This presents its own challenges: there are times
when river levels are low or there is insufficient sunlight to provide the necessary
power to run the cafe. Without a connection to the National Grid, the generated
energy is stored in batteries and the usage monitored carefully.
Newly installed signage, including information printed directly onto the cafe tables,
is designed to share with visitors how the mill operates and give them a greater
understanding of what is really means to be 100% renewable.
As well as generating 100% of its own power, the water at Gibson Mill is naturally
filtered spring water which is heated for use in the kitchen by a biomass boiler. The
fuel used is harvested from the woodland as part of the Conservation programme.
There are no rubbish collections and everything is recycled where possible: food
waste is composted and returned to the land, packaging where it exists
supplements the biomass. Even waste from the composting toilets is gradually
turned over to the land thanks to the digestive work from the resident tiger worms !
By using #OffTheGrid as an over-riding message, we are hoping to help all of our
visitors get a better understanding of what it actually means to be '#Off the Grid'
in todays technological age.