Valencia vegetarian B&B, Spain
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Los Gatos is off the grid and runs on solar energy with energy saving bulbs throughout the house and a careful use of energy. The water from the kitchen, the guest shower and the washing machine goes directly into watering the garden. we recycle practically everything, either on the compost heap, or to the chickens or else in the recycling bins for plastic etc. however we try to reuse plastics as much as possible to lessen our impact on the environment. We have a laundry scheme where we only change towels and sheets after 7 days or when guests request them to be changed. All our cleaning products are green/biodegradable/eco and we use an eco-ball for the laundry.
Our garden is completely organic and we plant as many flowers and herbs possible to attract insects and wildlife to the garden. We have also recently built a pond which is already full of frogs, dragonflies and other wildlife. We have an irrigation system for the vegetable garden to preserve water. We don't use any pesticides, herbicides or chemicals in the garden or around the house. We are vegetarian and the products we buy are practically all either organic or local. We are active members of the local Ecologists in Action and participate in cultivating a large local organic farm.
We have 3 (free) bikes for use of guests to explore the local area. There are several newly laid cycle tracks in the area. We treat the local wildlife with utmost respect and encourage our guests to do the same. The area is rich in bird-watching opportunities and nature excursions. In the autumn one can go into the mountains to collect wild mushrooms or in the spring wild asparagus. At night one can enjoy the beautiful night sky, unpolluted by city lights.
Community
If we don't buy organic then we buy local, best of all when this is organic as well as local (such as the organic olive oil we buy from Chelva). We also support a local 'artesano' beer company and a local organic farmer, and the local honey is not to be missed! Sadly these types of ventures are still not so common here so we try to support any that are around.We have started to take part in the heritage seed exchange of Valencia, which is trying to preserve local types of vegetables.
As an artist and musician we have contributed to the community with exhibitions and concerts. We have organized a three-day intercultural festival in our village Villar del Arzobispo with arts events, a crafts fair of local handicrafts and products, art and music workshops for children, a cultural procession in the main street and concerts. The weekly art classes at Los Gatos attract local support and the summer outdoor cinema at Los Gatos has turned it into a small local cultural centre.
We have also started a language exchange group in the village which gives the opportunity for local Spanish people to practise speaking English with native English speakers and we can practise speaking Spanish and pick up tips and information from the locals, which we can then share with our guests!
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