George the goat is worth his weight in gold to staff at ScottishPower's Cruachan Power Station, near Oban, who have won the top Green Tourism award from the Scottish Tourist Board for their environmentally-friendly visitors' centre.

Each year around 50,000 people from all over the world visit the "hollow mountain" hydro station built inside a huge cavern hewn from Ben Cruachan on the banks of Loch Awe.

Since a £250,000 upgrade two years ago the station visitors' centre has been run on "green" lines. Kitchen waste and shredded paper keep the station pet well-fed and warm, saving £800 a year in waste collection costs alone. And solar glass, heat exchangers and car sharing has further reduced running costs

Centre manager Chris Calvert says Cruachan is the first visitors' centre to gain gold under the Green Tourism Scheme.

"We recycle everything, use flow regulators on the taps and are very mean with our paper. We use both sides and with the season just about to close we are only on our third ream of A4", he adds.

"The green approach makes sound financial sense and is also in keeping with the aims of the company", says Chris, who came to settle in the area with his wife and young family following several years abroad working for a French tourism company.

Chris is pictured at the visitors' centre with George, who himself was "recycled" after his previous owner threw him out when he became too big for the house.

Further Information:
Gordon Laidlaw,            ScottishPower Press Office,        0141 248 8200