Back to the green future at The Green Britain Centre
Press enquiries
If you are a journalist with a media enquiry, please contact our Press Office by email at pressoffice@ecotricity.co.uk
For all other general enquiries, please call 01453 756 111 or email home@ecotricity.co.uk.
In January 2014, we introduced something quite new to Britain – an educational visitor centre that gives people a glimpse of how a sustainable Britain of the future might look. The Green Britain Centre is a place with a mission – to inform, educate and empower people to take the small and the big steps towards living more sustainably. It’s about showing what’s possible and how we can work towards a Green Britain.
Located just outside Swaffham, the Centre has loads going on to inform and inspire. There’s a windmill outside the Centre that produces enough electricity to power one thousand homes – more than enough to provide the Centre with its energy needs and then some! That’s not all, the windmill is the first one in the UK that’s open to the public to climb, and its viewing platform was designed by world famous architect, Sir Norman Foster. Catch your breath after three hundred and five steps, and then prepare to have it taken away again: from a glass encased viewing platform you’ll get to experience wind energy in a totally different way, from the very heart of the machine.
It’s not just wind power on site either, there’s a massive solar tracker harnessing the power of the sun to make clean green energy. Its photovoltaic panels cover 56m2 and follow the sun across the sky, making the most of its rays all day long.
And while the tracker moves slowly, the Greenbird certainly doesn’t. A vehicle with no engine, no fuel and no pollution – and the world record-holding, fastest wind-powered vehicle on the planet. You can see this amazing creation on display at the Centre and learn the story of how British engineer Richard Jenkins smashed the world land speed record for wind powered vehicles.
In addition to all this technology, there are wonderful organic gardens, where an abundance of food is harvested all year round. There’s also a heritage orchard with unusual varieties of apples, pears and plums. Today, there are over fifty types of tree and many are old Norfolk varieties, dating back over two hundred years!
A lot of this wonderful produce is used in the Centre’s café, where they provide delicious vegan food. So, after all the excitement of the day, there’s ample opportunity to relax and unwind.
And if it’s further entertainment you’re after, the Centre regularly hosts open mic nights and other social evenings, so you can while away an evening with an array of entertainment.
If you get the chance, pay a visit to see the green message in action. And to be a part of the green revolution from home, let your energy bills do the talking and switch to Britain’s greenest energy company.
Similar articles
Climate change - can we fix it? Yes, we #CAN(Bill)
With a general election around the corner, we urgently need parliamentary candidates to back the Climate and Nature Bill (formerly Climate & Ecology Bill). That’s why we’re supporting our friends over at Zero Hour in their mission to make this happen.
Earth Day 2024: Planet vs Plastics
This Earth Day, we’re joining the call to demand a 60 percent reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040. To do this, the world needs to stop making single-use plastics by 2030 and commit to funding innovative technologies to replace them.
Ecotricity Explains: Smart meters
Smart meters aren’t just good for helping you budget - they also have a key part to play in the path to net zero. Smart meters are free, so they’re a simple change you can make to green up your house.