At Ty Beic I try to live in a responsible way that promotes sustainability.  This is not something that is formal or audited but it is embedded in the way I live my life.

Local, sustainably sourced and recycled materials have been used in the restoration work, together with Forest Stewardship Council certified timber.  The cottages have largely been equipped with products from the UK or EU.

Hot water and heat is provided by a biomass boiler fueled by locally sourced woodchip.  Most of the electricity is generated by photovoltaic panels and additional solar water heating panels provide hot water to the laundry.

Spring water is used to water the garden and vegetable patch and water for the pressure washer comes from a water butt.

The patch of ground where the old oil tank was located has become a recycling area. I try to make it simple and easy for guests to recycle and reduce waste.

Compost bins are provided for both cottages and food waste is turned into compost for the vegetable patch.

Toilet paper is from Who Gives a Crap made from recycled paper and whose profits are used to help build toilets in the developing world.

All of the cleaning and washing products are sourced through Splosh, which is a company set up to minimise the environmental impacts of such products.  The bottles are refillable with no single use plastic.

I also work to maintain and encourage biodiversity, including providing habitats for bats and nesting birds (owls amongst many others) as well as leaving areas wild for other animals such as hedgehogs.

I aim to promote cycling as a healthy and sustainable form of transport and use my bicycle as my main form of transport.

Ty Beic has recently joined Tourism Declares, an initiative that supports tourism businesses in declaring a climate emergency and taking purposeful action to reduce carbon emissions. Read more on the blog