Sustainability at Daisy Chain
At Cotswold Family Holidays, we are passionate about minimising our impact on the environment and we encourage our guests to help us have a lighter touch on our planet. We have incorporated a number of sustainable practices into our daily operations in order to reduce our environmental impact.
Electricity Tariff
One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to switch to an energy tariff that uses renewable sources to generate electricity. We use Octopus Energy whose electricity tariffs are 100% green.
Solar Panels and Battery
We have had solar panels installed on the roof of Daisy Chain and a battery to store electricity which isn’t being used in the house. Excess energy is then exported to the National Grid.
Energy Consumption
Research shows that in a typical home, lighting accounts for 15% of all energy use. We have replaced our lightbulbs with LED lightbulbs which consume far less energy compared with halogen bulbs and last up to 20 times longer. When appliances need replacing, more energy efficient replacements will be purchased.
Laundry
We use reusable laundry bags to reduce the use of single-use plastics. We are huge fans of Nancy Birtwhistle (one time Great British Bake Off winner who now champions green living). Laundry is washed in homemade laundry detergent (a mix of hand soap, washing soda and eco friendly washing liquid. Laundry is washed at a low temperature and line dried without use of a tumble drier. For stain removal, green bleach is used which is a far better alternative to traditional bleach products. For more information on this approach do head across to Nancy’s instagram (@nancy.birtwhistle) We use high quality, high thread count 100% cotton bedlinen which is long lasting. Towels are kept fluffy with the addition of some white vinegar instead of conditioner (which affects the absorption of towels) and are shaken vigorously prior to drying to keep the fibres fluffy.
Technology
A nest smart thermostat is installed at Daisy Chain which enables us to ensure that the house is warm and cosy when guests arrive, whilst ensuring that the house isn’t heated unnecessarily when it is empty.
We provide guests with a digital Welcome book rather than printed guest information, so avoiding wasting paper on unnecessary printing.
Product Selection
A lot of green cleaning products are used in the house. These range from citric acid for descaling the kettle to ‘Pure Magic’ (another Nancy Birtwhistle product) for cleaning the toilets. Hand wash is purchased in bulk and decanted into smaller reusable dispensers for guest use.
Waste and Recycling
Guests are encouraged to recycle and compost their waste. A food waste bucket is provided for composting food waste and a reusable recycling bag is provided for everyday recyclables (paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, tins etc). Clear instructions are given to guests about where the recycling points are on the Lower Mill Estate.
Sustainable furniture
To reduce the use of new materials and reduce the use of landfill, wherever possible, we purchase items that are no longer wanted and give them a new lease of life. We invest considerable time into sourcing high quality items that are worthy of a second life. An example of this is the beautiful oak bed frame, bedside tables and chest of drawers in the second floor bedroom which were all bought from Facebook Marketplace.
Sustainable travel
Guests are encouraged to travel sustainably and there are a number of free electric car charging points on the Lower Mill Estate to support use of electric vehicles. More charging points can also be found at the Gateway visitor centre within Cotswold Water Park. With a wide range of activities to enjoy on the estate, guests often find that they don’t need to use their car at all during their stay.
Kemble railway station (on a direct line from Paddington and Reading) is less than 4 miles away and local taxi services can be recommended to visitors.
Sustainability on the Lower Mill Estate
The Lower Mill Estate is built on a quarry where gravel was once extracted. A number of fields within the estate were excavated to a depth of several metres and then allowed to flood. The formerly barren quarry has been shaped into a 450 acre Nature Reserve which is cited by Natural England as an example of best practice with regard to its approach to brown field restoration and ecological regeneration.
The estate is made up of a rich variety of rivers (including the infant River Thames), tributaries and open water bodies. There are woodland copses, rich hay meadows and pasture for grazing. The resulting nature reserve is an ecological haven supporting a wide range of flora and fauna. During the winter, various lakes and footpaths around the estate are closed to allow thousands of overwintering birds to visit undisturbed. An ecology team work closely to retain and encourage new species.
The sustainable approach of the Lower Mill Estate means that it is one of the only estates in the UK to be accredited with Building and Nature Status.