Our Commitment to the Environment at Cotswold Cottage
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Here at Cotswold we believe in protecting this beautiful environment and our most precious treasure the Coromandel, not just for ourselves but for you and your children and grandchildren. We have developed our own environmental initiatives which we hope you will welcome and support while enjoying your stay with us.
Some of the Environmental Initiatives here at Cotswold Cottage:
Energy (electricity & gas) saving initiatives:
- We have installed energy-saving and efficient on-demand hot water supply (heated by gas) to all the guest rooms and energy saving heating to all the main reception areas, guest dining and lounge area;
- Energy saving light bulbs are installed throughout the house and light sensors are installed outside where practicable;
- Bathroom fans are on timers;
- Heavy lined curtains are on the windows to reduce heat escape;
- We have an active ‘switch off’ policy, turning off all unnecessary lighting and electrical equipment.
Water saving initiatives:
- Our laundry is processed by a professional company who use the latest water saving technology and biodegradable products;
- We have installed water saving devices in taps, shower heads & sinks and dual flush toilets to reduce water volume without comprising quality.
Sustainable building practices:
- The redecoration of the whole house with the use of paints bearing the environment standard tick.
Waste reduction initiatives:
- Recycling, composting, planting and landscaping requiring no irrigation and mulching to retain moisture in our extensive gardens;
- We minimise paper waste by marketing online and reducing our reliance on printed marketing material;
- We reuse stationary office supplies;
- We consider the life cycle of product purchases and donate items to the local community rather than placing them in the refuse dump.
Community & Conservation initiatives:
- We at Cotswold are proud to be part of this beautiful community and we actively support the Westpac rescue helicopter, the sanctuary at Driving Creek Railway as well as provide free of charge a meeting venue for small local environmental focused groups;
- We purchase goods locally were possible to reduce carbon emissions;
- We support regeneration of native New Zealand forests by supporting the Driving Creek Railway replanting projects and Kiwi green planting initiatives.
We can always do more
There is always more we can do and so we chart the amount of electricity, water and fuel we use and the amount of waste we throw out so we can identify where we are doing well and where we could be doing better. We constantly try to come up with initiatives to minimise the consumption of electricity, gas, water and fuel.
Creating a sustainable environment is not just about the grand gestures and big projects, it is about the little things. When I was growing up my mother had a very apt and often irritating saying “WASTE NOT WANT NOT”, in her day it was about being economical and having no waste - these things go hand in hand with creating a sustainable tomorrow. The little things do matter, such as:
- Never take more food to your plate than you can eat so as not to waste;
- Think ‘do I need to turn on the hot water tap or will cold water do the job?’;
- Air drying clothes and washing laundry in cold water when possible.
- Switching off all unnecessary lights, computers, TVs and other electrical appliances;
- When going out to do the shopping planning the journey so that you do everything in a circle and so not having to make unnecessary trips;
- When something has had its day as one thing it may well be useful as another.
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