Dublin bed and breakfast, Ireland
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We reduce, re-use and recycle. We compost all vegetable waste, we avoid buying heavily packaged products where possible, and we re-cycle glass, plastics, paper, cardboard, tins, cans, batteries and electrical products. Much glazing to the south captures light and heat. There is a thermal mass wall in the kitchen to trap more heat. The roof is made out of a slate which is made from recycled car parts, the windows are larch and triple glazed low e glass. The heating is by geothermal system with under floor heating and also a wood burning stove. The fuel for the stove comes from the gardens surrounding the property.
We bring environmental considerations more explicitly into our corporate thinking and decision making process conserve and improve the built and natural environment. We reduce water flow, energy efficient bulbs, collect rain water for flowers and gardens, change of laundry policy in place, wind electricity, turn off lights signs visible to guests, encourage wild life, compost and recycle all waste. Water reduction systems are placed on showers, sinks, toilets etc, and we have signs asking guests not to run water unnecessarily. We save energy by using all energy efficient bulbs, and again making guests aware of turning off lights etc when leaving rooms.
Many trees have been planted and there is an organic garden in the making. In time we hope to serve our own garden vegetables. Right now vegetables in season are delivered from the organic grower next door and also purchased from the great local markets. We have one in the town on Wednesday mornings and a Saturday one in a local parish hall. I have a compost heap and my own well and an organic garden in the making with beds, a willow windbreak, organic topsoil.
We use eco friendly cleaning products. Bedding and other materials used are as much as possible made of natural fibres. We have a solar heating system for our hot water. Using the power of the sun, we try to reduce our dependency on traditional fossil fuels. The under-floor heating in the house is low-temperature reducing the need for energy. In the living room we have a stove that supplements our heating. Save water signs throughout building - we pay large water rates.
Walks, bikes, hikes, boat hire all locally available. I am very close to a really great heritage park and many wildlife parks.
Please do not ask us to send you a brochure because, in accordance with our paper free policy, all information about our Centre is available on our website.
Community
By staying, visiting our attractions, eating in local restaurants and supporting local businesses you can ensure that tourism becomes a major industry in the area, and can therefore influence local and national policies with regard protecting the environment you, our visitors come to enjoy.
Over the past 20 years we have used local services as much as possible. This includes using a team of local builders for all our building projects and using local labour, local suppliers and local services as much as possible.
Almara is near to award winning restaurants, there is lots of local fishing opportunities, shopping there are local jewellery designers, knitwear designers and dress designers and some great local artisan shops and clothes shops near by.
We aim to comply with all relevant environmental legislation, reduce our use of non-renewable resources and of energy produced from such resources, reduce waste and pollution deriving from what we do, and use all resources efficiently. We pass on our knowledge to our staff and local community.
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