The Army Flying Museum is committed to providing a high-quality visitor experience while minimising the environmental impact of our activities. We see climate change as a significant and real danger and work to ensure we contribute to the reduction of this threat.
We believe it is our ethical responsibility to invest in our future, now and for generations to come, by creating a self-reliant and sustainable Museum. This includes reducing our carbon footprint by minimising waste and energy consumption, carefully considering our procurement choices, continually exploring and improving heating systems across the site.
Main Impacts from Museum Operations
- We must consider the impact of over 70,000 visitors per year, plus that of 30 staff members and 50 volunteers, and the resultant impact of fuel use and carbon emissions.
- Our flagship fundraising event, Wallop Wheels & Wings, which includes flying displays, exhibiting aircraft, cars and motorcycles plus additional visitor facilities and over 6,000 attendees.
- The use of electricity, gas and water to maintain museum operations.
- Procurement processes and supply chains for both our on-site and online activities, which include food, packaging, consumables, transport, and services.
Our Key Aims
- We will educate our staff in carbon literacy and best practice, and give them confidence to be innovative in developing better ways of working.
- We aim to include sustainability in conversations with our audiences, both on-site and online.
- We consistently look to improve how we manage our buildings and care for our collections and aim to provide an environment within which the Museum’s collections and exhibits are best conserved for future generations.
- Our sustainability action plan will be lead by our senior management team, and our board of trustees take an active part of our planning process.
- We monitor, manage and minimise the use of energy and water.
- We work with our partners and suppliers to reduce single-use materials and wherever possible use the most sustainable materials – from shop products to exhibitions – and we encourage our suppliers to adopt similar practices.
- We look regularly at our operations to aim for best practice, minimising waste and reusing wherever possible, taking care of our resources and investigating the best ways to recycle our waste.
- We work with contractors and suppliers to ensure that they observe and improve good environmental practice and performance.
- We aim to conserve, protect and improve our natural environment on site, considering what plants and wildlife share our space.
- We actively promote the Museum’s environmental, sustainable and eco credentials.
- We will meet, and where possible exceed, the requirements of relevant legislation and regulations.
Apache Café Sustainability Pledge
In the Apache Café, we are working hard wherever possible to reduce our environmental impact by using eco-friendly practices and waste management. Our menu offers hot drinks, homemade cakes and light meals, using local suppliers where possible. We combine a passion for excellent customer service, with a commitment to creating a great visitor experience for visitors to the Museum and to the wider local community. We are dedicated to eco-friendly practices from the use of recyclable materials, to reducing waste in our kitchen.
We are committed to continuing to improve our environmentally sustainable practices by:
- Investing in recyclable and compostable packaging.
- Promoting reusable cup scheme.
- Reducing single use plastics.
- Switching to drinks in cans or glass bottles.
- Providing a refill station offering water refills.
- Switching to local suppliers to support local economy and reduce carbon footprint.
- Working closely with our waste disposal company to recycle mixed recycling from the café, along with regular collections to repurpose food waste, teabags and coffee grounds.
- Educating our customers to our practices.
Download a copy of our Sustainability Statement
[AFM – February 2025]