As part of our sustainability aims, we try to minimise our impact on the environment. This policy has several sections and we appreciate your help in our recycling and conservation projects.
Water
Wales has plenty of rain falling on our hills, but we share this
resource with water-hungry cities like Birmingham, and so water
conservation is important to us. In the garden, we have four large
water butts and use them whenever possible to water the garden during
dry periods. We also use grey water (from washing up, for example) to
water the more robust plants in the garden.
The Mill building has mains water and is metered. Both our bathrooms
have electric, instantaneous showers, and we encourage you to use them
in preference to a bath whenever possible. Simple water-saving ideas
include not brushing your teeeth under a running tap, and washing using
a basin of water. We do not offer bottled water to drink as there are
problems with the recycling of plastic water bottles, but we do offer
filtered water in the kitchen for drinking if you prefer not to use tap
water.
Waste recycling
Wherever possible, we seek to minimise the waste we return to landfill,
and recycle some plastics, glass and paper and tins. There is a
recycling container in the hall, and we encourage you to use it for
these items as you do at home. All food and vegetable waste is recycled
by a compost system and wormery, and we do aim to use paper rather than
plastic whenever food regulations permit. Our drainage system is via a
septic tank, so please be careful not to put anything but toilet paper
down the loo, and use the paper bags available for other waste.
Food miles
In the summer months our aim is to use garden produce whenever we can;
this is the ideal miles to plate ratio - and fresh too! At other times
and for other produce, as members of
Local to Ludlow
and other food groups, we use local food suppliers for virtually all
our food and list them on the breakfast menu. We are very lucky in the
Teme Valley in having access to some of Wales and England's best
produce, and we want to share it with you. If you are interested in
shopping locally, do ask us for more information on shops and markets.
In the garden
We are fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful countryside which is
farmed in a sustainable and minimal-impact manner. Red kites nest
nearby, as do buzzards and all sorts of small birds including
kingfishers. In our own garden we also aim to find a balance between a
beautiful place to rest and the creation of a habitat for birds,
insects and other small mammals. We have a small pond, which is home to
dragonflies, frogs and newts amongst other creatures, and we are
converting a small orchard area into a grass and wildflower space. We
garden organically using no pesticides on food products and
only occasionally slug deterrents so that we can have some of the
salads our slugs and snails love too!