Environmental Policy
We are aware of the importance of environmental sustainability especially in the tourism industry and continuously seek to improve our environmental and sustainability performance.
In order for us to reduce the effect of our carbon footprint, we have implemented an ongoing programme to achieve this and encourage our guests to participate. Here are our main points of focus to run our Boutique B&B as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible:
Reduce:
We provide jugs of fresh milk rather than plastic pots of UHT milk.
Free water is provided in large reusable glass bottles in our bedrooms.
Our toiletries are offered in dispensers to reduce packaging and waste.
We decant sauces, jams, butter into tiny dishes rather than offering plastic/silver foiled sachets.
Rather than individual cardboard cereal boxes we use cereals in Kilner jars.
We don't use plastic glasses in our household nor in our guest bathrooms.
We reduced temporary wrappings like cling film by using long life containers to store things like bacon which can be washed between each use rather than discarded.
Reuse:
As our B&B requires old furniture, we are always on the outlook on auctions to replace our furniture. We also like to "upcycle" our existing furniture rather than replacing it.
Many items have been bought or sold on auction sites or given to charity rather than being taken to landfill.
We are happy to fill guests' own re-usable water bottles.
Our cleaning products are all environmentally friendly. We reuse trigger sprays as bottles over and over.
Our cleaning cloths are washed and re-used rather than using disposable wipes and cloths.
Rather than disposing of old towels they become dog towels or rags for cleaning.
Tourist leaflets and maps in good condition are returned to the display case in reception for reuse by other guests.
Recycle:
We recycle glass, card, paper, plastics, foil, cooking & garden waste and remove recyclable material from bedroom bins.
Plastic bottles are only included as part of packed lunches if guests do not provide their own water bottles and we ask for them to be recycled responsibly by our guests.
Glass jam pots and aluminium lids are recycled.
Our printer operates on a refillable tank system to avoid throwing away small printing cartridges.
Paper:
Minimise the use of paper in the office and re-use and recycle all paper where possible.
Printed waste paper is utilised on the other side for notes.
Our website is our brochure.
At the end of each season, out of date travel leaflets, flyers, booklets and maps are recycled.
Guests are not required to print or show confirmations of booking.
Bedding/Towels:
Our linen policy: Guests staying with us for an extended holiday, the beds are changed every four days. If you require new sheets before then, just let us know.
Our towel policy - towels will not be replaced daily unless they are left in the shower tray. They will be replaced every four days, along with bedding.
This reduces water, electricity and transportation via our local laundry company.
We line dry our laundry whenever possible, only resorting to indoor drying when the rain really sets in.
All curtains are lined for their thermal qualities.
Food:
Our food is sourced as locally as possible, keeping food miles to a minimum.
In season, I forage for fresh mushrooms and prepare them for breakfast & dinner for my guests.
Food is carefully bought and cooked to minimise waste and the amount of refrigeration needed.
All food waste is either composted or fed to our dogs.
Leftover fruit or fruit past its best is turned into smoothies.
Water:
Our toilets have smaller cisterns and shorter/dual flushes.
Only one of our bedrooms has a bath to reduce water usage.
In our new Mahogany ensuite we installed a water saving shower, tap and toilet.
Dish washers and washing machine are used on the shortest cycle for the task and use minimal water.
Utilities:
We have replaced 98% of our lights with LED and low energy bulbs.
We use "Octopus" energy to supply our house with 100% renewable electricity.
Outside lights are on dusk to dawn sensors.
Radiators have thermostatic controls and we only heat bedrooms when in use.
To minimise heating costs we installed programmed timers for towel rails and as wells as for the infrared heating panels in our north facing bathrooms to avoid using the central heating system in summer.
We use place mats instead of table cloths to reduce our washing.
Special double glazing, imported from Japan, is fitted throughout the house to upgrade our old sash and case windows to modern u-value standards.
New energy efficient boiler.
Most electrical items including fridge-freezer, dishwasher and washing machine are new and 'A++' rated or above and use minimal water or electricity.
Only well dried local hardwood logs and smokeless fuel nuggets are burnt in our log burner.
Extra insulation was installed including the loft.
We used low or non-VOC and no oil paints throughout the building.
We have no electric showers, all are pumped by mains water pressure.
Local Economy / Social Awareness:
For refurbishing and repairs, we use local tradespeople and if possible local suppliers.
Local companies supply us with most goods to reduce delivery mileage and packaging.
Promoting local attractions and special places to visit to entice our guests to spend money locally to sustain the local economy.
Literature from local attractions / restaurants / taxi companies are displayed in reception and on our website as well as regular social media links.
We encourage the use of independent restaurants selling locally sourced food.
Wildlife:
We encourage birds and bees to our garden by keeping plenty of mature shrubs and trees.
Many of the shrubs have berries and seeds which attract and feed the birds.
We have a bird bath in our garden and plenty of flowering plants to attract bees.
Garden waste is composted and we keep the use of pesticides to an absolute minimum (only, if there are no environmentally friendly options).
How Our Guests Can Help & Participate:
Don't print out your confirmation emails.
Turn off bedroom & bathroom lights and TVs when leaving your room.
Be mindful when using water – turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
Only boil the amount of water you need for hot drinks.
Use the short flush facility on toilets.
Don't ask for your towels to be replaced / washed daily.
Take showers not baths.
Put a jumper on rather than turning the heating up and wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
Use our external recycling bin for your rubbish or leave it in the bedroom bin.
If you have any other suggestions for our Environmental Policy for how we can be more green, please let us know.