SMT office goes wild
24 November 2021
Volvo Construction Equipment distributor SMT GB has turned the manicured lawns of its Cambridgeshire head office into a wildflower meadow to enhance the local eco-system.
The facility in Duxford is set within a sizeable area of green space which has been kept neatly trimmed since the site opened in 1984. However, while maintaining a clean and professional image, it offered little to the local environment.
“Ecologically, the site could best be described previously as a green desert”, said SMT GB’s environmental manager Paul Burr. “When I first started in early 2019, I saw that the site was bursting with opportunities to benefit the local environment, and I was keen to get on with this as quickly as possible.
“However, in order to achieve the best possible results, I brought in a team of ecologists to identify what we already have on site, and to provide us with a five year plan to achieve measurable results in terms of both staff well-being and biodiversity net gain.”
An initial soil survey identified a clear benefit to allowing a certain proportion of the lawn to be allowed to grow wild. Additionally, the top layer of soil from another area of the site was removed and seeded with a blend of wildflower seeds that would suit the local soil.
Paths were also cut between the new meadows, to allow staff to appreciate the new surroundings. Bug ‘hotels’ have also been installed around the facility’s large concrete yard and in other areas.
The changing appearance of the flower meadows throughout the growing season have provided a dynamic feature for personnel to enjoy this year. Larger mammals have also started to frequent the site.
The next stage is to improve a large pond which, although home to a large group of koi carp, is under-utilised. Indeed, the fish have an adverse ecological effect and are destined to be re-located to allow for a richer variety of native species to thrive.
Following the success of the Duxford site, similar improvements are planned for SMT GB’s eight other locations in England, Scotland and Wales. Indeed, at the company’s Machine Preparation Centre in Immingham, staff are already creating a dedicated area and have built raised beds from broken pallets which have been seeded with plants that attract pollinators.
A biodiversity action group has been set up at the company enabling interested parties across all sites to discuss and implement new ideas for the future.
SMT GB is to be applauded for its imaginative work at Duxford. And it's indicative of the growing awareness amongst the business community of finding ways in which to enhance their local environment.
What might your company do?
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