Green Statement

Thank you for choosing Tan y Foel.

We tread as lightly as possible, and we hope that you will enjoy a holiday which makes such environmental sense

Here are some of things we do here:

All the landscaping and fencing at the farm, even the long bark pathways, were all made using waste products from trees, which had to be harvested for safety reasons. Even the drive and car park were made using material sourced at the farm itself, so involving zero mileage in their construction.
All waste water is processed via our reed bed system. A reed bed system is a way of naturally purifying waste grey water back to water that is clean enough for habitation by wildlife. The balance ensures that it is sufficiently clean for all sorts of wildlife to live there, from fish and frogs, to the wild birds which nest there and raise their young. So we ask you please to use water carefully and thoughtfully, and remember it will all affect the balance of the reed bed.
All toilets in the house, and the caravans, have 'hippo' water saving devices.
The caravans each have a waste bin with a black bag for rubbish, and a second bin which has two plastic bags within it, one for recycling paper and card etc, and one for tins and plastic. Should you have material for the compost bins as long as it is vegetable in nature and contains no meat or fish please feel free to bring it up to the composter sited opposite the vegetable garden. Unbroken glass can be put aside and it will be collected by your hosts at the end of your holiday and recycled for you.
All animals, and all growing areas here, including the orchard, polytunnel, herb garden, market garden and vegetable field, are all watered using water from our rain harvesting system.
We grow 100% of all hay and haylage we use for animal feeds right here on the farm. So not only is it all organic, it goes from field to animal with no road miles. Even the bedding the animals sleep on is 100% and largely home produced.
All foodstuffs available here, including eggs are produced 100% organically. The fruit and veg we sell are offered in reused punnets and all bags are recycled.
We make our own compost via an extensive system of ten compost bins and wormeries. This is then used to enrich the growing areas.
Our transport choices are dictated by three factors. Being able to access the hill farm in difficult winter conditions, the need to tow trailers for moving farm livestock. And seven seat capacity for collecting holiday makers who choose to arrive by train or coach. However, our transport miles are carefully managed to ensure they are kept to an absolute minimum.
All paper and envelopes used in correspondence are made with at least 70% and as much as 90% recycled material. We have a 'no standby' policy, which means that when something is not in use, even for a short while, it is switched off.
All oils and herbs used in the treatment centre are organic and all packaging is locally sourced recycled and is all recyclable.
Part of the house uses electricity generated on site using solar panels.
The house is heated entirely via renewable sources from this site.
The washing machine for our own, and for guest use, is on a permanent low energy and low water use setting. We use soap nuts not detergent. These are composted after use. Softener is home made, using natural oils and herbs.
All wood we use is from our own managed coppicing and replanting system, calculated to provide a continuous supply for heat and water for long term future use.
On site we make pickles, jams, chutneys, wines, ciders, etc. all made from our own produce, and all bottled using recycled materials.
We find ingenious new uses for everything, nothing goes to waste.
Even junk mail is made into paper bricks for use in the multi-fuel burners.
Each year we aim to complete a new 'eco project'. Our next projects involve the building of a composting toilet and a straw bale potting shed.
Anything we no longer need finds a home on freecycle or at the local charity shop.
A large part of the land here has been reserved exclusively to encourage wildlife and particularly ground nesting birds.
Ample bird and bat boxes supplement the already excellent natural habitats.
We have a policy of reviewing and updating our 'light living policy' and adding or improving things whenever we find scope for change.

We hope you find this information useful, and that it helps you to understand a little more about what we do here at Tan y Foel.