Blenheim Palace, one of England’s most famous stately homes, became the 2000th member of the Green Tourism Business Scheme in a special ceremony carried out by Conservative Party leader David Cameron.

The ancestral home of one of England’s greatest military heroes, the Duke of Marlborough, and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill has been awarded a Silver grading by the UK’s leading green tourism promotional body in recognition of its commitment to helping the environment.

This Friday (Nov 13) local MP David Cameron presented the Duke of Marlborough with a Heritage Tree to mark the Palace’s continued commitment to conservation and the environment.

The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the leading sustainable tourism certification scheme in the UK honouring businesses that demonstrate high levels of commitment in protecting the environment and promoting sustainable tourism with Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. The GTBS is already considered one of the most rigorous green accreditation schemes in the world and is the only certification scheme validated by VisitEngland, the national tourist board.

“Tourism is a major industry in the UK generating wealth and employment”, commented Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, Chairman of the national tourist board. "VisitEngland is delighted to be working with GTBS to ensure the sustainability of England’s tourism assets.”

Blenheim Palace, just eight miles from Oxford and already a World Heritage Site since 1987, entered assessments for Green Tourism for the first time this year.

“We are very proud to be the 2000th member of the Green Tourism Business Scheme,” said Heather Carter, Head of Operations at Blenheim Palace. “We are very committed to working in a sustainable way and with green issues now very much in the mainstream we have undertaken many important actions in order to improve our environmental and social performance.”

“The principles of sustainability should be at the heart of every initiative within the tourism sector and VisitEngland is committed to developing a framework to support a sustainable tourism strategy,” said James Berresford, CEO for VisitEngland.

“We already work with a number of sustainability initiatives to help tourism businesses improve their green credentials. Any scheme that VisitEngland promotes has been evaluated independently to ensure consumers can be confident that they are booking a genuinely green place to visit or stay.”

Among changes made within Blenheim palace and its 2,100 acres of parkland in the heart of Oxfordshire has been the introduction of low energy lighting and timers on the spectacular fountains so they go off at night. Palace staff have also started using more eco friendly cleaning products, improved recycling practices and stepped-up support of locally produced foods.

“Blenheim Palace is an icon of the British landscape and we are very proud to admit them to the growing family of GTBS members across the UK,” said Andrea Nicholas, Director of the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

A selection of England’s Sustainable Tourism Champions recently featured in a VisitEngland publication entitled ‘9 Reasons to be Green’. Among those featured were The Hytte, in Hexham, The Palace Hotel in Manchester, The Deep in Hull and the Venus Company which has various locations in Devon and Cornwall.