As well as contributing to the purchase and installation of the heat pumps, the grant will also be used to educate visitors to the wildlife park about sustainable energy sources and the importance of cutting carbon emissions.   Staff at the park will design a visual display area at the gorilla enclosure to educate visitors about the pumps and how they operate to generate warmth.
Photo courtesy of Colm Farrington

The ScottishPower Green Energy Trust is an independent charitable trust which supports the development of new renewable energy sources in communities across the UK - helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change.

Alison McKean, Senior Environmental and Social Policy Manager at ScottishPower, said “The ScottishPower Green Energy Trust is delighted to contribute towards the cost of this worthwhile project at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which will have great benefits for the gorillas at the wildlife park, thousands of annual visitors, and for the environment.

“Projects like these are only made possible through ScottishPower customers who contribute to our green tariff - this just shows what a big difference their small monthly contributions can make.”

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is an international charity working globally towards the mission of saving species from extinction. The centre is visited by approximately 8,000 school children and 700 school teachers annually.

Christopher Clark, Trust and Grant Fundraiser at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust said: “We would like to say a big thank you to the ScottishPower Green Energy Trust for making this project possible. We are all very excited about getting this off the ground over the coming year in collaboration with the Jersey Electricity Company our other major funder and local partner for the project..

“The key motivation for this initiative is to set an example to school pupils and others visiting the park about sustainable energy. We hope that through installing a sustainable energy mechanism in the gorilla enclosure, our visitors will take an active interest in reducing carbon emissions.”