Case Study: IOS Wildlife Trust
Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG) has been in partnership with Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust (IoSWT) for a number of years, supporting and recognising the importance of Scilly’s precious nature and landscapes.
Throughout the 2019 Scillonian sailing calendar (March – November), Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust Marine Ranger, Natalie, was aboard Scillonian 1-2 days a week. This allowed passengers the opportunity to find out more about the Islands, the wildlife, places to visit and things to do during their stay , as well as exploring the work of the Trust and how visitors’ valuable support enables this small Island charity to look after Scilly, now and for future generations.
During 2019 Natalie completed a total of 98 sailings (44 from Penzance to Scilly and 44 from Scilly to Penzance), speaking to more than 2000 individuals and raised more than £2,480.
As well as the Marine Ranger, we also introduced a donate button to our website, this launched in April 2019. The donate feature is available at check out when making an online booking on the Isles of Scilly Travel Website, giving customers the opportunity to donate to the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. In October 2019, we added a Gift Aid option. In 2017, IoSWT ran a survey of visitors to Scilly and 75% of respondents said they would like the opportunity to support the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust by giving a donation when they booked their transport.
As of the 12th March 2020, our customers have shown their love of Scilly’s natural environment by donating over £20,000 to the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust via this option.
Sarah Mason, Chief Executive, Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust stated “Your donations are already being put to good use; allowing the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust to employ our Marine Ranger for another season; enabling diversification of communications including video diaries, blogs, social media content, “#WildlifeWednesday” and 20% more events available for visitors; facilitating the development of a programme of marine awareness raising activities and interpretation, including a “Watching Wildlife Safely” leaflet; enabling further work with Five Islands Academy assisting pupils with the development of an Eco-Club and Youth Environment Panel and so much more.”
Neil Jones (chairman IoSWT), Sarah Mason (CEO, IoSWT) & Stuart Reid (CEO ISSG)
Our policy is to strive for continuous improvements to our operations and procedures to reduce the impact on the environment. We aim to protect and promote good working practices and our Environmental Policy has been integrated into our Safety Management and Quality systems.
Our objectives are to:
- To comply with the requirements of the company integrated marine and aviation management systems
- Prevent pollution and minimise waste
- Help to safeguard the marine environment through assistance in research projects
- Support local environmental initiatives
- Develop systems to improve environmental performance.
- Commit to sustainability
- Use energy and resources efficiently
- Invest in modern eco-efficient technology, equipment and replacement vessels
- Adhere to regulation and policy in relation to environmental monitoring and impact improvements
- Promote the importance of environmental awareness to our employees
- Protect the natural environment (both marine and land)
- To have a commitment to continual improvement
The Environment Team
An Environmental Team from across the group has been formed to review and develop efficient working practices, with a commitment to improving and streamlining business activities and processes whilst adhering to the required CAA and MCA regulatory standards.
Sian Matthews
Executive Assistant
Vicky Wiltshire
Finance Manager
Chris Pearson
Airport Manager
Marcia Still
Scillonian III Purser
Jeanette Ware
Operations Manager
What we are doing
Our current areas for review include the following:
- Increase recycling & improve waste management
We will be looking to provide additional recycling points on our passenger ferry Scillonian III, our freight ship Gry Maritha and at Land’s End Airport. Penzance Dry Dock forms part of our group and they will continue to recycle all scrap metal. - Efficient energy usage
We are currently working with Smart Energy Project, looking at ways to improve efficiencies across the entire group. - Single use plastics
Our aim is to reduce the use of single use plastic. Our freight teams are trialing the use of wooden collars for the cargo pallets to replace the single use plastic wrapping. We are also investigating how we can replace the single use plastics used in Western Rocks Coffee Co and how the used coffee cups can be recycled. - Carbon off-setting opportunities
Carbon off-set schemes allow companies such as ours to invest in environmental projects, this allows us to balance our carbon footprint. We are currently exploring opportunities and working towards significantly reducing our carbon footprint. - Environmental awareness in relation to pollution prevention
Both our airline and marine operations adhere to current environmental regulations regarding pollution prevention.
Cycle to Work Scheme
We encourage employees to take up our cycle to work scheme. By switching from car to bike our employees are helping the environment by boosting air quality and reducing emissions whilst giving them a healthier lifestyle.
Reducing Single Use Plastic
Our goal is to remove all single use plastic where possible. We are actively looking at ways to reduce our use of single use plastic on Scillonian III and Land’s End Airport and are working with our suppliers to source alternative packaging.
Reducing Emissions
We recognise climate change as a big environmental threat. To help reduce our carbon emissions we locally source our produce sold in our cafés where possible to shorten the length of our supply chain which helps reduce emissions through deliveries.
Renewable Energy
In 2013 we built a new airport at Lands’ End, as part of the design for the new terminal we incorporated the installation of solar panels to provide energy for the airport. The electricity is generated from an 80 panel 20kWh which provides energy to help run the airport.
Recycling
We are always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of the business. Metal, cardboard and plastics are recycled throughout the Steamship Group. We also assist the islands with recycling by shipping all their scrap metal back to the mainland.
Park & Ride and Transfer Services
Passengers park their cars and are transported to Penzance; this reduces congestion on the quay and local roads. We also provide a passenger shuttle bus service between Penzance railway station and Land’s End Airport, enabling customers to leave their cars at home.
Energy Use
We work alongside the SMART Energy Islands project with Hitachi. Energy efficiency surveys have been taken at Land's End Airport, Penzance Dry Dock and our head offices and we're now implementing the suggested improvements.
Reducing Printed Materials
We have significantly reduced our printed materials and have integrated digital systems wherever possible to reduce the amount of paper waste. Our passengers are now able to download and view literature on our website.
Ceramic Heating
Ceramic radiators have been installed in our engineering hangers at Land’s End Airport. We are trialing the heaters and it's hoped they will be more efficient than standard radiator and will mitigate the requirement for heating oil.
Partnering with wildlife experts to make a difference
We have teamed up with leading wildlife and conservation organisations who work in the areas and waters in which we serve. We work alongside two organisations who are improving habitats for our coastal wildlife and the marine environment. In addition onboard Scillonian III we have a wildlife ranger to educate our passengers about the marine life and wildlife found around the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall.
