Our Green Philosophy
The whole idea of 'being green' has become a topic of our time, and it is quite right that we all should do everything we can to conduct ourselves less extravagantly. Much of what it means to be green involves cutting down on wasteful consumption, trying not to be profligate with finite resources and taking into consideration how our actions impinge detrimentally on the environment.
As far as we can, within the limits of running a B&B, we do all of this and our efforts have been recognised by the Green Tourism Business Scheme, from whom we have received a Gold award. We have the usual tokens of 'sustainability' such as low energy lightbulbs, and we keep our waste to a minimum, composting as much organic matter as we can, whilst recycling a very high percentage of our remaining waste.
We understand the issues and do all we can to limit car travel and to minimise our use of water, electricity and heating oil. But we do more than that. We recognise the impact that industrialisation has had on the planet, and it is our firm belief that true sustainability can never be achieved by an industrial society whose economy is based on growth. Thus, at Aspen House, we are putting these ideas into practice in the most effective way we can - we have changed the way we source our food and household products.
We don't want to get heavy here, but the truth is that our global industrialised food system (everything from chemically supported monoculture crops to factory processing to global transport networks to big box retailers) is contributing more than any other human activity to the problem of climate change - it is the one issue that is never mentioned but it is the one thing we can all do something about.
At Aspen House, all of our fresh food is locally sourced. Dry goods come from our local independent organic shop. We buy no processed foods, and our imported foods are limited to a few essentials, such as tea, coffee, chocolate, spices and lemons. Wherever possible, these goods carry the Fair Trade label. As for bread, preserves, pickles, etc, these are made at home from the best local ingredients we can source.
We limit chemical inputs to an absolute minimum - we will not have environmentally damaging toxic household cleaners here, preferring instead milder preparations (e.g. borax and white vinegar) that do the same job just as effectively. The soap in our bedrooms is hand made for us using the most natural of ingredients. Finally, on a personal level, we have opted out of what is generally called 'consumerism,' preferring to limit our buying to needs rather than wants.
