Stirk House Hotel have recently been awarded the GOLD standard by the Green Tourism Scheme – a great achievement! Did the award involve a lot of adjustments? What was the biggest change you made to achieve this?
Yes! This is an excellent achievement for an entry level business and there is an extremely strong focus on local, seasonal produce too. This is reflected in the menu which changes on a daily basis. There are strong links with the Forest of Bowland AONB here and the hotel benefits from an electric car charging point and a tramper. Our green message is clearly advertised to guests in the bedroom folders and on the green table in reception and there are plenty of opportunities for walking, cycling and nature spotting in the local vicinity. We try to promote our ethos with our guests where we can!
The award involved a lot of co-operation and enthusiasm of every department and every member of staff to put Chris’s vision (our Head Chef here) for sustainability into place. Our biggest change we made was to streamline the recycling from the kitchen as this was where the most dramatic changes could be made and for results to be seen instantly.
White recycling bins were organised and now all kitchen waste is sorted into recycling and non-recycling. We utilise our newly formed compost heap, where all bio-degradable food waste is taken to decompose naturally. There are also plans to start our very own vegetable patch, to compliment our herb garden!
What changes did you put in place to make this happen? Was it a team effort for everyone involved?
We made a lot of changes but the main differences were:
Energy consumption – By ensuring appliances are switched off in bedrooms, offices and kitchens when not in use. And while we are keen to address our own energy use, we also want to help our guests reduce their impact too, we have even installed a charging point for electric cars.
Energy usage encompasses the major project of addressing the hotel’s heating system and hot water. Biomass Boilers are being considered to replace existing kerosene-fuelled boilers, and we estimate this would cut our CO2e emissions by 176,000kg per year, reducing our overall emissions from energy use by 39%.
Waste management – With simple recycling we have been able to reduce the volume of non-recycled waste sent for disposal by 65%. We have also developed compost heaps within the grounds and now use the mulch to feed the gardens and herb plots.
Minimising water usage – Towels are no longer automatically replaced on a daily basis for our guests, reducing unnecessary washing; saving energy and water. We now provide re-useable water bottles filled with delicious Ribble Valley tap water in all bedrooms and for our dining guests. This has greatly reduced the environmental impact associated with the production, transportation and the recycling processes involved with using bottled water.
