Mared leads the way in lowering estate's carbon footprint

Rhug Estate near Corwen is investing in measuring and monitoring its carbon footprint so that improvements can be made to make the entire farm business reach the Government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Low Carbon Project Manager Mared Williams, has already started to calculate Rhug Organic Farm’s carbon footprint. A bespoke climate action plan will then be developed to mitigate and offset emissions across every sector of Rhug Estate’s business, including the residential properties, let farms and forestry, green energy, retail, wholesale and skincare.

Lord Newborough, Owner of Rhug Estate, said, “We feel that it is crucially important that we set out to create a clear road map for the future. Climate change is our biggest threat and we owe it to the next generation to do everything we can to mitigate its effects. At Rhug we really care about sustainability in everything we do, organic farming, organic skin care, green energy and caring for the environment. "

A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air as a result of the activities of a particular organisation, service or product.

"Net zero or carbon neutral is when you achieve a balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. This means that whilst there will still be some emissions, they will be offset somewhere else through natural carbon sinks, such as trees and soils. Net zero will be achieved once the emissions produced by the activities of Rhug Estate are cancelled out by the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere," Mared said.

She lives locally with her family on a small holding in Llanddoged and graduated last year with a distinction in FdSc Agri-Business from Harper Adams University last year.

She completed a 12-month placement at Rhug Estate during her sandwich course at Harper Adams and has since been accepted to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Rural Property Management at the university at Newport. Her part time postgraduate course has enabled Mared to keep working within the industry whilst continuing with her studies.