We were thrilled to learn this week that, after a long and rigorous assessment process, we’ve been given a Green Tourism Gold Award for the second time running!
“Tredarrup Farm Holiday Cottages have done an excellent job in achieving the Green Tourism Gold Award. The business has displayed an excellent understanding of sustainability and awareness of opportunities and challenges associated with running a responsible business. The owners are fully engaged and committed to the process and promotion of sustainability through the business. They have shown a commitment to continual improvement, a willingness to implement change where required, dedication in the pursuit of sustainable business practices and an impeccable ethos in the way they run the business, this comes across throughout the assessment. Congratulations to the business for maintaining and achieving the Gold award.”
What achieving our Green Tourism award means
We are supported in our sustainability practices, and in our improvement journey, by the world-leading sustainability accreditation partner, Green Tourism.
Achieving a Green Tourism award means that our sustainability practices have been assessed and verified by a credible partner. It shows that we have an ongoing commitment:
- to sustainability standards and practices
- to work responsibly, ethically, and sustainably
- to contribute to our community
- to reduce our impact on the environment, and
- to be accessible and inclusive to all visitors and staff.
Green Tourism has assessed our business against 15 sustainability criteria grouped under the pillars of People, Places and Planet. These consider the social, economic, and environmental actions we undertake, providing a holistic assessment of our sustainability performance.
Our highlights
Green Tourism also helped us to highlight our areas of sustainability strength. At our last assessment our sustainability highlights included:
Awareness – Excellent knowledge and awareness of all aspects of sustainability on show throughout including detailed green action plan.
Health & Wellbeing – Very Strong performance in all areas of protecting and supporting staff and customer health and wellbeing with customers consistently feeling relaxed and rejuvenated following stays.
Communication – Excellent communication of policy, green story including green story on website and also in digital guidebook.
Destination – Excellent information about local area made available to the customer and visitors charter available to them.
Energy – Several examples of best practice on display including an efficient heating and hot water system.
What do the Green Tourism gradings mean?
Green Tourism provides an overall grading of Gold, Silver, or Bronze depending on the overall score achieved across the comprehensive criteria.
Bronze
Typically, an entry-level business, who are in the early stages of its green journey but has shown great commitment to making its business work more sustainably and is currently implementing a range of measures related to the 15 goals across all three pillars of People, Places and Planet.
Silver
Typically, a business that falls under this category can demonstrate good practice across our three pillars of People, Places and Planet, but has an action plan of best practice improvements that will enhance the sustainability practices within the business.
Gold
A business that achieves the highest standards of sustainability has a strong and broad environmental ethos and can provide excellent examples of best practice throughout the majority of the three pillars of People, Places and Planet. It has made significant changes to its working practices and continues to review and maintain them.
Of those businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry that put themselves forward for Green Tourism’s third-party verification, around one-third achieve bronze, one-third silver, and one-third bronze.
Our latest assessment in February 2023 was our second and we were pleased to learn we had again been awarded Gold.
Our next assessment
Our next assessment will take place in February 2025 when we aim to keep up the good work and retain our Green Tourism Gold award once more!
In the meantime, we’ll be continuing our green journey with your help.
We plan to increase habitats and refuges for wildlife on the farm, reduce waste by introducing more extensive composting of food waste, measure and reduce our water consumption and continue to reduce our overall energy use and carbon production.
If you have any suggestions whilst you’re staying with us on how we can be greener then do please let us know! You’ll find a feedback form in your cottage and all ideas are gratefully received.
