caravan dealer takes great strides to reduce carbon footprint

Highbridge Caravans, in Somerset, has recently undertaken a five-day social media campaign to showcase its work to become more environmentally friendly and encourage other business owners to make small changes to decrease their carbon footprint.

The campaign was inspired by Director Philip Davies’ daughter, Iona, and saw the whole team from this family-run business getting involved.

On day one, Highbridge announced it was harvesting rainwater using its new 100,000-litre rainwater tank and using this water to valet its stock. It is hoped that by the end of the year, more than one million litres of rainwater will have been conserved, removing the need to use tap water which is treated with chlorine. The rainwater is also used to flush the company toilets.

For day two, the dealership revealed it had installed solar panels on all its buildings and has produced 40,000kWh of energy since the end of last year. This is enough to power around 14 average-sized houses for a year. Insulation has also been improved to retain more heat during the colder months.

A new fleet of Toyota Yaris Hybrid courtesy cars was revealed on day three and the dealership’s mechanics have completed a three-day course in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle IMI L2/L3 routine maintenance, repair, and replacement to prepare them for the possible advent of hybrid and electric leisure vehicles.

Caravanners can now opt for more environmentally friendly kit and on day four, Highbridge highlighted its Dometic line of porch awnings and chairs made from recycled plastic bottles. The company also revealed it is in talks with manufacturers to promote a more sustainable approach to recycling retired leisure vehicles.

For the final day of the campaign, the focus was on recycling and Highbridge spoke of its commitment to reduce its waste, choosing to recycle all IT equipment, tyres, batteries, boxes and vehicle oil, among other things. It is also undertaking research to determine whether its paper brochures could be replaced with online materials.

Philip said, “When I talk about the environment, I do fully understand that it is a double-edged sword. On one side I am wanting to promote Highbridge Caravans as a more eco-friendly company, whereas on the other hand we are selling diesel vehicles which are contributing to global emissions.

“Nobody is perfect but we are just trying to do whatever small things we can to help this small planet that we are all slowly spinning on together.”