We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards, in the sustainability category, and even more honoured to have been listed as an “exceptional” finalist.
Environmental sustainability is a topic very close to our hearts and something we are always striving to promote and practice. We are proud to be a sustainable café and glamping business, and it is wonderful to be recognised, alongside some other fabulously inspirational sustainable enterprises. It’s so encouraging to see that others are excited about championing businesses that look after the planet and the people in on it.
Solar power, compost toilets, low food miles and wood-fired heating are just a few of the ways we tackle environmental issues, so we’re here to tell you how we keep environmental and sustainable considerations at the forefront of everything that we do.
One of our key sustainable focuses is on the food that we provide in our Canvas Café. Using 
local, organic and free-range food is something we are passionate about. We always strive to keep our food miles as low as possible and have chosen brilliant local suppliers for everything from our tea and coffee, through to the bread and meat that we use. We make use of our onsite Community Garden, using the vegetables in our café when possible, and supporting events involving the local community, such as the build of eco compost bins and apple pressing days.
We’re so happy to see the rise in awareness and popularity of healthy, organic and local food and drink. We use our blog to share information on sustainable living. Educating others on topics such as why sustainable food choices need to be considered, encouraging pollution free activities such as walking (whatever the weather) and sharing tips for doing away with chemical filled bug repellents and switching to natural alternatives.
We also include walking, cycling and public transport options when giving directions to our site. Our guests are often keen to take the most environmentally friendly option available to them.
We host a number of events sharing information on sustainable living. This month we have teamed up with two local businesses Fill Your Pants and Refill Revolution, our Canvas Café will be hosting a talk on reusable cloth nappies. We are also looking into hosting a ‘fix it’ café to encourage people to fix rather than bin broken items.
Our Yurts and Canvas Café are also home to some beautiful pieces of upcycled furniture and second-hand crockery. We love the fact that we have given these pieces a new lease of life and reduced the need for new pieces to be manufactured.
We have chosen simple log burners to heat our yurts, and even installed a wood-fired hot tub on our camping site. We knew we wanted something to provide extra luxury to our yurt guests, but the environmental implications of a hot tub went against everything we believe in….until we discovered wood-fired hot tubs, built from recyclable wood and metal, and heated by a simple log fire! The wood being responsibly sourced from a local woodland, of course.
Our newsletters and vouchers are always sent via email to reduce the unnecessary use of paper printing. You can keep up today with all things sustainable, glamping and some of the events mentioned by signing up for our e-newsletter here.
Whether you run a business, have a busy family or a millennial lifestyle, here are our top tips for the small things that we can all do every day for a more sustainable life:
- Use your leftovers! We love food, and hate waste. Don’t throw away your leftovers, whether it’s a whole portion or simply a few vegetables, there will be a delicious way to reinvent it. If you’re ever stuck for ideas on how to use up your leftovers, ask us! We love inventing leftover dinners and always have a few tried and tested tricks up our sleeve! Did you know that throwing away food adds to the amount of CO2 being created in landfills?
- Compost. Now any leftovers that you really can’t use, gone off food, vegetable peelings and skins can be composted instead of put in the bin. All of the nutrients combine to make a brilliant fertiliser, and, as it will break down anaerobically, there won’t be a build up of methane gas. We take this even further with our composting toilets for our yurt guests.
- Cut out the unnecessary use of plastic. Do you really need that plastic straw or disposable plastic cup? There is now a plethora of brilliant sustainable alternatives on the market such as metal or bamboo straws, and metal or glass water bottles. Avoid purchasing products wrapped in unnecessary plastic packaging, look for brown bags or loose fruit and veg instead. Reuse and refill!!
We could talk for hours on the ways each of us can live a more sustainable lifestyle, but that is all for now. If you do have any questions or ideas please don’t hesitate to get in touch or chat to us in the café. Until next time we will be eagerly awaiting the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards event next month (and the reveal of the winner, eek). Wish us luck!
