Sustainable initiatives to put a spring in your step

Did you know that 20% of Milton Park is made up of 43 acres of open landscaped spaces, including 2,700 trees, 6,100 sq m of wildflower areas and eight lagoons?

Whether you’re looking for fresh air on a lunchtime stroll or fresh ideas to support sustainability, here are five ways we’re celebrating a more sustainable spring.

1. Launching our new polystyrene mill

Milton Park’s new polystyrene mill is now open, giving Park occupiers a solution to a tricky sustainability challenge. 

Although Polystyrene (EPS) is widely used across life science and tech sectors and is particularly useful for packaging sensitive equipment, it has historically been difficult to recycle due to its bulky, lightweight nature and low scrap value. As a result, surplus EPS is often destined for landfill or incineration.

However, Milton Park’s brand-new on-site mill changes that. Occupiers can now recycle their polystyrene waste by simply ‘posting’ it through the flap on the compactor, located at ///skim.physical.sponsors, off Innovation Drive/Olympic Avenue.

This innovative solution came to life thanks to Evotec’s Training Officer, Simon Canter, who first proposed the great idea at Milton Park’s Greener Workplace Forum.

Commenting on the opening, he said: “My ambition is to make Milton Park the first place to process difficult-to-handle EPS laboratory waste and reuse single-use laboratory plastics. I’m excited that the polystyrene mill is now open, and I’d encourage all occupiers to really make the most of it in an effort to minimise waste.”

Watch this space because Simon is also working with Milton Park’s Sustainability and Community Manager Veronica Reynolds on a future recycling initiative for single-use laboratory plastics, too.

2. Reimagining Earth: Earth Day event with Chris Hines MBE

This Earth Day, join us for a special lunchtime talk at Bee House with Chris Hines MBE — co-founder of Surfers Against Sewage and former Sustainability Director at the Eden Project.

• Date: Monday 22 April
• Location: The Bee House

Alongside other experts, Earth Trust, B-ABLE and Foodylicious, Chris will be sharing his experience and insights on sustainability, activism and how we can reimagine a better future for our planet.

Register for the event here

3. A blooming marvellous springtime walk

With spring in bloom across Milton Park, April is the ideal time to get outside. And, if you’re new to the Park, join team members for a welcome wander on Thursday 24 April to get your bearings and find hidden gems whilst enjoying a complimentary tea or coffee.

We have brought together some of our favourite seasonal highlights you can discover on your next lunchtime outing.

• Wildflower areas — With 6,100 sq m of wildflower areas now established across the Park, these spaces don’t just brighten the landscape, they also provide an essential food source for our pollinators like Leafcutter and Mason bee colonies.
• Urban gardens — Milton Park has 21 urban gardens where occupiers can grow everything from tomatoes to thyme. Many occupiers have created gardening clubs, giving employees a chance to relax, connect with others and enjoy the benefits of growing their own.
• Milton Wonder heritage orchards — Did you know that the second oldest standing apple tree in the world, the Milton Wonder, was planted in nearby Milton Village in 1810? Inspired by this, we planted two heritage orchards in 2022, featuring 12 trees including Milton Wonders, Epicure, Blenheim Orange and Beurre Hardy pear varieties, followed by a Milton Wonder sapling at Bee House to commemorate the King’s coronation in 2023.

4. A sustainable shortlist for Nebula

We’re delighted that Nebula development has been shortlisted for Construction News’ Low Carbon Project of the Year Award. As a best-practice example of sustainable construction, the new development was recognised as setting a new standard for innovation and environmental responsibility.

Nebula’s greener features include:

• Structural glulam timber beams used in place of steel, saving 686 tonnes of embodied carbon (the equivalent of 196 return flights to Hong Kong)
• 32 electric vehicle charging points
• A new bus shelter with real-time transport updates
• EPC A and BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating targets

The project has already attracted significant interest from companies looking for environmentally conscious R&D space. Harley-Davidson has pre-let the first workspace, impressed by the building’s green credentials.

5. Bee-ing the change

To help the birds and the bees, we have installed sustainable cedar bee and bird habitat posts, crafted from wood sourced from a privately-owned forest in Oxfordshire. These beautiful, yet functional posts support local biodiversity by providing nesting sites for solitary bees and birds.

The posts join an interconnected network of other wildlife features across the Park, which include:

• Numerous bug hotels providing shelter for tiny insects and minibeast
• More than 30 bird boxes attracting diverse tit species and nuthatches
• Bat and owl boxes
• Swift towers
• Nesting islands for ducks and moorhens 
• Green roof bike shelters
• Bee House’s hibernacula, which provides shelter for bees during the colder months (you can spot it along Route Two on our walking map).

Whether you’re recycling your polystyrene, attending our Earth Day lecture or simply taking a wander and admiring the change in season, there’s always something to discover at Milton Park. 

Download our walking map, get outside and enjoy a more sustainable spring with us.

Milton Park events

Discover upcoming events at Milton Park.

Events