Rock climbing in the French Alps

Environment:
Our accommodation has been described as a '21st century commune' – you will experience an alternative family lifestyle with a communal, community and environmental ethos. The McCallum family moved from Scotland to France to realise an evolving dream – to reconnect with each other and our environment, to live in the mountains, create a sustainable venue and run 'life-enhancing' courses. It took 3 years and is now up and running and is becoming a 'phenomena'. Journalists have described it as the 'best-eco lodge in the Alps'. Guests often talk about the 'positive energy' here.

The crew and our instructors have a strong environmental policy. We educate all our clients in no-impact camping techniques. We carry shovels for toilet sumps and bags to carry out all paper and rubbish. We recycle picnic waste and insist on refilling water bottles.

The accommodation is set up for recycling all waste and we compost. We recycle metal, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard and compost and the kitchen is set up to make this easy. We are starting to grow our own veg. We get milk from the subsistence farm next door. We buy bulk supplies from local organic wholesalers.

We used sustainable building techniques where affordable including extra thick Warmcell insulation, triple glazed windows facing North, glass walls facing South, a highly efficient wood pellet burner, low temp under floor heating, organic paint, etc.. We have mountain source water on tap.

We try to consume minimum energy. All our appliances are A or AA and 90% of our lighting is low energy. Our linen is organic cotton and most of our cleaning products are environmentally sound.

Our toilets are flushed with source water (and are dual flush) and our waste water is cleaned, filtered and goes back into the stream as drinkable water.

We encourage minimum use of water. If people stay more than 1 week, we encourage them to keep their sheets and towels and give them a big financial incentive. We only use the dryer rarely, only when absolutely necessary.

Community:
Our philosophy is, that we are all intrinsically linked; to each other, our environment, all living things and the universe. Our ‘reality’ is governed by our heritage, upbringing, 5 senses and 3 dimensional perception. REALITY is immensely greater with unlimited potential. If we strive to live in harmony with ourselves and each other, with love, openness and awareness the world becomes a happier place. Your body is nourished with healthy food and lots of physical activity and rest. Your mind is soothed by the beauty and immenseness of the environment and spacious simplicity of the architecture. Your soul finds space to breathe away from the business of daily life. Yoga, meditation, relaxation, and rock climbing helps bring you beyond the mind to your Source.

We provide info on activities on offer in the area and help to organise them. We encourage our guests to eat in the mountain yurt and local farm restaurant and to buy all produce through local organic suppliers at the Wednesday Market.