Whitehouse Farm is a family run business and maintains a strong commitment to the environment and to the local economic and social community. We want to provide our customers with a high quality day out, whilst supporting our local community and preserving our beautiful surroundings for the enjoyment of future generations.
Our Carbon Reduction Plan:
We planted 3000 trees onsite between January and March 2023 as part of our Carbon Reduction Plan; not only does it help to reduce our Carbon emissions, but it has created more natural habitats for wildlife allowing a safe place for the different species to flourish.
Renewable Energy and how we use it more efficiently
Solor Panels
Project 1 - Solar 99.9 Kw
We have installed 99.9 Kw of Roof Mounted Solar which will generate electricity to feed directly back into the park. The electricity generated from this will be used 100%, saving the park from purchasing electric from the National Grid.
Statistics
Project 2 - Solar 29.97 Kw
We have installed a further 29.97 Kw of Roof Mounted Solar which will supply electricity to our petting barn. The electricity generated annually for these buildings will all be used on site reducing the amount of electric purchased from the National Grid and benefiting the environment.
Statistics
Wind Turbines
We have plans to install two 15 Kw micro wind turbines at a maximum height of 18 meters on land to the south of Whitehouse Farm to further increase the renewable energy provision.
Other steps we take to reduce our energy usage:
Reducing Waste
Prior to 2019, around 75% of our commercial waste went to landfill. We now sort and recycle the majority of our waste on site before collection.
How you can help us while you are here - At most of our bin stations you will find there is a brown bin and a green bin. Please recycle the following items in the green bins:
Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, the blue roll for drying your hands, paper and cardboard and takeaway cups from our cafe.
We have eliminated single use plastic straws and stirrers in our cafe.
Our soiled animal bedding and animal waste is recycled as manure and spread on the land as a natural fertiliser.
Our tree and hedge clippings are chipped and used as mulch around the farm. This also discourages weed growth and minimises the use of chemicals for weed control.
Using Water Responsibly
Our water supply is metered so we will be immediately alerted if we have any leaks.
The majority of our taps are pressure operated and are automatically controlled.
By late 2021 we will have installed a water collection system to flush our toilets and water all the plants.
Conservation
There is an abundance of flora, fauna and wildlife on our doorstep, and we do everything we can to respect, maintain and improve this beautiful environment.
We nurture our existing native plants, tree and flowers, while also making sure we re-plant hedging and new trees. In 2021 we planted 60 new trees which were a mixture of Downy Birch, Sessile Oak, Red Alder and Green Beech.
Downy Birch provides food and habitat for more than 300 insects. Woodpeckers and other hole nesting birds often nest in the trunk.
Sessile Oak trees provide support for more wildlife than any other native tree. They provide a habitat for more than 257 species of insect which are the food source for birds and other predators. The bark also provides a habitat for mosses, lichens and liverworts and dead wood cavities for nesting birds and roosting bats. The acorns are eaten by a number of birds and mammals.
Green Beech provides an important habitat for many butterflies. The seeds are eaten by mice, voles, squirrels and birds. As they live so long, they provide gnarled and knotted habitats for many dead wood specialists such as hole nesting birds and wood boring insects.
Red Alder, although not a native species to the UK, has a very important characteristic. It has nitrogen fixing roots that nourish and improve previously disturbed or depleted soils.
We also planted more hedging. The native hedging we planted will benefit a range of wildlife including small mammals, birds, bees and other insects. Not only do native hedges give wildlife a safe habitat and food all year round, they also act as safe corridors for movement.
We provide bird boxes for various different species including Blue Tits, Robins, Blackbirds and Swallows, some of which have cameras installed. We also provide food to encourage wild birds.
We are transforming our pond area into a wildlife habitat to be used as a resource for local nature and wildlife societies. We have installed small, hand built homes for insects and planted accordingly.
We have installed several hedgehog houses around the site that we use to monitor and record activity.
No waste policy
Food waste is a huge issue, we try our best to limit this is our community where ever we can. We are partnered with Tom Owens fruit and veg shop in Whitley bay, each evening we collect their left over fruit and veg from that day and it is then feed to our animals. Previously, this food would have just gone into the bin, it is passed sell by date and so can't be sold in their shop.
This partnership has made Tom Owens a near zero waste shop.