Sustainability
Environment
The Big House Co is committed to reducing its environmental impact and promoting good practices through:
- Complying with relevant legislation
- Informing/educating guests and staff about our recycling policy
- Educating and training ourselves on best practices – Green Edge course attended
- Being aware of areas for improvement and improving
Actions taken so far:
- Recycling procedures are in place for guests and briefing given
- Biomass Boilers installed at Tone Dale House and Widcombe Grange
- Low energy or LED bulbs are used wherever possible
- Cistern hippos are in place
- Paper recycling in office
- White goods are AAA rated
- Turn off TVs etc rather than standby when not in use
- Turn off policy
- Green telephone supplier (Chess Telecom)
- Heating control timers
- Sensor lighting for all outdoor areas
- Shredded office paper used for animal bedding
- Pump soap dispensers in all bathrooms
- Good insulation of pipe work
- Water based paints used for all redecoration works
- Installation of water treatment plant at Widcombe Grange
- Encouraging car sharing for staff with mileage payments
- Promoting rail travel to guests where possible
- Arranging mini bus transport for large groups to save on numerous taxis
- Reduction of printed material in favour of electronic formats
- Our CRM is hosted on shared online servers
- All replacement cisterns are dual flush
Sustainability
The Big House Co strongly believes in supporting the local community and local economy through its actions and purchases.
- Use local suppliers wherever possible – Sheppys cider, farm shops, local cheeses etc
- Promote local suppliers to our clients via website, welcome pack and chatting
- Recommendations for local attractions and places to visit
- Recommendation of local pubs, restaurants and entertainment
- Producing our own apple juice from the orchard at Widcombe Grange for our
- clients
- Giving prospective clients goodie bags made from sustainable sources filled with local products – and our apple juice!
- Support of local charities – eg. Wellington Monument Restoration Fund, we encourage guests to donate too!
- Offering Tone Dale House for local interest group meetings, etc.
- We have two gardening plots given over to local people who wish to garden but don’t have the space at home
- We arrange local activity providers (eg archery, massage etc) for our guests
- We offer our houses as polling stations
- Responsible management of our woods to provide logs and bark chippings
- Our lake will soon be host to specimen carp for a local syndicate
- Provide employment for full time, part time and seasonal workers.
Our Future Plans
- We hope to continue with our current practices and further reduce our energy consumption
- Continue to explore other avenues for energy supplies
- Moving towards a paperless client trail using online banking, and electronic communication wherever possible.
