Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
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At our Co Meath self catering cottages in Ireland we are committed to operating our business in a manner that maintains a balance between helping the environment and the community in which we live and providing guests with the highest quality selfcatering holidays possible. We are constanly looking for ways to reduce the energy used to run the cottages, the amount of water we use and the amount of waste we produce.
As a consumer, ultimately, it is you who makes a difference by choosing destinations and businesses that are commited to the environment. We were fortunate to have had an opportunity during our reconstruction, to avail of the latest technology when installing our heating and hot water system. We opted for a geothermal system with a hoizontal collection area that means we use no fossil fuels for our heating or hot water needs. In addition to this, the electricity used to power the system is generated by a green energy provider that produces a minimum of 88% of its elctricity from wind energy. This makes our carbon footprint extremely low, as well as helping to reduce your own!
Our water is provided by a well on site that is treated to the highest standard. This means that we can monitor the quality of the water regularly. Our waste water is disposed of on site by a treatment plant, again using no chemicals, that discharges clean water. We limit the amount of cleaning products used and use environmentally friendly products where possible. The use of microfibre cloths reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals we have to use.
As the houses are newly converted, they are insulated to a very high standard, reducing their energy requirements. Also, where possible, CFL bulbs have been used and we have a policy of replacing bulbs with a more energy efficient equivalent. During the reconstruction, natural materials were used wherever possible. A local company was used for the buiding and local labour is used for on going maintenance.
We actively encourage recycling. All kitchens have dual bins, one for recycling and the other for ordinary waste. We also provide composting caddies for food waste. Bins liners are bio-degradable. Information is available to guests on what can be recycled and this is made easy with a dedicated recycling area with special bins for waste batteries, light bulbs, recyclable refuse and ordinary waste. In addition to this, we have recently added a green cone to take raw and cooked food waste avoiding this unessessarily ending up in landfill.
This year we hope to install a microwatering system for pots and hanging baskets. In addition we only water in the morning and evening. Our welcome baskets are made up of locally produced items where possible and all tea, coffee and sugar is fair trade.
We encourage wild life by having bird feeders and a nesting box, and providing (provide) information to guests on local flora and fauna, we have bikes that can be used by guests and provide information on car free days out. We can pick people up at the local bus stop and drop guests there if they want to use public transport while here.
We have recently placed a booking engine on our web site that allows not only for electronic booking but also booking confirmation, delivery of brochures and directions etc dispensing with the need for paper forms of this information.
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!
