Sustainability at Biltmore: An Overview
When George Vanderbilt began planning his grand estate in Asheville, N.C., his vision was twofold. First, he wanted to create a place where he could relax and entertain friends and family. Biltmore House was at the center of this plan.
Second, he envisioned a self-sustaining estate that would nurture the land and its resources for years to come. From this vision came the nation’s first scientific forestry program and the beginning of a family focus on the environment.
Biltmore’s team continues to honor his vision today by acting as good stewards of its land, forest, and livestock resources. Here are some highlights of our sustainability efforts here at Biltmore:
Estate Composting
In the early years of Biltmore, Frederick Law Olmsted recommended that George W. Vanderbilt use manure to fertilize and restore the depleted farmland he had purchased in Asheville. More than a century later, Biltmore’s teams operate a state-of-the-art composting facility that serves a vital role in converting waste into valuable, usable products to be used elsewhere on our 8,000-acre estate.
Cultivating Hydroponic Greens
Biltmore currently grows almost a dozen varieties of lettuce and other leafy greens in the estate hydroponic greenhouse. The benefits of hydroponics are undeniable. In addition to higher and more consistent yields, the system is more efficient in protecting plants from pests and uses less water than standard field irrigation.
Rotational Grazing… and Working Goats
Land is one of Biltmore’s most valuable resources, and to help preserve it more sustainably, larger pastures for livestock are divided into smaller paddocks with animals rotated through them every few days.
The practice of rotational grazing is a prime example of sustainability, allowing plants more time to regrow and replenish their root systems, increasing the quality and quantity of on-site foraging, reducing the need for labor-intensive harvesting, and increasing soil health for better agricultural outcomes.
Additionally, Biltmore’s herd of working goats eats invasive plant species such as autumn olive and porcelain berry. They are especially useful in keeping steep slopes trimmed and tidy, allowing maintenance crews to take on other projects and reducing some diesel fuel usage in equipment.
Protecting Pollinators
Biltmore has also embarked on an effort to support the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) by planting native milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) to provide vital habitat for this threatened species. Milkweed is the only plant on which monarchs lay their eggs—and it is the only plant that their young caterpillars eat before transforming into beautiful orange and black butterflies.
In becoming a certified Monarch Waystation, Biltmore’s hope is that as the monarchs’ path of migration takes them through Asheville and the mountains of western North Carolina on their way to Mexico, Biltmore can encourage growth in their waning populations.
Welcoming Wildflowers
Beyond milkweed, Biltmore plants other pollinator-friendly wildflowers to help play a part in preventing the widespread demise of a variety of important species—including hummingbirds, bees, moths, and more.
Biltmore cultivates more than 30 varieties of wildflowers across 2.5 acres in order to attract and support these small, but vital native animals. This program encourages a more diverse, and thus resilient, ecosystem both on the estate and in the surrounding region.
Harnessing Solar Energy
Along with the sustainability initiatives noted above, Biltmore has implemented a 9-acre, 1.7-megawatt solar system with 7,000 solar panels and uses advanced technology to perform, even on cloudy days.
These panels provide up to 20% of the estate’s energy needs. Sheep and chickens occasionally graze in the solar fields, keeping the land agricultural.
Practicing Sustainability through Corporate Social Responsibility
In addition to these sustainability practices, Biltmore encourages employees to become members of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Team that focuses on reducing, reusing, and recycling for the estate.
From the efforts mentioned here to so many more, you’re invited to learn more about our ever-growing program of sustainable estate practices as we work to be great stewards of the land—just as George Vanderbilt intended.
