Scotland comes up with its first eco-friendly pub

Edinburgh, Apr.2 : Scotland is expected to come up with its first eco-friendly pub in a fortnight, built with "green" timber, and one that uses water heated by a canal and treats its waste naturally.

The Boathouse, which is to be opened by British Waterways, will be the first in a string of environmentally friendly canal-side pubs across the country.

The pub, at Auchinstarry, near Kilsyth on the Forth and Clyde Canal, is claimed to be Scotland's first sustainable bar.

According to The Scotsman, it forms part of a marina on the Bowling-Grangemouth Waterway.

A similar approach is proposed for a new pub on the Caledonian Canal in Inverness, while three others are planned, one of which could be at the old Rosebank distillery in Falkirk, also on the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The Boathouse, which is expected to open in two weeks, has been built using timber from a sustainable source, complete with higher than required levels of insulation. Hot water and heating are provided by a geothermal system, using residual heat from water in the canal, which remains at 8-12C all year round.

This heat is captured by a 7ft-long "radiator" at the foot of the canal, through which water is pumped. A gas boiler tops up hot water. Reed beds on the other side of the marina treat wastewater from the pub, after solids have been removed.

The Boathouse has ten bedrooms, water use is minimised, with features such waterless urinals and low-flush loos in the toilets. Energy efficient lighting and refrigeration have also been installed, with sensors automatically switching off lights in unoccupied areas.

The Waterside Pub Partnership, a joint venture between British Waterways and Scottish and Newcastle, which runs 45 pubs beside Britain's canals, is developing the Boathouse.

ANI