From the very start sustainability in our business has been very important to us and we continuely look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment.
Some things are frustratingly slow – renewable energy in the form of solar panels is a big one on our ‘to do’ list – but it’s a sizeable investment and we want to be sure we make the right choice to ensure we maintain the service we offer our guests.
We have implemented various strategies over the past three years including the following:
- Using refillable, eco-friendly toiletries and kitchen products .
- Stopped throwing half used toilet rolls away between guests! The waste was driving us crazy so we have decided to leave the half-used ones on the holders as well as supplying new ones and so far, have not received any complaints. We guess most people prefer the ‘less waste’ option too!
- Switched to an ethical recycling and waste service. Reccora are commited to being net zero in their business by 2030 and allow us to help our guests recycle as much of their waste as possible.
- This year we have introduced food crates for guests to leave any unwanted food in at the end of their stay. We pass this on to Sparkles Food Parcels who distribute it to local families in need.
- New for 2023 – providing locally roasted coffee in recyclable pods. We had been looking for something sustainable for a while as we know guests love the convenience of an espresso coffee machine but we hated the waste of the pods. When we discovered local roaster Cast Iron were doing recyclable pods, we jumped on it! Our guests can easily remove the coffee grains with the pod recycling tool we provide and put the empty aluminium pods into the mixed recycling bin. It’s a win win: Guests get decent coffee, we are decreasing our waste output!
- Google Nest thermostats ensure more efficient use of hot water and heating whilst the guests can still adapt it to their needs.
- We made the significant investment at the end of last year of putting electric car chargers in both houses. Our guests love being able to charge their cars easily on site and there are no range anxiety issues when you stay with Driftwood Stays!
Each year we calculate our carbon footprint so we can offset our usage by giving back to various green projects to ensure we are carbon neutral. This year we are helping to plant trees in the South East of England.
It is interesting to note that 70% of our carbon footprint comes from the the energy used by guests in the houses. To be expected of course, however we would like to see that drop in the future so if you come and stay, you can help us by using energy responsiblyd such as not leaving lights on unnecessarily, or doors and windows open when you go out.
If you would like to find out more about our family friendly self catering holiday cottages check out Driftwood Stays.