The Savoy’s Green Credentials and The Isle of Wight’s Commitment To become A World Renowned Eco Island By 2020

During the initial planning phase for The Savoy’s redevelopment, the opportunity was taken to incorporate a number of key green initiative design features. These include:-

• The construction of 26 south facing cottages with sedum roofs, which absorb rain run-off, help insulation & provide micro-habitats
• The construction of two 60,000 litre underground rain water run-off catchment tanks. The water is then used for landscape irrigation

The Savoy also operates a comprehensive waste separation programme, to maximize recycling opportunities and allow suitable waste to be burnt, with minimal emissions, at the Island’s treatment centre – producing energy and minimizing land fill implications.

The Savoy can also offer its customers, who are committed to green issues, a unique service, by calculating the emissions produced on their journey from home to The Savoy and then offering them the opportunity to either make an off-set contribution to an environmental agency or sponsor the planting of a tree on site at The Savoy.

The management of The Savoy are also committed and fully involved in the major new initiative, recently launched by The Island Strategic Partnership, for The Isle of Wight to become a world renowned Eco Island by 2020.

Eco Island actions and themes

"We want the Isle of Wight to become a world renowned Eco-Island, with a thriving economy, a real sense of pride and where residents and visitors enjoy healthy lives, feel safe and are treated with respect."

Eco Island Vision

By 2020:

• The Isle of Wight will have the lowest Carbon footprint in England The development of new sectors of employment, creating a centre of excellence in renewable energies and generating capacity of over 100Mw of electricity by 2020
• A 20 per cent reduction in preventable deaths from tobacco, through the uptake of healthy active lifestyles
• The Island’s infrastructure will be renewed to the highest ecological standards
• The majority of Island children and young people will make better than average progress in schools and achieve results at 16 that place the Isle of Wight in the top 10 per cent nationally
• The ISP is also hoping to announce major investment and commercial agreements with leading academic institutions that will make the Island a centre for sustainable development research and development in an existing and thriving real-life community. This section of Eco Island will be updated to reflect these schemes and the global impact that our Eco Island will have.

Key specific objectives already committed to include:-

• A new Gasification plant, converting waste to energy, to open June 2008
• Sir Terry Farrell the new design champion for the Island, to create a low-carbon design manifesto for the future.
• Three new local nature reserves delivered by Natural England together with local communities across the Island by 2010
• A Council and PCT green transport plan by April 2010
• Five projects demonstrating sustainable living in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Three new renewable energy systems in community buildings across the Island
• Use of planning powers to generate sustainable development across the Island, through the Island Plan.

In addition the Partnership has a target of developing new sectors of employment, creating a centre of excellence in renewable energies with a target of 65 Mw energy production capacity by 2015.

For more information on the Eco Island initiative, please visit www.eco-island.org.uk.