At 4 St. James’s Terrace we believe in looking after our environment. To this end 4 St. James’s Terrace operates a “Green” policy. We aim to minimise our waste and to ensure that, wherever possible, our energy is produced in an environmentally friendly way.
Electricity
All electricity used at 4 St. James’s Terrace is sourced from specialist, environmentally aware energy suppliers that understand their, and our, responsibility to protect the environment.
They harness our electricity from natural sources, like wind, sun and water, that don't pollute and don't contribute to climate change. These methods offer an endless source of environmentally friendly electricity.
The majority of our electricity comes from wind turbines which use the natural power of the wind to drive generators. The energy used in manufacturing and erecting a wind turbine is paid back during the first 3-6 months of operation and unlike most other developments, wind turbines can be removed at the end of their lifetime, typically 30 years, with no lasting environmental effects. The wind resource in the UK alone has the potential to power the country 3 or 4 times over!
Hot water
Water used at 4 St. James’s Terrace is heated by on-site solar panel heat exchangers.
Heating
Our rooms are heated by burning managed birch twigs. No forests are destroyed in sourcing the wood. Instead twigs are harvested from birch trees without the need for felling. In this way the trees recover, grow back and produce further twigs for collection in following years.
To accompany the central heating, our rooms are double walled. The cavity between the two walls is filled with highly insulating fibres, helping to contain and insulate as much heat as possible inside the building.
Grey Water collection
Rain water that falls on 4 St. James’s Terrace is collected into a tank in the basement. Here it is filtered to approved standards and then recycled for use in the practice. We currently use the water for flushing toilets, running washing machines, plant watering, and floor washing.
Recycling
Paper, cardboard packaging, plastic and metal are all recycled as part of our high recycling proportion policy.