West Dean College and Gardens have demonstrated their increasing commitment to the environment by meeting its electricity requirements from renewable resources such as large-scale hydro and wind power. The current supplier is EDF Energy.

Simon Ward, Agent and Secretary to the Foundation said: "The Foundation endorses the principles behind sustainability and takes seriously its responsibility to both protect the environment and conserve fossil fuels. The Foundation's wood-fired district heating scheme is another example of this philosophy. One of the first and one of the largest schemes of its kind in the UK, it uses estate-grown timber to meet all the heating and hot water needs of the College, including part of the village of West Dean.

"This will assist us further in that commitment and will allow the Foundation to play its part in reducing carbon dioxide emissions amid the concerns of global warming and climate change."