Loving our Environment

REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT

Lovat Arms is trying to reduce its environmental impact:

E-cloths with micro fibres are used for cleaning to reduce use of chemicals
All cleaning products are completely degradable according to the OECD 301F test & are free from chlorine or other halogens & mineral acids
Pencils are made from recycled video cassettes & coasters are made from recycled tyres
The bathroom products are degradable, phosphate free, CFC free, acid/alkaline free, solvent free & with recyclable packaging
Lighting is operated through low voltage or energy saving lamps
Our biomass wood chip burner produces energy for our central heating & hot water system. This is operated by a bespoke computerised program to monitor the bathroom & bedroom temperatures pre, during & post check in
Corridor lighting is controlled by a PIR system relying on motion detection for operation
Recycling of glass, cardboard, paper & aluminium is conducted wherever possible
A waste disposal is in operation to reduce food waste
Appliances are on SAVAWATT or a time clock
100% recycled toilet paper from Nouvelle & 100% recycled tissue paper from Cloud Soft.
0.85l maximum kettles in the bedrooms
Dusk-dawn lighting
Eco-cubes, from Eco-Works Ltd are used in the urinals, eliminating the need for flowing water or flushing.

Areas under development & research

Composter, collection of rain water for the garden & toilets, bird boxes, solar panels to power the Studio Bedrooms as well as a wooden box being made by Bart, our Kitchen Porter, for guests to deposit their own recyclable items.

Guests can assist in reducing their environmental impact:

Place only towels for washing in the shower tray &/or bath
Turn off the TV, lights or water taps when not in use
Keep the bathroom door closed to retain the bedroom temperature

You can calculate the carbon footprint you would produce when travelling to our hotel at www.climatecare.org See the following case studies on our blog Leeds student Case study and BEP case study

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

What with increased journalistic headlines about global warming & increased consumer awareness to the growing dilemmas facing our private, national & worldwide future, how can one sit back & ignore our contribution to the environment? When mentioning ‘our’ contribution, our environmental policy encompasses both an individual contribution as well as on a wider scale as a functioning business. It is within this business that individuals must strive to better their performance in light of the current situation or at least the future situation, both for themselves, for the company & for their customers. See our environmental action plan

Naturally a business will benefit internally as well as externally from being more environmentally aware:

Initiate a link with an ever aware public as well as appeal to some market segments
Prevent energy costs from soaring
Avoid punitive taxes from non compliance with legislation e.g. Climate Change Levy
Improve staff productivity & morale

Business boils down to profit but on this occasion, whilst looking after the profit one is also looking after the environment & its future. It’s a win-win situation!

Hospitable Climates (www.hospitableclimates.org) is a sure way of initiating an action plan with an option to monitor, nationwide, your success. Hospitable Climates is a partnership agreement between the Hotel & Catering International Management Association & the Government, supported by the Carbon Trust. The aim being to assist the hospitality industry in striving towards greater energy efficiency, whilst maintaining quality, productivity & competitiveness. The knock on effect being a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Lovat Arms has installed a wood chip burner to provide hot water & heating to the hotel. This burner is run on what is known as renewable energy because this energy is generated naturally & continuously in the environment. The burner runs off wood chips that can be readily replaced. This energy is also known as organic energy, biomass, biofuel or bioenergy. This energy is constantly available, regardless of weather conditions & is in abundance.

Renewable energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions however there are additional advantages to using it:

No Climate Change Levy
Reduction of our business’s environmental impact
Enhancement of social & environmental credentials with this promotion to guests
No price fluctuations as that seen with globally traded commodities, such as oil & gas

A potential disadvantage is that bio-energy has a lower calorific value (less energy) than fossil fuel, such as gas or coal, so more frequent deliveries may be required to meet the demand. The wood chip also need to have a certain water content to allow for effective use in the burner.

With guidance from Envirowise, Trade Publications, Hospitality Climates & utilising our own knowledge, our environmental policy has been devised.