“Green” is very much the in-word these days, but for many years here at the Willowburn we have strived to maintain a green work ethic as far as possible. In our early days we put in things like double glazing and more loft insulation benefiting our expenditure as well as the environment. It also made the hotel a lot more comfortable for our guests!
Our early contributions to the green movement were the more obvious ones like switching off un-needed lights, putting in low wattage bulbs where possible, having heaters with thermostats and timers, turning off heaters in unoccupied bedrooms etc. Over the years we have taken on board new ideas, but even though we try our best, we are aware that it just isn’t possible to be green in everything all of the time especially we also have to meet the needs of guests and other bodies such as environmental health! So, we do what we can and try not to beat ourselves up about things we cannot do...
...In the house we generally use less than the recommended amount for detergent for washing and use vinegar for rinsing rather than fabric conditioner. We try to avoid using the tumble dryer if we can, hanging things outside or on the pulleys where possible – but given our sometimes wet and unpredictable weather, the dryer still has its uses! We also stopped automatically washing towels each day, leaving you to decide whether or not you would like fresh ones.
We recycle paper, plastic and glass, compost anything and everything that can be composted (we have a large composting box which goes by the name of Gilbert!) and waste food is crumbed and given to the birds...
...Old linen is recycled to friend and family and anyone else who needs it. Towels become face cloths or are used by ourselves. Ultimately they literally go to the dogs! Talking of dogs, they eat a raw diet – simultaneously avoiding tin cans or plastic bags, and using up the bits of beasts that we cannot use for the table.
We have planted cover and trees for the birds, and even supplied the birds with nesting boxes. There must be around 25-30 boxes around the garden now, many of them hidden it the hedge and trees. There are boxes for house martins, swallows, starlings, robins, tits, blackbirds, sparrows. The birds don’t always use the box that is specifically for them, preferring someone else’s! The birds are fed all year round, and in the spring we make sure they always have mealy worms for the babies...
We use natural pest control in the garden including lacewings, ladybirds, nematodes, and other predatory beasties. We even have lacewing boxes – and the wren uses them like a supermarket! Hedgehogs, too, have homes scattered around the garden.
We’re trying to supply as much of our own organic fruit and vegetables as possible, supplemented by Barfada Farm at Ardfern. We do have to resort to other suppliers and the supermarket, however, to give us the range of produce...
More and more of our meat and game are grown and supplied locally, and all of our fish and shellfish comes from no further than Oban.
This year we will be joining the many who are trying to offset their carbon emissions by planting trees for each of our guests! This will be done at Kilbride Farm, further down the island.
Would you like to help? If so, please consider turning off your television at night rather than on standby, turn down your heater if your room is too warm rather than just opening the window – even little things help. Any suggestions, too, are very welcome – we are open to new ideas even if we are unable to implement them...
The Willowburn is a non-smoking establishment
Jan & Chris Wolfe
Willowburn Hotel, Seil Island,
By Oban, Argyll
PA34 4TJ
Tel: 01852 300276
email us at: info@willowburn.co.uk
...You might like to consider going into Oban on the bus – it saves parking hassle! And how about hiring bikes?...