Sustainability

Sustainability

English Heritage’s mission is to care for an internationally important collection of historic sites and artefacts, through which we bring history to life. Our collection spans over six millennia, charting human impact on the environment, from early flint mines to Cold War bunkers. Conservation of our past goes hand in hand with a responsibility towards future generations.

Climate change is one of the greatest risks to cultural heritage. As an organisation we recognise the urgent need for us to reduce our environmental impact and adapt to the changing climate.

Here we highlight some of the important work that has been completed as part of our Climate Action Plan.

A child examines an insect on a piece of grass

Green Impact Programme

Launched across the country in September 2023, English Heritage’s Green Impact programme helps embed sustainability into our policies and procedures, awarding teams who take environmental action at our historic sites.

Find out more about our Green Impact Programme
Green impact award at Carisbrooke

Green Tourism

Green Tourism is a programme that recognises the commitment of tourism businesses and organisations that are actively working to become more sustainable. Alongside our Green Impact programme, we are also piloting the Green Tourism accreditation at eight of our sites. 

Find out more about Green Tourism
Painting conservators working in the English Heritage conservation studio
Painting conservators at work in the English Heritage conservation studio

LEAF Awards

Colleagues in our Collections Conservation Team achieved Gold in the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) programme for the English Heritage conservation studio and laboratory space.

LEAF is a standard set by University College London to improve the sustainability and efficiency of laboratories, and over 85 global institutions are already taking part. By joining the LEAF programme, laboratories reduce their carbon emissions and create an environment that supports research quality. Laboratories are awarded either a Bronze, Silver, or Gold level depending on how many sustainability actions they take.

Marble Hill house in Twickenham
Marble Hill in Twickenham

Green Flag Award

The Green Flag Award is the benchmark international standard for publicly accessible parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom and around the world. The 60 acres of riverside parkland, with restored gardens and reinvigorated woods, at Marble Hill, in Twickenham, received a Green Flag Award in 2024 and 2025.

The site also received the Green Heritage Site Award in 2024 and 2025 for the management of historic features. This award is supported in England by Historic England. To achieve Green Heritage Site Accreditation, the site team demonstrated that they understood and took action to conserve the heritage value of Marble Hill.

Woman with bike at Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire

Good Journey

We have partnered with Good Journey to encourage car-free travel to our sites to help reduce our indirect scope 3 emissions. Visitors travelling by train, bus or bicycle can receive a 20% discount off walk-up admission prices at selected sites.

Find out more about car-free travel
View of the bridge over the cliff tops at Tintagel Castle, Cornwall
Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

Climate Resilience

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to heritage. We are working to understand how climate change will impact the sites and collections we care for. This will inform climate change adaptation that can help to reduce this risk.

We have developed resources that can help those looking after heritage sites – from homeowners through to large organisations – to also become climate resilient.

Find out more
Image: View of Piel Castle across the water
Piel Castle

Coastal Connections

Coastal zones are amongst the most dynamic and volatile environments on the planet. They also include some of our most treasured heritage sites.

Find out how we’re working with World Monuments Fund to protect England’s historic coastal sites against the effects of climate change. 

Find out more
A specialist conservator scales the walls at Dover Castle to clean plant growth from the stonework
A specialist conservator scales the walls at Dover Castle to clean plant growth from the stonework

Environmental Management System

We’re developing an Environmental Management System (EMS) at English Heritage that will align with ISO14001:2015. Our EMS will help us to reduce our carbon emissions and impact on the environment, and save us money by providing a fit-for-purpose environmental and sustainability framework.

The framework of guidance will allow English Heritage to monitor and improve our performance, plan, and deliver upon our environmental objectives. English Heritage’s current environmental goals and commitments are included in our Environmental Policy.

The main goals within our EMS are to:

  • Prevent all pollution and any impact to the environment where foreseeable.
  • Continually improve our environmental performance through increased monitoring and reduced use of damaging resources like fossil fuels.
  • Review and make changes to work activities and processes by adopting sustainable practices that will result in reduced impacts and positive benefits for the environment.

Explore More

  • Climate Action Plan 2022–2025

    Download this pdf to find out how we will create meaningful and sustainable change, from reducing carbon emissions to waste management and biodiversity.

  • Conservation Advice and Guidance

    Download our expert conservation notes and technical papers for advice and guidance on sustainability, climate change and other subjects.

  • Buildings conservation

    Read about how our specialists care for over 400 buildings, each with unique conservation needs and challenges.

  • Gardening Sustainably

    We explore some of the sustainable gardening practices that were used in the past and how they resonate today.