Elmswood House Green Policy

We at Elmswood House feel very strongly about our responsibility to the environment and are constantly trying to improve the way we run Elmswood House, to be as environmentally responsible as we can. This includes sourcing our various supplies and inputs as ethically and sustainably as possible, understanding, measuring and trying to keep reducing our various environmental impacts, promoting good practices and opportunities for positive and sustainable local activities, and remembering that we can always improve!

Low-impact inputs

We use a 100% green electricity tariff, and use electricity instead of gas for as much as we can. We source all our food, cleaning and laundry products, with a mixture of local, organic and socially responsible criteria, in order to make the best possible use of our limited purchasing power.

Minimise waste

We get guests to pre-order breakfasts, we offer full recycling facilities in guest rooms, and dry as many towels in the Cornish sunshine as we can manage, in order to reduce waste and unnecessary energy usage where possible.

Public, active and efficient transport

We are in the tourism business, which involves people moving around. Cornwall is a relatively car-dependent place, with a widely spread population, and it is a fact of our current way of life that many people visiting cornwall do so in a private car. We ourselves have a private car. While we use that car for some of our supplying and other business needs, we get as much as we can delivered, either from as locally as possible, or by green delivery slots. We are committed to replacing our own car with an electric vehicle when it reaches the end of its usable life. We encourage visitors to use the available public transport network, and highlight local features easily accessible by bus or train, as well as the wealth of footpaths in the area. We encourage electric vehicle usage by offering free overnight mains charging, and plan to install a EV charge point within the next two years.

Legal Compliance, and more

There are currently laws governing waste management and discharge, product energy efficiency, and other environmental factors. We firmly believe that these laws in general do not go far enough, and meeting current legal requirements is nowhere near good enough if we want to achieve a sustainable global climate. In all our operational and purchasing decisions, net environmental impact, ie longevity and energy efficiency, are our primary considerations, and we will continue to be publicly active in advocacy for stronger and more ambitious environmental rules for our sector and our society as a whole.

Spread the positive message

While there are many challenges in getting the planet onto a sustainable course, there are plenty of good news stories of people making real positive change. People are inspired by stories of others doing wonderful things, and by seeing that individuals and small groups can make a meaningful impact, if even only in their own communities, for now. So we aim to spread the word about the exciting activities going on in our corner of the world, pointing our guests to see and take part in the beach cleans, nature reserves, community projects, that we have on our doorstep. We like to promote local businesses trying, like we are, to make a positive difference, in the hopes that communities and businesses doing good, will also do well.

 There are plenty of businesses trying to make a positive difference, including in the tourism sector. We are proud to be a member of the Green Tourism scheme, and to have been granted a Silver award. Next step, Gold! https://www.green-tourism.com/about-us

Ownership, commitment and ongoing improvement

We are a family run business, with no additional member of staff. The commitment to ever-better environmental performance thus starts at the very top of the organisation, and runs through it comprehensively. All two of us! We finish every tourism season with a review of the business, and this includes a checklist of environmental performance, and opportunities for improvement. We strive to reduce our negative impacts, and enhance our positive impacts, every year.

Last but not least, if we are sure of anything, it is that there are plenty of things we could do to further reduce our environmental impact here, so we actively welcome suggestions or advice from all our guests.

Collin Harker,   Prune Harris

Tywardreath, April 2022