Green camping in Europe and the UK
Eco-Campsites throughout the United Kingdom and Europe
'Green' camping in Europe
On the continent, environmental schemes, like the EU-wide EcoLabel or German EcoCamping, provide guidelines for eco-aware campsites and recognise campsites’ attainment of certain standards.
La Clef Vert
Similarly, the Clef Verte scheme in France is France’s principal campsite environmental scheme and encourages site owners to adopt an environmentally sound approach to the running of their campsite.
It takes account of key elements:
- Landscape and overall quality of life (traffic management, availability of open spaces, control of noise pollution etc).
- Environmental management (environmentally friendly management methods, e.g. wash block maintenance).
- Waste management (general waste reduction, waste collection for recycling).
- Water management (water treatment, irrigation methods, reduction in water usage).
- Energy management (general reduction in usage, energy saving devices etc).
- Environmental education (information about the Green Key scheme, staff training, creation of awareness about local fauna and flora).
Eco Camping in the UK
Historically, this was a veritable minefield, but there have been significant measures introduced in recent years. Local authorities aim to protect the environment through local planning regulations – especially in ensuring that caravan sites don’t visually blight the environment.
The small CL-type campsites were originally a good bet, being little more than a small field, a tap, and a lot of open air. For camping at its simplest, this was, and usually still is, a good option when looking for a campsite with a ‘green’ heart. But as some campsites have become bigger and boast ever more impressive facilities (think water parks, spas, proper restaurants) so these credentials can become harder to maintain, with greater consumption of natural resources, increased risk of pollution, and harder commercial decisions to be taken.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club
The Caravan and Motorhome Club undertakes an ambitious rolling programme of biodiversity audits, followed by positive action, and runs a variety of ‘green’ activities. Several of its sites are even located on SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).
The Camping and Caravanning Club
The Camping and Caravanning Club also promotes ‘green’ caravanning. Many of its sites have introduced eco-friendly materials, increased energy efficiency, recycling, and honeycomb grid hardstanding that allows the grass to grow and rain to disperse.
The Bellamy Awards
David Bellamy (1933-2019) was an English botanist, environmental campaigner, and broadcaster. He was known for his passionate advocacy for conservation and the natural world and was a popular figure on television in the UK in the 1970s and 80s, presenting a number of programmes on natural history and the environment.
Presented in his name, these awards have achieved widespread recognition in the UK. The process of accreditation involves evaluation by Conservation Foundation assessors and local environmental experts, as well as input from site visitors. An independent assessment is then conducted. The scheme covers energy efficiency, energy generation, ‘green’ energy purchase, light pollution, reduction of waste and water conservation, use of local contractors and materials (e.g. low-toxicity paints, unbleached paper for brochures and long-life light bulbs) and eco-friendly purchasing policies.
Participating parks are actively involved in various schemes of environmental significance. These have included glowworm surveys, a national ladybird audit, a breeding scheme for harvest mice, brown trout breeding, and schemes to encourage butterflies – to name but a few.
Carbon Neutral Camping
A small number of campsites are now certified carbon neutral and we felt that they deserve a special mention:
