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 Mackie's
vision is "to become the greenest company in Britain".
That is quite
a challenge. The wind turbines can produce more electricity than
we use which is a good start towards leaving a positive carbon footprint
- and means that we are making "renewable energy ice cream".
One
of the more unusual environmental successes is the weekly delivery
from  Glendronach
distillery which shares a place with us in the gentle green
hills of Aberdeenshire. Only 14 miles away, Glendronach produce
a fine Traditional whisky and now help Mackie's make Traditional
luxury dairy ice cream.
 The
businesses have teamed up for waste recycling. Glendronach has to
get rid of two waste products which are now being put to good use
by Mackie's - the "draff" (a thick porridge of barley
husks and liquid) is fed to the cows and provides nutritious oils,
proteins and essential vitamins and minerals - in addition to a
tiny dram. The "pot-ale" is spread on Mackie's fields
as a superior and natural fertiliser.
 Mackie's
farming team continually seek improvement for best results and one
interesting change has been the use of a minimal till rather than
old fashioned plough. This  machine
scrapes the top of the soil, leaving the ground undisturbed to generate
organic growth at surprisingly high levels. Here is a picture of
little piles of vegetation made by the happy worms.
 Several
other green projects are underway. For example a biogas plant could
make extra use of our cows waste! Managing our environment is an
important part of the arable
team's work and they already use slurry waste as fertiliser
and are responsible for care of our farm lands with provision for
wildlife areas. An arboretum is in early stages of growth and 120
acres of the farm have been planted with trees.
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