Twelve Oaks Environmental Policy
Environmental Statement
"Here at Twelve Oaks we are committed to preventing pollution, aim to continuously improve our environmental performance and strive to reduce our environmental impact." Helen and Phil
The Accommodation
Our home has been built to the highest specifications regarding energy efficiency using the best materials to ensure maximum comfort. Heat is retained with loft and wall insulation and quality double glazed windows. Heating can be controlled to suit requirements and hot water is supplied on demand and instantly for showers, etc.
Wherever possible energy efficient appliances and light bulbs have been used. Please switch off when not in use and do not leave appliances, eg television on stand-by. All electrical appliances are PAT tested each year.
Spiritual well-being is important to us and as a result we endevour to promote a healthy space using natural fabrics, cottons, wool and hypo-allegenic bed components.
The cleansing materials used to clean the home are all chlorine-free and/or fair-trade products. We request that towels etc not used by guests are left to one side and those that need to be washed are left in the laundry bin.
The Garden and Woodland
"It is essential to retain woodland areas to reduce pollution, generate oxygen, maintain wildlife habitats and improve quality of life. Conserving the past is also ensuring the future and keeping alive an irreplacable source of timeless beauty." Woodland Trust
With this in mind we have had commissioned a professional Woodland Management Programme and our aim is to manage our woodland by;
Setting realistic yearly objectives regarding the coppicing of the woodland.
Ensuring where possible that the wood feeds benefit to other wildlife fauna.
We encourage natural regeneration - working with nature.
Piles of wood is left for insects, frogs, lizards, toads and funghi etc.
Piles of stones left for invertebrates etc.
To attract more wildlife to Twelve Oaks we encourage lots of thistles, wild grasses and wild flowers throughout and this is an on-going programme.
We have established bird-feeding stations and operate a moth trap regularly. In addition we are erecting bat and owl boxes for our nocturnal residents along with traditional bird-boxes.
Our next project will be to encourage the Garden Biodiversity further by planting indiginous flowers, trees and shrubs particularly with a view to attracting bees, butterflies and lacewings.
Recycling
Living on the Isle of Mull is a wonderful thing although from time to time some small problems can arise. All of our guests take an interest in recycling and we have found that different parts of the UK deal with their waste in their own way. Here on Mull it isn't quite as easy as on the mainland as everything has to be disposed of,much of it taken off the island which greatly increases the cost.
Our own contribution towards this is reflected in the marketing side of our business by Reduce/Reuse/Recycle in conjunction with good electronic management systems and record-keeping, preferring to e-mail whenever possible, use of recycled paper materials, we also recycle envelopes.
Within Twelve Oaks we have our own collecting facilities for paper, glass and plastic. Any compostable materials are dealt with here at Twelve Oaks.
Water Supply
We have water saving wcs and use waterbutts to collect rainwater thus making another important contribution towards saving water, we only use watering cans saving water compared to the use of a hose-pipe.
General
We are endevouring to promote Responsible Tourism by working with our guests to ensure wherever possible, the beautiful Isle of Mull is kept that way. This year we aim to continue to do the following.
Support the local economies and host communities by asking our guests to buy local produce, we have sourced local meat, fish, eggs and organic vegetable boxes for your consideration. Eat out locally, the food here is fresh, tasty and marvellous.
Try to save energy. Leave the car at home and give it a holiday. Use local transport or even better still hire a bike.
Finally we encourage the use of our wildlife diary whilst staying at Twelve Oaks, please feel free to use it to record your sightings and get in touch with nature.
prepared by Phil & Helen McDermott
