Net Zero Ecovillage Findhorn

Led by PET, the Ecovillage Findhonr Community has embarked on a journey to reduce its emissions to Net Zero.

This means reducing all emissions that can be reduced, supporting local carbon in-setting projects that regenerate ecosystems and benefit communities, and responsibly offsetting the remainder.

We aim to reduce our direct carbon emissions from heating, fossil fuels, and electricity to net zero by 2032, and our indirect emissions by 2045. Indirect emissions arise from activities such as travel, diet, clothing, digital and IT use, and from guests and visitors traveling to Findhorn from around the globe. Please see our policy strategy document below.

Going Net Zero is a brave step towards living lightly on our planet, reflecting the vision of our founders for co-creation with nature.

Achieving this will involve all visitors, residents, co-workers, departments, and local businesses, combining reduction, in-setting, and responsible offsetting to make climate action both effective and just.

Measuring Emissions of the Findhorn Ecovillage.

Since 2015 (with the exception of the two Covid-19 years), PET has been responsible for measuring the emissions of the Findhorn Ecovillage.

Our largest sources of emissions come from flying, driving, food, and the use of computers and technology most of which are indirect emissions.

Understanding these emissions allows us to target reductions, support local carbon in-setting projects that regenerate ecosystems and benefit our community, and offset responsibly where necessary, ensuring that our climate action is both measurable and meaningful.

Park Ecovillage Trust – Net Zero Policy

(Aligned with ISO 14068-1 principles and place-based ecological accounting)

1. Purpose

The Park Ecovillage Trust (PET) commits to achieving Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions through a hierarchy of absolute emissions reduction, system redesign, and local ecological regeneration within the Ecovillage and bioregional boundary.

This policy establishes the principles, methodology, and governance approach for measuring, reducing, and addressing greenhouse gas emissions across all Trust activities.

Net Zero is defined as:

A state in which greenhouse gas emissions are reduced as far as technically and socially feasible, and any remaining residual emissions are balanced through measurable, additional, and verifiable carbon removals prioritised within local ecological systems.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• Direct emissions (Scope 1)
• Purchased energy emissions (Scope 2)
• Relevant indirect emissions (Scope 3), where material and measurable
• Land, buildings, infrastructure, and community operations under PET stewardship
• It applies across all Trust-led activities, projects, and partnerships where PET holds operational or governance influence.

3. Guiding Principles

3.1 Reduction First Principle

Emissions reduction at source is mandatory and takes precedence over all other interventions.

3.2 System Redesign Principle

Net Zero is achieved through transformation of underlying systems (energy, food, mobility, materials), not through compensation mechanisms alone.

3.3 Place-Based Integrity Principle

Carbon accounting prioritises local or bioregional ecological systems under known governance, stewardship, and long-term monitoring frameworks.

3.4 Additionality and Permanence Principle

All carbon removals must be:

• Additional to business-as-usual land use
• Measurable and verifiable
• Maintained over long-term ecological time horizons

3.5 Transparency Principle

All emissions data, methodologies, and assumptions shall be publicly accessible and subject to periodic review.

4. Emissions Hierarchy

PET adopts the following mandatory hierarchy:

Level 1 – Avoidance

• Eliminate emissions through design and behavioural change:
• Reduced consumption and material throughput
• Localised supply chains
• Shared infrastructure systems

Level 2 – Reduction

• Minimise remaining emissions through efficiency and transition:
• Renewable energy systems
• Low-carbon construction and retrofit
• Electrification of transport and services
• Circular resource systems

Level 3 – Substitution

Replace high-carbon inputs with lower-carbon alternatives where reduction is not yet feasible.

Level 4 – Local Carbon Insetting (Preferred Residual Strategy)

Residual emissions are addressed through direct investment in ecological systems within the Ecovillage and surrounding bioregion, including:

• Soil carbon enhancement through regenerative land management
• Woodland creation and long-term ecological stewardship
• Wetland restoration and biodiversity recovery
• Circular organic waste-to-soil systems (e.g. composting, biochar where appropriate)

These activities are treated as integrated system outcomes, not external offsets.

Level 5 – External High-Integrity Removals (Last Resort Only)

Where emissions cannot be eliminated or insettled locally, PET may recognise external carbon removal projects only if they meet strict criteria:

• High permanence and verifiable monitoring
• No double counting
• Demonstrable additionality
• Preferably aligned with nature-based or engineered carbon removal standards
• External credits are not treated as equivalent to emissions and do not replace reduction obligations.

5. Carbon Accounting Methodology

PET will:

Maintain a consolidated greenhouse gas inventory covering Scopes 1–3 (where material)

• Use recognised accounting standards compatible with ISO-aligned methodologies
• Apply conservative estimation where data uncertainty exists
• Distinguish clearly between:
• Emissions avoided
• Emissions reduced
• Carbon stored (local insetting)
• Residual emissions (unavoidable)

Carbon removals will be reported separately and will not be netted against emissions without full transparency of method and permanence assumptions.

6. Governance and Oversight

6.1 Accountability

The Trust Board holds ultimate responsibility for Net Zero commitments.

6.2 Carbon Stewardship Function

A designated carbon stewardship group will:

• Maintain emissions inventories
• Review reduction progress
• Validate insetting projects
• Ensure alignment with evolving standards such as ISO 14068-1

6.3 Review Cycle

This policy will be reviewed at minimum every 2 years or when material changes occur in:

• Accounting standards
• Climate science guidance
• Organisational structure or land stewardship

7. Reporting and Transparency

PET will publish:

• Annual greenhouse gas inventory summary
• Progress against reduction targets
• Summary of insetting and regeneration activities
• Methodological updates and assumptions

Where possible, data will be made open-access to support wider learning and replication by other communities.

8. Continuous Improvement Commitment

PET acknowledges that Net Zero practice is evolving. We commit to:

• Prioritising real-world emissions reduction over accounting optimisation
• Moving progressively away from offset dependency
• Strengthening place-based ecological restoration as a core climate strategy
• Aligning with emerging best practice under ISO 14068-1 and related frameworks

9. Definition of Net Zero (PET Standard)

Net Zero is defined by the Trust as:

A verified state in which residual greenhouse gas emissions are balanced through additional, permanent, and locally prioritised carbon removals within a defined ecological system boundary, following maximum feasible emissions reduction and system redesign.