Greenshop to open innovative new HQ

1:11pm Monday 21st April 2008

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ENVIRONMENTALIST and writer Jonathon Porritt will open the new green headquarters of a pioneering eco group on Wednesday.

Greenshop Group owner Roger Budgeon, who started selling environmentally-friendly products from his garage forecourt in 1987, is delighted his vision of expanding into a state-of-the-art new premises has finally become a reality.

And he said his business' £700,000 extension at Holbrook Garage near Bisley features many of the most advanced technologies to keep the building's energy usage at a minimum.

"Today we all need to be less energy demanding," he said, adding that the new premises was close to carbon neutral.

"Our hope is that the building becomes a beacon of how work premises can be designed for future-proofing and working with the environment, not despite it."

Opening the building with Mr Porritt, former director of Friends of the Earth, will be Stroud mayor, John Marjoram, and Stroud MP, David Drew.

The building, designed to capture optimum natural sunlight, is timber framed and super insulated, naturally ventilated and heated through a thermal store by solar panels and a log boiler via underfloor heating.

It also features photovoltaic solar panels to produce electricity, a rainwater harvesting system, natural insulation, natural ventilation and flooring made from recycled tyre carpet.

Outside, the Greenshop, which will also act as an education centre, will have landscaped grounds featuring natural ponds and flow-forms.

The Greenshop, which employs 55 local people and has a turnover of £3.75 million, works with many businesses to green' their offices and premises.

The new building, which will have a public launch this Saturday, April 26, pulls together six strands of Greenshop Group - Greenshop, Auto Paints, Consolar UK, Greenshop Solar, Rainwater Harvesting Systems and Holbrook Garage, which supplies blended biofuel.

*For more details go to www.greenshopgroup.co.uk.