Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
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We are deeply committed to:
- Minimal impact on the environment
- Conservation of natural resources
- Active and passive environmental education of their guests
- Contributing to the local community
Since the mid 1970’s Concordia estate and its sister resort has sought to balance the comfort and enjoyment of our guests with the preservation of St. John’s beautiful and fragile eco-system. We are committed to the belief that environmental sensitivity and human comfort are not only compatible, but actually enhance the vacation experience by combining pleasure with environmental Stewardship. In the last 30 years, we has been at the forefront of experiments with many new practices have succeeded, some have failed, but all have been important learning experiences. We continue to be the pioneer of environmentally responsible resort management.
Waste management is a major concern in our world today. An effective waste management program can make a difference in our relationship to the natural world. This not only includes management of garbage, but also reduction of wasted energy and water resources. There are four alternatives, which can help to cut back on waste.
- Reduce garbage and use of resources.
- Reuse items, energy and water resources.
- Recycle garbage and resources.
- Buy recycled products (to close the life-cycle loop).
We operate bulk purchasing for kitchens, the store and housekeeping departments (i.e. condiments, cleaning and paper products). Large freezers and coolers allow plenty of room for bulk buying of perishables for the kitchen. Cigarettes are not sold in the store, and many “No Smoking” areas have been established. We insist on limited use of Styrofoam food and beverage containers-there is no “take-out” here. Carrying water from centrally located spigots to the Tent-Cottages also makes guests aware of their water consumption.
At the bars, Happy Hour prices are only on “environmentally friendly” drinks (i.e. draft beer and jug wine), not on beverages that come in individual cans or glass bottles. We also have a “Four Hour Worker Program” which offers people the opportunity to work and gain training in “responsible tourism”. Tours of Estate Concordia are available for guests, so that they can learn more about its construction, self-sufficiency and conservation practices. We offer a self-guided Eco-Tour as well. We have developed a local plant guide on plants found within our campground.
Paper towels, toilet paper and paper napkins provided in the Restaurant are made from recycled paper. Recycled notepaper and paper towels are for sale in the Store. The kitchen has drastically reduced the number of disposable bottles and cans by installing a draft beer and soda system at the Restaurant, and the restaurant and Store consider packaging when ordering specific items-some products have been dropped due to excessive packaging. Propane tanks supplying the stoves in our tent-cottages are refillable, and guests are provided with 2 ½ gallon refillable drinking water dispensers. The Restaurant and Store also have consolidated ordering of supplies to reduce traffic and fuel consumption by delivery trucks.
Unlike most resorts, there is minimal use of motorized vehicles by Housekeeping to cover distances between the tent-cottages, Laundry and storage areas, or by Maintenance between the garbage cans and the garbage truck. Low water use toilets are utilized, we have installed water-less urinals in our bathhouses and spring-loaded faucets are installed in sinks and showers. Running water is purposefully not supplied to most tent-cottages. There are also limited shower hours in the bathhouses, showers are cold water and pull chain for guests to only use water that is needed.
All of these efforts have resulted in extremely low water usage: 25-30 gallons per person, about a third of the average per person water usage in the U.S. The temperature of coolers and freezers in the Store is constantly monitored. Tent Cottage design and fabric capitalize on cooling trade winds and natural light. The design also provides easy cleaning-surfaces, which are swept or wiped down. Construction amidst trees provides natural shade: electric fans are used for cooling instead of air-conditioning.
As new tent-cottages are built, design improvements continue to be made for better ventilation, leading to lower energy consumption from electric fans. Thermal coolers are provided instead of electrically powered refrigerators. Water in bathhouses and the Laundry is not heated. We have replaced light bulbs with compact fluorescents and put timers on electric switches in the bathhouses. Cisterns collect rainwater that is filtered and used.
All glasses, cups, plates, utensils, etc., supplied in our Tent-Cottages or Restaurant, are reusable--there are no disposable items provided. In the Store, cardboard boxes and egg crates from vendor deliveries are used as an alternative to disposable shopping bags. We also, reuse the egg crates for shipping packages and our office waste paper is used to make our hand made paper.
Reusable nylon bags are used for the laundry and linen delivery instead of disposable plastic bags. Old newspaper is the only protective wrapping used at the store. Effluent water from the Waste Water Treatment Plant is used to irrigate our Orchard. The “Help Yourself Center” allows a guest to leave items they no longer need or want for other guests.
We have reused our tiles made from recycled light bulbs in our ‘solar fountain display’ on the main boardwalk and in the mosaic on the ‘busing area’ in the kitchen area We reused over 500 whole beer bottles in the construction of the fountain by Registration, as well as using our crushed glass in the concrete mix.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
