

The Bluestone Academy – working with Pembrokeshire College to develop courses and opportunities for youngsters in the locality.

The Graduate Scheme – providing opportunities for youngsters in Pembrokeshire to stay or return to the county to high calibre employment opportunities.

The Crèche – providing an onsite crèche for staff to provide convenient child care facilities for parents who want to work.

The Travel Plan – creating opportunities for people without transport to get to work at Bluestone through our travel plan initiatives.

Supporting local producers – over 90% of goods purchased by Bluestone are from suppliers based in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

The Bluestone Foundation – a charitable foundation supporting enterprise and innovation in Pembrokeshire by developing long term partnerships with local stakeholders and contributing time, knowledge and funding to sustainable long term projects.