Environmental
Our Environmental Commitment
The Avalon is committed to limiting our impact on the environment without compromising your comfort and enjoyment.
We have identified several ways this can be done:
Recycling
There is a 'Green Bag' in your room for anything that can be recycled - cardboard, newspapers, cans, glass and plastic bottles (see below re. unused water). We have a contract with Magpie recycling to collect when we have enough.
Kitchen rolls, toilet rolls and our printer papaer are now from recycled paper.
And if you buy shoes and the assistant says: 'Would you like the box to go with those?' don't say: 'Yes please, the Avalon can add it to their extensive collection!'. Instead say: 'How dare you compromise the future of our planet with your outrageous proposition!'. Or: 'No thanks'.
Water usage (drinking and washing)
There is a litre jug of filtered tap water in your fridge - rather than a plastic bottle. This has reduced a phenominal amount of waste and the filter cartridges are recyclable. Since we came to the Avalon in December 2004, laid end-to-end the plastic bottles used would cover nearly 100 miles. That's an awful lot of unnecessary waste. Anyway, drinking water from plastic bottles is a relatively new phenomenon. As a kid (not that long ago but getting longer) if I wanted water I drank it from the tap! More and more restaurants are offering tap water and there's nothing wrong with ours. So there.
Please use the shower in preference to having a bath.
Southern Water recommends that you do not clean your teeth with the tap running (unless you already pop them in a glass overnight already and don't need a running tap) and likewise shaving with a hot tap running. A pair of wrapped tumblers are there for swishing about.
I have installed water saving devices for all room cisterns.
Lots of people leave half-finished water bottles in their rooms. Feel free to hand them over to us - we'll water the plants with it.
Eco balls
Not an opinion - a washing system that cuts down on most chemicals and pollutants modern detergents release into the environment (and leave on our clothes). The large Fairy which for over a year has sat on the worktop in our laundry room has been ousted by the balls. I won't let our whites go grey though - we have back up for those challenging moments!
Electricity usage
Some items currently left on stand-by will now be switched off in rooms when they are vacant such as TV's and radios (clock radios will be left on because each one takes an age to re-set!). We will assist when you arrive to ensure all equipment is functioning properly.
Please make sure bathroom lights are switched off after use (the fans will continue for about 15 minutes afterwards) and that room lights are switched off when you go out apart from any needed for safety on your return.
We have low-energy lighting where practical but feel free to ask for standard lighting if you are uncomfortable with it. We've recently discovered halfway house eco friendly lighting - particularly for chandaliers etc. Spiral flourescents do not enhance chandaliers. Bulbs that save 40% of the usual energy output do look good and would help save the planet if everyone used them - which they don't.
Towels
If you are staying for a few days we do not automatically replace towels however we will replace them on request so make sure you ask.
Other stuff
Our Hideaway boiler (about 15 years old) has gone to be replaced by a condenser boiler. This uses the heat it gives off, previously out into the atmosphere, to heat water and feed it back through the boiler to reduce the amount of gas needed (that's probably complete tosh but that's what it sounded like). Anyway it's 92% efficient as opposed to 40%.
We've stuck those silver panels behind the radiator in Room 7 to see if they make a difference. I think they do as the room seems warmer. Basically they reflect heat that would otherwise be used to heat the wall behind. If they are good I'll put them in other rooms. They are surprisingly fiddly though
Tell us
We can't think of everything. We haven't got a wind-turbine on our roof (that would silence Eric) or solar panelling although we may work towards getting these. This is a Georgian (1832) building which has 'settled' so there are gaps and cracks and the like around the place. But let us know if you can think of ways we can be even greener.
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