In addition to the use of recycled materials in all parts of the construction process of the new £1.2 million mooring basin at Auchinstarry, near Kilsyth on the Forth & Clyde Canal, this site also boasts the latest in sustainable environmental facilities with a unique water source heat pump, utilising the canal water to provide heat and hot water to the recently constructed shower and toilet block. It is believed that this is the first time in the UK , canal water has been utilised in this type of system.

In line with similar schemes throughout the UK a reed bed has also been cultivated to act as an environmentally friendly sewage treatment facility, with special bacteria breaking the waste down into its constituent harmless element.