Outdoor Alternative
Established in 1985 Outdoor Alternative provides accommodation, camping and activities for people who love to spend time in the great outdoors.
The Business:
Outdoor Alternative, Rhoscolyn, Ynys Môn
Established in 1985 Outdoor Alternative provides accommodation, camping and activities for people who love to spend time in the great outdoors. Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to the Anglesey coast, the business has held a Green Tourism Gold Award since 2013. The family business takes it responsibility towards climate and sustainability seriously and is a member of the SME Climate Hub.
The Outdoor Alternative mission is “To build an environmentally, socially and financially sustainable business that is fit for future generations”.
Green Digital Academy Journey
The business signed up to the Green Digital Academy in 2022 to explore how they could accelerate their progress towards net carbon zero. Since then, Outdoor Alternative has focussed on removing their reliance on LPR boilers for its heating and hot water systems. The first step was looking at the latest technology in smart hot water tanks. The newly installed system takes advantage of on-site generated solar PV electricity and solar hot water and is much more flexible and efficient to meet the different levels of customer demand, depending on the season and building occupancy. Plans are now in place to replace inefficient, carbon intensive LPG boilers with super-efficient air source heat pumps.
Next Steps
Having already made significant progress on their net zero journey, the team at Outdoor Alternative has signed up to the Green Digital Academy again in 2024. Through the programme they can access funding and expert mentoring which will guide this family business as they transition to net zero.
“The support from Green Digital Academy and their consultants Greener Edge has provided us with a clear roadmap for decarbonisation and allowed us to prioritise our investment in the latest solutions to help the transition to Net Zero”
“There is a real synergy between steps we are taking and the appetite of customers to see us doing more and knowing that their shower at the end of day comes from Rhoscolyn sunshine rather than burning LPG”
Chris Wright, Outdoor Alternative
The Green Digital Academy is a Busnes@LlandrilloMenai project funded through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
