corporate memories The Eden Project

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1 corporate memories The Eden Project So many of the investments made through the Objective One Programme are very interesting in their own right, but equally fascinating are the stories behind them! We have captured a number of these through the experiences of some of the individuals involved. Objective One Investment in The Eden Project 16,600,000

2 The Eden Project The Eden Project s groundbreaking vision and iconic biomes were built using investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Objective One predecessor, the South West England Objective 5b programme. Objective One invested in Eden s continuing success as a visitor destination and in maximising Eden s impact on the local economy through its considerable supply chain. Conversation with Dan James Eden s Funding Manager

3 Conversation in 2007 with Dan James Eden s Funding Manager In little over a decade the Eden Project has grown from an idea sketched on the back of a napkin to a world-famous visitor attraction and education centre that has had an economic impact on Cornwall worth 700 million to date. The initial 43 million of Millennium Lottery Commission funding was the trigger for 10 million of Objective 5b investment the predecessor in Cornwall to Objective One. The initial two Biomes and Visitor Centre cost about 80 million with the rest of the money coming from commercial loans and regional funding, such as English Partnerships. It was estimated that the unique and visionary Biomes would attract a maximum 750,000 visitors a year after three years and create 150 jobs. The Visitor Centre was the first to open, in May 2000, and from there people could watch what was titled The Big Build the construction of the Warm Temperate and Humid Tropics Biomes. From May 2000 to the official opening day in March 2001, half a million people came to Eden to gaze down on the amazing transformation of the former China Clay pit at Bodelva, near St Austell. In its first year of full opening Eden saw 1.9 million visitors through its doors. In the second year the figure was 1.8 million and in the third year 1.4 million with 600 jobs created. Since then the visitor figure has levelled to around 1.2 million visitors a year. In Eden s third year plans were established to help maintain that wider economic impact and start to develop projects that deliver on Eden s charitable aims. Thanks to 16 million from Objective One, Eden began to develop facilities that would enhance its public educational programme, support its supply chain and offer a base to deliver a number of key collaborative programmes. The impact of Eden is well known. In economic benefit terms the project has shown a huge return. A total project cost of 130 million ( 30 million was private

4 In a little over a decade the Eden Project has grown from an idea sketched on the back of a napkin to a world-famous visitor attraction.

5 investment) has created additional wealth, independently verified, of circa 0.7 billion over five years. This is double the value of Cornwall s six-year Objective One programme. Sustained over the next ten years Eden will generate over 1 billion of economic benefit for the county. In addition to the economic impact statistics Eden has become a big local employer with over 420 full time employees on the wage bill costing over 8 million per annum. The project is also committed to source as much as possible of our retail, catering and general supplies locally such that 72 per cent of all in developing Cornwall's economy in the future. Eden s supply chain team is the catalyst to drive commercial opportunities through the supply chain using the Eden brand where appropriate. The success of the Project to-date offers an excellent opportunity of Cornish SMEs to access new regional, national and international markets that might otherwise be out of reach for them. This team has been in place for two years and has already created promising relationships with the Cornish horticultural industry. developing skills and expertise in the local industry that will enable them to compete more strongly in the future in an industry that will have to respond to increasing environmental targets. Waste Neutral is one of Eden s flagship environmental projects. It uses the technical expertise and knowledge gained from dealing with the waste of over one million visitors to provide a test-bed for research and communication in waste management. Eden is carrying out important research into new composting The impact of Eden is well known. In economic benefit terms the project has shown a huge return. our supply spend is with businesses in the South West and 61 per cent with suppliers in Cornwall. The statistics point to the fact that Eden is delivering significant economic benefits to the region. As well as the capital investment in visitor facilities Objective One support has helped to build the Eden Foundation Building, the place where the Eden Team have developed a range of initiatives that Eden believe will play a major role Eden is increasingly recognised as an icon of horticultural excellence, and has achieved this on the back of a commitment to the highest environmental standards. For example, all site and nursery soils are peat free, and the plant displays are also examples of adventurous restoration of ex-mining wastes. We are now working with a range of local nurseries developing new plant ranges for retail sale where the same standards are adopted. In doing so we are also focusing on technologies with the University of Plymouth under the CUC research and development umbrella. This work is developing a crucial knowledge base in this field. Led by a small team at Eden, the Post-Mining Alliance is a new not-for-profit organisation, working locally, nationally and internationally, to encourage and promote the regeneration of mine sites and their associated communities for the sustainable

6 Eden always has big plans for the future - in particular we are keen to explore what it is to live with the grain of nature.

7 benefit of local people and the natural environment. By working in partnership Rio Tinto, Eden Project, English Nature, Anglo American, Imerys and the Land Restoration Trust aim to make the Post-Mining Alliance a centre of excellence and repository of knowledge on post-mining regeneration world wide. One of the activities coming out of this scheme has been a two year project part funded by CUC s Objective One research programme, matched by Eden and mining multi-national Rio Tinto. It aims to explore the possibility of developing stewardship and certification schemes for metals and minerals (in a similar vein to Fairtrade and FSC timber, for example), building on Eden s experience in sourcing the copper for the roof of its ground-breaking Education Resource Centre. Sustainable Construction - Eden has encouraged its design and build partners to push the margins of sustainable construction, and through links with the Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust and the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership we hope to encourage these ideas into the wider community. Eco Surf Board - During 2004 and 2005 Eden has spearheaded and paid for the production of four environmentally-friendly surfboards. These have been made working with local craftsman and materials specialists. The boards have all been made from balsa core which has then been laminated in a composite of hemp cloth and plantbased resin. By having all three elements of the board (i.e. the core, the cloth and the resign) made from the plant based materials this Eden Eco Board is the most sustainable surfboard in the world. Eden always has big plans for the future in particular we are keen to explore what it is to live with the grain of nature. By exploring how great social transformations have happened in the past, and how societies have at times failed to transform when the need came. We need to tackle the great issues we need to face today energy, water supply and climate chaos.

8 Photo credits Simon Burt, Apex Bob Berry