Case study - Allan
As Head Gardener at Glamis Castle, Allan Beedie's job is green in every sense of the word.
The 43-year-old has always had an interest in environmental issues and this was one of the motivations for his decision to work in horticulture.
When he started work at Glamis Castle five years ago, he began making some small changes such as using the biodegradable waste from the kitchen for compost instead of binning it.
Bit by bit, the running of the castle and its grounds became more sustainable until the efforts of staff were formalised with the setting up of the Green Team.
Allan explained: "I'm a gardener so there is an obvious environmental element to my job but being green is part of every job now, every job has some kind of environmental impact.
"For example, if you're the manager of a supermarket ordering produce, you have to make a decision about how much of an impact your decision will have in terms of food miles.
"I have always had an interest in the environment so I was keen when I started here to move towards better environmental practice – reducing the amount of resources the castle consumed as a business and cutting down the amount of waste it produced.
"We work as a team and it doesn't take up a lot of time, we simply do things as environmentally conscious as we can.It's a matter of coming up with ideas and trying to implement a few each year.
"For example, we are always trying to produce more fresh ingredients from the garden for the restaurant. We grow fresh fruit and herbs, which are all organically grown without pesticides or herbicides.
"Not many restaurants have access to 20 acres of land in the back garden so as well as saving food miles, it gives us a niche – customers can eat fresh produce that's been cut from the garden just a few hours before.
"One of the important things which I think a lot of businesses fail to grasp is that there are economic benefits to being a bit greener.
"Producing less waste and consuming less resources saves you money and the fact that we can offer visitors eating in the restaurant something different – produce that has been picked fresh that day – adds to the visitor experience."