We consider that we are incredibly fortunate to live in such a wonderful place and since we are actively encouraging visitors to holiday in Cornwall and share in our experience we feel it our duty to be committed to the long term sustainability of the area and our environment as a whole.
We aim to operate within a responsible, ethical and sustainable framework as well as we are able, within building constraints, without compromising in any way on providing luxury for our guests.
Whilst you are staying at Boscrowan you might be interested in our environmental policies and practices:
Electricity
We produce electricity from solar panels which is used on site and goes back to the grid. We have two ground source heat pumps which partially work off the energy produced by the solar panels.
Energy saving
We purchase all electrical equipment with an A or B energy rating, use low energy light bulbs where possible, avoid leaving electrical equipment on standby mode and have used high levels of insulation, including sheeps wool, in the buildings.
Water conservation and pollution control
We harvest rainwater in butts for watering, use mulching in the garden from our own compost bays and we have installed our own environmental sewerage treatment plant.
Waste management and recycling
We recycle paper, glass, cardboard, plastic cartons and cans. Compost caddies are provided in cottages with access to compost bins and we encourage guests to feed waste cooked food to our free range hens. When building we use recycled materials when possible. We provide shopping bags and wicker picnic baskets in the cottages to avoid using disposable items.
Local economy
We provide locally produced soap, hand wash, shower gel and shampoo from Trevarno skin care near Helston, in the cottages. Guests will find a bottle of apple juice in the fridge made from apples from Boscrowan’s own orchard and processed by the lovely people at local Kehelland Trust. The are also welcome to help themselves to veg and salad in season from our vegetable garden and large greenhouse. In fact it may be worth booking a stay in the summer just to have the pleasure of picking your own tomatoes for the 40 + plants in the greenhouse! There is also information regarding local farm shops, restaurants and local crafts etc. We have employed local craftsmen in building our cottages. We expect similar economic standards from our suppliers and contractors. Liaison with the local community is also important to us.
Transport
Bus and train timetables, OS maps, books of local walks and information on local attractions are provided in the cottages. We are happy to transport those who arrive on holiday by public transport to nearby locations eg train and bust station etc.
Natural environment
Our visitors are asked to follow the countryside code, take home litter, use our portable barbecues rather than buy disposable ones, close gates and follow footpaths. We have bird feeders and nesting boxes and encourage wildlife with the plant species we grow. Information on local wildlife trust, RSPB reserves, SSI sites provided and any interesting wildlife sightings and local events are posted on the cottage whiteboards. We also provide recycled wheelbarrows of growing salad leaves for visitors use.
We comply with the requirements of environmental legislation and approved codes of practice and have minimised our risk associated with environmental and social emissions.
We haven’t installed hot tubs as we feel that they don’t conform with our sustainable ethos. Unnecessary volumes of water used when they have to be emptied for every changeover, not to mention the chemicals involved. Nor do we have a swimming pool for similar reason. But we do have the sea just a couple of miles away, the renowned Jubilee Pool – an open air pool filled with seawater just a couple of miles away and the Penzance Leisure Centre a mile and a half away if you do crave a burst of chlorine!
We have joined the Green Tourism Business Scheme as an indicator of our social practices.
Our aim is to continually seek to improve our environmental and social performance and we welcome our visitors’ ideas too − if there is anything you feel we could do to further help our environment then please tell us. We hope even that we may even inspire you, for when you return home!
