Eagles Mount has been declared the UK’s first carbon neutral care home after offsetting its environmental impact.

The Poole care home, part of the Luxurycare group, partnered with specialist company Carbon Neutral Britain to calculate its carbon footprint and offset its total emissions.

It’s done this through financial support for international projects which help reduce greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Last month, Luxurycare Eagles Mount Ltd offset its total carbon footprint for 2020, reversing its environmental impact and becoming a certified carbon neutral business – a status that lasts for 12 months.

As a sizeable residential home, the largest emissions at Eagles Mount came from energy consumption – electricity and mains gas – but the calculation included everything from staff travel to and from work to water usage and inbound deliveries to waste.

In all, the homes’ carbon footprint, measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, was 163.08 tonnes, produced directly and indirectly from its activities over the space of the year.

Mandy Kittlety, Managing Director, Luxurycare, said: “With climate change an ever more pressing concern for all of us we are incredibly pleased and proud to be the first care home to officially be certified carbon neutral by Carbon Neutral Britain.

“This has been a fascinating process, which has not only enabled us to neutralise our environmental impact but has provided us with a much deeper understanding about where that impact arises.

“Whilst we already take steps to be as environmentally aware as possible, we are now looking at what more we can do to be ‘greener’ and are currently implementing numerous changes in support of our goal in developing a community here at Eagles Mount that works together to protect natural resources and continues to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Through Carbon Neutral Britain’s Climate and Woodland Fund, the care home has funded internationally certified carbon offsetting renewable energy and forest projects around the world, including hydroelectric power in the Amazon and China, wind power in the Philippines, and reforestation in Nicaragua.

These projects, with verified emissions reductions certified by the United Nations, have been selected based on their direct and indirect impact around the world – not just in offsetting, but also in supporting education, employment, and clean water, as well as having net positive impact on the local wildlife.

James Poynter, Director, Business Development & Offsetting Verification, Carbon Neutral Britain, said: “Whilst it is mandatory for the biggest UK companies to calculate and offset their carbon footprints, we work with hundreds of businesses across every sector each year who want to do that voluntarily – but this is the first care home we have ever calculated emissions for.

“Combined, these small and medium-sized businesses have a big impact, so if more step up, as Eagles Mount has done, it will move Britain closer to its ambition of being carbon neutral and have a real impact on climate change as well.”

Alicja Wysocka, Eagles Mount Care Home Manager, pictured left, said: “Our priority is always about the care we provide our residents for them and their families, but it’s nice for us to be aware of the environmental impact that the home has – and even better now that we are completely carbon neutral!”

As well as Eagles Mount (formerly Birds Hill Nursing Home), Luxurycare offers nursing and residential care at Aranlaw House (Branksome Park), The Branksome Park Care Centre (Branksome Park), Regency Manor Care Home (Lower Parkstone) and Seabourne House (Southbourne).