Chichester bed & breakfast accommodation, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We pride ourselves running both our home & business with the environment very much in the forefront of everything we do.
All paper, glass, cardboard, tins and plastic bottles are recycled. Items such as yogurt cartons are re-used as plant pots. All food, vegetable, garden waste is recycled in the compost heap. Some green/food waste is used to feed the geese. Redundant soaps from the rooms are washed and then dissolved in water and used as a hand wash solution. All hair and bathroom products are natural herbal formulas.
Low energy light bulbs are used through out the guest accommodation. All white appliances are A rated for energy consumption efficiency. We have refurnished all the B & B accommodation and as much as possible has been a green build with sustainable products such as oak windows, recycled but new cast iron drain pipes with water harvesting system and energy efficient condensing boiler together with solar water heating. The solar panels used will be designed & manufactured within Sussex. All bath, shower and hand basin water is filtered using a hayfilter and is used in a garden irrigation system. We check that all TV’s and unnecessary lighting is not left on in the evenings & mornings.
Dual flush toilets are in all toilet systems and taps are checked regularly for drips and are water saving mixing air with the water. All bathrooms without natural light have Sun pipes fitted to utilise the natural daylight. We have a towel and linen policy that asked guest to help save water and energy, and the towel will only be replaced if they are left in the bath or shower tray in the morning & linen on request. This has proved to be very successful and has reduced our laundry of towels by over 43%. All washing utilises low temperature washes and reduced cycle washes. We use Eco Balls in our wash that cease the need for washing powder & softeners and also the need for a long rinse cycle. All washing is line dried or put on clotheshorse to dry.
In the office the fax machine stores messages on the computer so no paper is used. All paper used for printing is recycled. We used email where possible to reduce paper. We do not print a brochure but have a web site for marketing.
All our produce and meat is purchased from local organic farmers and farm shops, so reducing fuel consumption and are delivered in returnable boxes. The use of carrier bags is reduced by using hesin shopping bags. We promoted wildlife to our gardens with feeder nesting boxes and bat boxes.
All waste wood is used in our wood burner and any junk mail is used as fire lighters. We keep a keen eye on all our utility bills and have undergone a full Sustainable Utilities management course. All our energy is purchased on a green tariff from Scottish & Southern energy. They produce energy from hydroelectric production. In addition trees are planted every year to counteract the percentage of emissions produced this is calculated from your consumption.
Community
Working closely with Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve & have presently set up together a Green Tourism Pay Back Scheme for the area. This scheme will provide the harbour with much needed funds to develop the accessibility to Green Tourists.
We believe, as a direct result of our policies, that we have achieved high occupancy rates, as confirmed by TSE records, but at the same time kept our use of energy below the accepted “Best Practice” bench marks, as demonstrated in local authority reports. Our policies, as set out on our web site, have encouraged companies who practice environmental friendly policies to repeatedly use our facilities for their employees and guests from far and wide make it clear that it is our environmental policies that prompted their initial visits and having experienced what we are doing prompt repeat visits. Our businesses has gain world reputation for its green policy & visited by other world organisations such as the Barbadian Government & Qualmark New Zealand, to experience green tourism first hand, their experience prompted them to reciprocate our achievements in their country and would recommend further visits to promote this policy.
Our reputation has encouraged other organisations to seek our assistance, via lectures and conferences, in the development of green tourism nationwide; this has the added advantage of greater publicity prompting improved business. We have achieve “Business Champion” status in the Green Tourism Business Scheme which again prompts more marketing opportunities to promote our business. We technical committee members for the New South Downs National Park & the VistEngland Sustainable Tourism Action Group.
Landscape
We promote Chichester and its surrounding area with its many historical points of interest and encourage our guests to enjoy and experience the beauty of West Sussex, without compromising the environment. We provide literature for our guests that sets out our environmental policy and details our ethics and how we go about practicing this. We provide guides on walking, cycling and wildlife, in the local area detailing the wealth of attractions, places of interest, gardens, museums, shops, that are around us. To this end we promote the use of public transport, and provide bike hire to limit carbon emmissions and encourage our guests to spend within the local area and to consider visiting us again.
We actively promote local businesses, restaurants and pubs. As a final word we leave a thank you note for our guests encouraging them to make suggestions on how we might have made their stay more environmentally friendly, together with a discount voucher for future visits.
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