At The Chestnuts we are making a contribution to preserving the environment and reducing global warming. We are members of the Green Tourism Business Scheme and are proud to hold their Gold Award. Details of this scheme and the measures we are taking can be found in both our Green Operational Manual and our Green Manual for guests at the cottage but details of the scheme can also be found at www.green-business.co.uk

We also run our business as a Carbon Neutral Enterprise and offset any carbon emissions that we can not eliminate with the company co2balance, who audit us annually and put a portion of our contribution to the planting of trees on land adjacent to Summercombe wood in Somerset.

We are happy with the help of Co2Balance to offset the carbon emissions of your journey to The Chestnuts as part of our booking fee. Please feel free to ask for details when you book.

Everyone can be a little Greener if they try to reduce their water usage, reduce waste and conserve energy. We know you are on holiday and we want you to have an indulgent time here, we truly believe we have managed to create a place where luxury and sustainablilty meet, so you wont have to cut anything out whilst you are here or compromise your holiday in any way.

Our efforts were recently recognised when we became finalists in the South East Tourism Excellence awards in the Sustainable Tourism Category 2009 - we were delighted to be presented with the highly commended award.

Some examples of what we do are listed below

Reducing Waste

We  have provided recycle bins and there is also a compost bin at the end of the garden.

In our fight to cut back on the use of Plastic bags we have provided you with two stylish reusable shopping bags that we would love you to use throughout your stay.

Being kinder to the Planet

We are acutely aware that everything we do at The Chestnuts and all the chemicals we use to maintain it, have an impact, and so we are trying to be as kind to the environment as possible. We undertake where possible to buy natural fabrics and to purchase from sustainable and fair trade sources. We garden organically. We have also decided to use and provide for our guests only products that are made from natural ingredients and those that biodegrade easily and harmlessly.

Conserving energy

The house itself was built in a time when shelter was the main priority but we are fortunate in the Cotswolds to have houses made of local, natural materials.  Because Cotswold stone walls are so thick, they keep the heat out in summer and the heat in during the winter. However, since arriving at The Chestnuts we have increased the insulation in the loft and replaced many of the windows with double glazed units. We have also insulated many of the floors and put in underfloor heating.

We have tried wherever possible to use energy efficient light bulbs and have installed an on demand condensing water heater which is more efficient than a regular on demand boiler or traditional storage system.

When we purchase new appliances we try to buy the most energy efficient items we can.

We have also left a bicycle for your use whilst at The Chestnuts - perhaps one of you could volunteer to cycle for the morning newspapers instead of taking the car or do a little light shopping in beautiful Burford. If you do need to hire a car for your stay though, we have joined up with Green Motion, the worlds first fully environmentally friendly rental company.

 Saving Water

We know our two baths and large shower rose are not great for saving water, but we want you to be able to indulge in a long luxurious bath or drenching shower - just  maybe think about sharing it - for the environment’s benefit of course! We have also recently installed two dual flushing toilets.

With changing rainfall patterns in England we have recently redesigned the garden to be drought tolerant. We have replaced the lawn with shingle and have designed the flower beds so that they need never be dug, weeded or watered. The soil is covered with black breathable fabric to let water in but to retain as much ground water as possible and this is further enhanced by a thick layer of bark mulch on top. We also capture water from the roof to water the herb and flower tubs. We make every effort to garden organically.

Green initiatives in the area

In association with the West Oxfordshire District Council, we are taking part in the Step into The Cotswolds Scheme. The scheme is designed to raise funds for projects that will conserve the Cotswolds as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and assist with the maintenance of footpaths and dry stone walls . For every booking we make a donation to the scheme. Additionally with the profit from the sale of our own postcards and voluntary donations for use of the telephone and wireless internet, we are also supporting local wildlife projects within the village. We are currently raising funds to buy bird boxes for Shilton. We hold fund raising events during the year for these projects and in 2008 we raised enough money to purchase ten nesting boxes for the village and our local bird expert David was kind enough to erect them for us in the heart of the village by the river. In 2009 our Oxfordshire Art weeks event raised enough to buy swift boxes for the village. Our own swift box had its first visitor this spring (May 2010) when a family of Starlings took up residence - although not the species we had planned for, Starlings are also in declining numbers and so we were delighted.

In 2010 we have raised to date £189 towards the Restoration of Shilton Baptist Church, which has suffered a terrible case of dry rot and £100 for the Barn Owl Trust.

Shilton is still one of the rare areas where you can be lucky enough to see barn owls sweep over the hedgerows. These majestic creatures have been in decline for many years, due to a loss of habitat and nesting sites. The garden at The Chestnuts is not suitable for the erection of a barn owl box even though we would love to have one, so instead we support the care of our own barn owl - Hazel - via the Barn Owl Trust (www.barnowltrust.org.uk) A bat however is much smaller than an owl and so we have installed a bat box on the side of the house which we hope will soon become inhabited. Bats are also endangered in the UK.

Giving Back

We believe that giving back is part of being good to the planet and in the past we have donated a pair of ducks to a family in Laos via the charity Care, as well as supporting a young ladies education in Africa with World Vision. We now support a young boy in Cambodia. As many of you know we live most of our time in Adelaide, Australia and recently with my husband and stepson we raised £300 for the charity Kids for Kids by taking part in the Adelaide City to Bay fun run. We would like to thank all those who supported us. 

Encouraging others to experience how easy it is to care about The Planet

We like to spread the word as much as possible and lead by example, showing our guests how easy it is to contribute by only slight changes in how we go about our daily routing. In June2010 we decided to offer a stay at The Chestnuts in a competition run by Green Living magazine, so that more people could experience our cottage - check it out.

www.greenlivingmag.co.uk/latestissue.html  

We know there is much more that we can do to be greener at The Chestnuts and that our house is not a perfect example of green living but we will try with every season to improve.