Ashridge House has become a prestigious home of executive education over the last 60-plus years. Famed for its intensive teaching method, its purpose is to prepare business leaders with the skills for tomorrow’s world. Today, sustainability is central to that.

“Sustainability has been a core part of Ashridge House for decades”, said Matt Gitsham, professor and Director of the Hult Sustainability Impact Lab. Indeed, sustainability became a core part of Ashridge’s Master of Business Administration in the 1990s, which is also when they launched the sustainability research center. Having worked at Ashridge House for over 20 years, Matt understands the changing landscape of business education there.

Ashridge House – and the Hult Ashridge Executive Education business – has long committed to a low-carbon future, but clients are increasingly looking for partners with certifications and clear objectives for decarbonization. This results in an industry-wide ripple effect, with businesses, suppliers, and partners all influencing one another.

At Ashridge House, they’ve committed to eliminating emissions across the board, with a target of net zero direct emissions by 2030 and indirect emissions by 2050. But like many historic houses, there’s a big challenge: Heating and electricity. As part of Ashridge House’s ISO 14001 status – a certification that shows a company’s commitment to environmental responsibility – this is a top priority.

In recent years, Ashridge House has become well-known for its excellent food, with many ingredients sourced from its own gardens and suppliers in the area. "Customer satisfaction is, of course, our number one priority," said Paul Patterson, Ashridge’s long-serving Head Chef. "Today, they expect to know where their food comes from, that there’s a story. Thankfully, we’ve been on top of that for years.”

That story begins with seasonality and locality. The buffets burst with delicious vegetables, fruits, salads, and meats sourced just kilometers away. When Paul says local, he means it. Newly appointed Banqueting Head Chef Noel Busby showed me around the fridges and could identify the origin of each ingredient, all from the UK and Ireland.

“Sourcing seasonally and locally means we aren't purchasing greenhouse produce or transporting food from abroad”, Noel said. “Our costs are reduced, our environmental impact is lower, we support local businesses, and the food quality is much higher."

Zora is as rooted in Ashridge House as many of the plants she tends to, having been the Head Gardener for 10 years. But she wasn’t always so green-fingered.

“I used to come to Ashridge House as a delegate”, she said as we spoke in the bustling courtyard outside the Ashridge House café. “I worked for a pharmaceutical company, and I remember just staring out at the gardens wishing I was working outside. So, I changed career and eventually fulfilled the dream to be a gardener here.”

More than most, Zora’s job straddles both the distant past and the distant future. Ashridge House boasts 190 acres of stunning Grade II listed gardens, designed by several influential landscape gardeners over the centuries. Her role is to preserve that heritage, while also considering how the gardens will look in several hundred years’ time, and providing space for nature.

The sun was setting on my time at Ashridge House as I had one final dinner overlooking the garden with Managing Director David Evans. Over some Brixham sea bass, Irish potatoes, and salad from the garden, David told me how being a custodian of this historic place is an honor, but the excitement lies in what comes next.

“By growing the business here at Ashridge House, we are able to increasingly invest back into the building”, David said. “Historic houses cost a lot to maintain, but by making strategic investments in sustainability, we are able not only to reduce our carbon footprint but also, overtime, reduce our running costs.