Sustainability

What is sustainability? Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism.

We understand the importance of sustainability and our impact on the local area, community, and environment. As such, we are committed to promoting responsible practices in all aspects of our operations and we will never stop looking for new methods to improve our environmental and sustainability practices, ensuring that Devon's scenic landscapes are safeguarded for future generations.

Dog baskets

As a multiple-dog welcoming holiday home, we are often asked if we provide dog baskets to save on packing space for guests. The answer is no and the reason is we don't ask what breed or size our dog guests are and we know as dog owners that dogs like different styles of baskets so the chances are that the dogs would not like the selection, or they were too big or too small. Any dog baskets we did leave out used or otherwise would need to be washed and dried before the next guests. The environmental impact of that often unnecessary laundry does not feel appropriate.

Woodland

When we acquired Whitebeam Wood, we noticed that the woodland had been neglected for approximately 10 years, with conifers taking over and killing native trees. We worked with a local firm to remove the unsafe and unhelpful conifers, and replaced them with native trees that provide habitat and food for wildlife, while allowing ground plants to grow on the woodland floor. We left a large number of logs in the wood to attract wildlife of all sizes.

Meadow and wildlife

To support biodiversity, we have allowed most of the grass to grow into a meadow, with paths mown through it. We sow native Devon wildflower seeds in the meadow to enhance its beauty and attract more wildlife. We have preserved the hedgerow areas as they provide vital habitat for Dormice, and we chose stock fencing to allow smaller mammals like hedgehogs to continue their movements as before.

As we have no natural water areas in the grounds we decided to add a 'watering hole' for wildlife by the lower backdoor, right by the tap so that our guests can help keep it topped up.

As well as natural insect habitat we also have a number of man made insect houses.

EV Charger

We have an EV charging point for our guests to use at the house, reducing carbon emissions and helping to protect the environment.

Shop local

We understand the importance of supporting local independent businesses, which are an essential part of the South Devon community. We encourage our guests to support these businesses and have provided details for many of them in our online guide. We are always looking to expand this list, so please let us know if you think we have missed any.

By working together, we can ensure that our actions have a positive impact on the environment and the local community.

Supporting local small businesses

All through the renovation of Whitebeam Wood, we chose to work with local businesses like our fantastic team at Blueview Renovations who brought in other local firms like DC Electrical. They helped us choose the most environmentally friendly options we could, focussing on long-term quality as well as environmental features. Low energy appliances and light bulbs. Installing a completely new more efficient heating system, including having a new water mains pipe run up to the house from the bottom of the drive. That not only increased the water pressure allowing us to get a more efficient boiler, and a better guest experience but just as importantly the difference in water pressure from the bottom to the top of the drive meant that there was a sizeable leak in the original pipe, wasting gallons of water constantly. The new pipe stopped that wastage straight away. 

When renovating the house we kept all the original flooring where possible, in some cases, water damage made that impossible. We removed the fireplace from the lounge and replaced it with an efficient Woodburner. The stone from the fireplace and from two very unsafe ponds were all reused to create the bespoke firepit. 

Our amazing friends who run Moor to Sea Homes look after Whitebeam for us, are a local firm that employs local individuals and we would be lost without them and all their team!

Recycling

Our Local Authority does not provide a recycling service for Holiday Accommodation and so we have contracted with a local business which collects all our rubbish, it is taken back to their depot and the recycling is separated and disposed of accordingly. You can find all the details here. 

Appliances

Saving energy and water are priorities, which is why we supply appliances that are energy and water-efficient and advocate for water preservation.

Hot tubs

We are so often asked if we have a hot tub or why we do not allow them to be rented at the house.

The answer is simple we choose not to have one as we are so close to the sea and a Fresh Water Lake which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve plus we have a stretch of stream and we do not want chemicals going into the water which they would every week when it was emptied.

We would love to welcome you to stay please let us know if you have any questions for our pricing click here and then choose 'Show More' at the bottom. To see our availability click here. We only take direct bookings so contact us to book your dog welcoming holiday