For an organisation like the National Trust, being green is pretty important – not only as a matter of principle, but in practice too. Given that they operate in excess of 200 sites around the UK, any moves made to cut down the amount of energy used by their visitors' centres can make a real difference, so it should come as little surprise to find them seeking out new ways to maintain a carbon conscious reputation in all that they do.

In support of this, the National Trust recently opened what it claims is the most energy efficient historic building in the country. Set in the heart of Morden Hall Park in South London, the £2.5 million Lottery funded 'Living Green Visitor Centre' is packed with clever ways to make it as environmentally conscious as possible, setting a benchmark for similar buildings and proving how they can clean up their own energy act.

So what makes it so special? Well, in addition to using only half the energy ordinarily consumed by a building this size, the converted stable yard also generates all its own electricity through a bank of rooftop solar panels and a hydroelectric Archimedes screw installed in a nearby river. This setup not only eliminates the centre's need for a carbon costly energy supply, but it could even generate up to £10,00 a year by feeding electricity back into the National Grid for others to use.

As well as having its own microgeneration setup, the centre also takes a refreshing approach to the physical resources it uses. To keep the building warm, the walls of are insulated with recycled woolen carpets; for the plumbing, the toilets flush with collected rainwater; for furniture, the chairs are made from recycled plastic bottles while the tabletops are fashioned from old smashed jam jars formally used to serve cream tea! Now that's what we call cutting down your waste…

The centre itself opened to the public on 5 November, and houses a permanent exhibition space dedicated to information on renewable energy, as well as National Trust offices, craft stalls for local artists, a café and a rotating gallery space for showcasing work of all kinds.

What do you think of the project? Would you like to see more historic buildings incorporate modern technology to make them more ecologically sound? Let us know your opinions on the matter.

For more information on the new Living Green Visitor Centre, or any of the other National Trust sites around the UK, head over to the National Trust official website.