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Sustainability

We are a small family owned and managed business who care passionately about our environment, our planet and local sustainability. We are incredibly mindful about prioritising the importance of social responsibility within our every-day business activities. We hold dear our sustainability ethos and work with our business partners to source locally, reduce, reuse and recycle products and provide support for the local economy. You can read about our current practices and future plans below.

We are members of Green Tourism

Energy and Resources

  • We use low energy lightbulbs throughout our cottages and all our appliances are AAA+ rated to minimise the use of electricity.
  • Our cottages are double glazed and roof insulated to reduce heat loss.
  • We provide underfloor heating to reduce gas and electricity usage.
  • Our cottages have been designed to let in as much natural light as possible to reduce the need for artificial lighting.
  • Our courtyard entrance has a sensor light which only comes on when movement is detected.
  • We encourage our guests to turn off lights and appliances when not in use and to use the microwave over the hob or oven to conserve energy.
  • We have soakaway gulleys in the courtyard for an efficient and low environmental impact method of dealing with surface water.
  • We encourage our guests to use public transport instead of their car to reduce emissions and have provided them with a host of ideas for car free activities.

Sourcing and Procurement

  • When renovating our cottages we engaged local tradespeople and craftsmen who utilised reclaimed timber and slate.
  • Our pictures and ornaments have been purchased through local craft shops, artists and galleries to support the local economy.
  • We engage local businesses to our marketing, cleaning and maintenance needs.
  • We use and recommend local or Fair Trade suppliers for our food and toiletry products and encourage our guests to do the same.
  • Our welcome packs contain produce from local suppliers.

Cleaning

  • Our property management company engage local people to undertake the cleaning of our cottages which is undertaken to meet the highest standards of cleanliness.
  • The products and substances used by the cleaners are eco-friendly and bought in bulk containers with re-fill bottles to help reduce plastic waste.
  • The washing up liquid, cleaning spray and toilet cleaner provided for use by our guests are eco-friendly, resourced locally and are re-fillable items.
  • We have provided microfibre cloths in the kitchens to minimise the use of cleaning products.
  • Our courtyard and windows are cleaned with equipment that minimises the use of water.
  • The personal items provided for use by our guests within the bathrooms are paraben free and bought in bulk with refillable bottles too.

Minimising Waste

  • We have provided large recycling bins in the court-yard so that guests are able to recycle glass, plastic, tins etc and our welcome information actively encourages guests to use these facilities correctly.
  • Waste collections are carried out on a weekly basis to prevent rotting waste.
  • All bins are cleaned to maintain the highest hygiene standards.
  • We monitor waste levels through recycling certificates provided by the waste carrier.
  • Our welcome information provides guests with ideas for reducing food waste during their stay.
  • We provide Tupperware for shopping and re-useable shopping bags to avoid the need for plastic food packaging.
  • We provide re-usable drinking cups for our guests to use during their stay.
  • We encourage guests to use the beach recycling bins when out and about.

Community and Environment

  • We are platinum sponsors of the local theatre company Kidz R Us.
  • We are sponsors of the St Ives seal sanctuary and encourage guests to visit our mascot Seal Noddy at the sanctuary.
  • We have planted flower tubs to encourage local insects, bees and butterflies to come into our courtyard.
  • We leave out RNLI boxes for change collection.
  • Our welcome information actively encourages guests to buy locally in the shops and farmers markets.
  • We support local events such as the September Festival.
  • We have taken part in the Toilet Twinning Campaign, our cottage toilets are twinned in Africa to provide sanitary facilities in poverty stricken communities.

Planning for the Future

  • Obtain a Green Tourism Award.
  • Provision of a full access statement with floor plans on our website and welcome information.
  • Change of policy to allow an access dog into Juliot.
  • Obtain a Visit England 5 Star Gold Award.
  • Installation of access ramps.
  • Use of reduce/reuse/recycle stickers.
  • Change to a renewable energy tariff such as Pure Planet.
  • Installation of smart meters.
  • Provide a consolidated eco tips document in the properties.
  • Promoting the use of public transport and prominently providing timetables etc.
  • Link in with the 2 minute beach clean campaign.
  • Installation of a water butt in the courtyard to trap rainwater for watering flower tubs.
  • Introduce hanging flower baskets with bee friendly flowers and herbs.
  • Provision of re-useable plates and cutlery for picnics.
  • Provision of re-useable water bottles and coffee cups for walks and outside activities.

@MyCottagesInStIves @Cottages_StIves @mycottagesinstives
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Mr. Gary Beeston trading as My Cottages in St Ives
3, 5 and 5a The Digey, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1HR, United Kingdom
enquiries@mycottagesinstives.co.uk

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