Recent years have seen a growing awareness of how damaging some of our lifestyle choices can be to the environment. This of course extends to the ways in which we take our holidays and run our businesses. Here at Staffa House we support the idea that the earth’s resources are limited and finite and that we should steward them well. We believe that good choices, however small, can make a difference, and if everyone encourages everyone else to make small differences, then the overall result can be amazing! Here are some of the things we have set up already in the early days of taking over Staffa House:

Cleaning products
At Staffa House we are committed to using environmentally-friendly cleaning products, at present almost exclusively those made by E-Cover. This includes cream cleaner, laundry liquid, washing-up liquid, shower gel and liquid soap..

Electricity
Our electricity is supplied by ‘Green Energy’, a small, independent company based in Hertfordshire

Equipment
Our fridges and freezers have tight seals to prevent heat loss.

Fairtrade products
We are passionate supporters of the Fairtrade movement and order from The Fairground, a company dealing exclusively with Fairtrade products, based in Staveley, Cumbria. Breakfast teas, herbal teas, ground coffee, instant coffee and hot chocolate sachets and sugar are all supplied by this company.

Hot water
In October 2009 we installed a solar thermal system. This uses the heat of the sun to heat much of our water for showers, baths, washing up, etc.

Insulation
Our loft is insulated with Warmcel, a product made from 100% recycled newspaper.

Laundry
Bed-linen is not generally changed within the length of a guest’s stay which cuts down on water wastage and laundry liquid. Towels are changed if the stay exceeds three nights.

Lighting
Almost all of our light bulbs at Staffa House are of a low wattage. We make every effort to ensure that lights and heaters are not left on unnecessarily.

Organic food
We are not yet in a position to buy all food products from organic sources. However, we’re on the way: flour, rice, cocoa powder, ground coffees, herbal teas, tinned tomatoes, some sugars, some grains and pulses and some meats are organically sourced.

Smoking policy
Staffa House is strictly non-smoking throughout.

Suppliers
We order from local suppliers wherever possible. Some dry foods and cleaning products come from Greencity, a wholefood cooperative based in Glasgow which aims to provide a supportive workplace, supports local and organic producers wherever possible and is committed to Fairtrade products. Our vegetables are delivered to us by Breckenridge, based in Oban. In the growing season we aim to use produce from a local organic garden only 3 miles away in Kintra. Beef is purchased from Ardalanish Organic Farm, just outside Bunessan on the Ross of Mull. Lamb is supplied by either Ardalanish or Lagandorain, a working croft on the north end of Iona. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and sugar are ordered from The Fairground. We support Baby Milk Action’s call for a continued boycott of all Nestle (and its subsidiary companies) products due to the company’s continued promotion of powdered baby milk as an alternative to breast milk in the developing world. Nestle’s stance is in contravention of the World Health Organisation guidelines. Where at all possible we try to avoid purchasing from large multi-national corporations.

Transport
We acknowledge that the number of cars on Mull is increasing, putting pressure on roads, parking, and creating pollution. Clearly it is not always possible nor practical for everyone to travel to Fionnphort using public transport. However, we actively encourage our guests to use public transport by having up-to-date, accurate information to hand over the phone, clearly displaying train and bus timetables in the house, and by offering a reduction of £2 on each overnight stay for any of our guests travelling to and from Staffa House entirely by public transport. We share the use of our own car with a family from Iona.

Walking
We have a wide selection of walking books and maps readily available for guests’ use and we go out of our way to help with queries and advice regarding local walks. Many of these walks do not require a car, and we encourage our visitors to explore these gems on our doorstep before rushing off to walk further afield.

Waste
We recycle all waste paper, cardboard, tin, aluminium, glass and plastic. Office paper that is used on one side only is kept and reused for notes and filing etc whilst envelopes are used more than once, sometimes several times! We use recycled toilet paper. Individual hand soap and shower gel containers in guest bedrooms are re-filled from large containers rather than purchasing separate ones each time they are empty. With four compost bins used in rotation, we are avid composters! In order to minimise food waste we ask guests to make their breakfast and dinner choices in advance. For the same reason, any special dietary requirements are requested at the time of booking.

Water
All our toilets are fitted with water-saving ‘Hippos’. A Hippo reduces the amount of water used to flush a cistern by 2-3 litres each time.

Wildlife
We love to talk to guests about the local wildlife and to chat about the delicate balance in this area between tourism and conservation. We have good working relationships with local wildlife tour operators and are able to recommend models of good practice to our visitors during their stay with us.

Contacts
We subscribe to the following organisations:
- Friends of the Earth
- Greenpeace
- John Muir Trust
- Mull and Iona Community Trust Eco-Charter
- Organic Places to Stay
- The Resurgence Trust
- World Development Movement

Summary
We appreciate that actions speak louder than words on the subject of environmental tourism. We’re determined to do our bit, small in some areas, larger in others. We also know that we’re not perfect and we aim to make even more progress in the coming months. However, we hope that you’ll agree that the above represents a good start. We love it when our guests take an interest in this subject - and give us new ideas. Please join in!

(last updated October 2009)