Champions of Sustainability: Paul Carter & Angela Crawley, White House Cottages
In our vacation rental sector, businesses around the world are striving to become more sustainable: reducing their carbon footprint and promoting responsible tourism.
“Signposting sustainability for vacation rentals”
This case study follows White House Cottages journey to carbon emission reduction: what initiatives they have implemented and what they have achieved so far.
The aim is to inspire and motivate you to take the leap to creating a more sustainable vacation rental and to understand that every gesture – big or small – makes a difference.
Although relatively new to the short term letting industry, Paul enjoyed a successful career in the travel industry, most recently as CEO of Explore Worldwide. Starting in the Algarve, nearly 40 years ago, Paul saw the transformation of the countryside into golf courses and growth of high rise hotels along the idyllic coastline; afterwards – working as a walking guide and ski rep in his mother’s native Austria, he has witnessed the effects that climate change has had on the Alps.
Paul and Angela have been fortunate to travel the globe and enjoyed amazing experiences, Paul observes that whilst tourism can be a force for ill, it can also be a power for good and he is proud of his involvement in Explore Worldwide’s programmes including Sri Lanka, Peru and South East Asia.
As Paul and Angela’s children developed their own lives, and reflecting on changes in personal circumstances, they decided to pursue a new adventure, whilst still following Paul’s strongly held view that “By its very nature, tourism values the things that are most precious in our world: beautiful landscapes, wildlife, history, local cultures and people.
Tourism can and should be a force for good – a catalyst for growth in the local economy, providing good quality jobs, opportunities for enterprise and funds for conservation.”
They began their hunt in the already familiar county of Shropshire, but finding no suitable properties they moved south into neighbouring Herefordshire and discovered White House Cottages in the village of Aylton, near the historic market town of Ledbury.
Greening the Business
The red brick construction of the cottages seems at odds with their name. Paul explains that the 400 year old farmhouse was most likely whitewashed at some time in its history and, unlike the paint, the name has stuck. The buildings now look splendid, restored to their red marl finish. If Paul and Angela are unlikely to whitewash them again, it is certain that they will not be greenwashing White House Cottages.
Paul cites inspiration from 3 generations. His 90 year old mother, a child of the second world war, has always been passionate about avoiding waste. Way before recycling became fashionable she was saving and reusing everything that she could. She, like her mother, Paul’s Austrian Omi, a child of the previous war, instilled into Paul the importance to recognise the value of even the most mundane items, greaseproof paper, yoghurt pots…
From another generation, their daughter Lola, a vegetarian since the age of 11, is a strident believer in saving the planet. Paul talks proudly about how, in her early 20s, she became the head of corporate social responsibility in a B corp rated company with an impressive score of 154 out of 200. With Paul and Angela at the helm, Paul is pleased that White House Cottages is a family enterprise, with environmental input from Lola and technical support from tech whizz son Billy. Having learnt the power of reverse mentoring in the corporate environment, Paul values the innovative perspective of a younger generation.
The Cottages’ previous owners had taken little interest in making them environmentally friendly. Paul’s first move was away from the incumbent electricity supplier to all green Octopus. As well as migrating to low power LED light bulbs, Paul and Angela replaced the ancient electric heaters with more efficient wifi enabled versions. A significant investment, although with his business background, Paul calculated that the reduction in electricity consumption would pay for itself in relatively few years.
Taking guidance and inspiration from EnviroRental, other early moves were to replace water and energy inefficient bathtubs with showers, and replace the ageing water heaters with renewable powered ones. Their target is to eliminate 75% of domestic waste, Angela is making good use of the hot bin composting system as she develops the organic vegetable garden and flower patches. Guests are treated on arrival to fresh flowers from the garden or cakes made with the neighbour’s eggs.
Upcycled furniture has replaced worn out items and recycled bicycles are available for guests, and if that isn’t pun enough, the old tandem is named Aylton John.
Paul talks enthusiastically of the ethical brands who have long been their household suppliers such as Who Gives a Crap who donate 50% of the profits from their eco-friendly toilet paper to fund sanitary projects in the developing world. Ecover and SMOL supply non toxic detergents in refillable bottles.
He is also a fan of Faith in Nature, not only are their toiletries certified vegan and not tested on animals but they have taken the innovative step of “putting nature on the board” . An independent non-executive director doesn’t just sit on the company’s board, they also audit and certify the annual report, as reported in UK broadsheet, The Guardian.
Discovering a New Area.
Paul and Angela were attracted to the historic town of Ledbury by its sense of community. Ledbury’s Poetry Festival is gaining an international reputation. Ledbury also boasts a town centre which is practically devoid of chain retail outlets, the vast majority of its shops are independently owned, many promoting local produce.
They are keen to explore their newly adopted county and along with their 2 Cavapoos, Poppy and Miso, are tackling the 154 mile, nearly 250km, Herefordshire Trail which starts and ends in Ledbury. Important research for their guests, particularly as each section culminates at a gastro-pub!
Another, much more local, attraction which Paul is passionate about sharing with his guests is the gastronomic selection right on the doorstep of White House Cottages. He talks of his neighbours who have honey and jam for sale and the farm shop where locally made Two Farmers potato crisps are sold in biodegradable packaging.
Herefordshire is a county of orchards and White House was originally a hop farm. Guests can still stay in the old, though thoroughly modernised Hop Barn. During the harvest guests can also help Angela and Paul pick apples, which are then processed at the community press, and throughout the year they are greeted on arrival with White House apple juice.
The cottages are decorated with artwork of the Malvern Hills and local area by 3 local artists and are available for guests to purchase.
Nothing makes Paul and Angela happier than seeing guests supporting the local economy. Their Touchstay Digital Guidebook lists all the local events, and farmers markets, best of all guests love some of the hyper local experiences – guided walks through ancient orchards, feeding local animals, food foraging with Wild Food UK, hedgerow medicine, willow basket weaving, blacksmithing, nature walks and stargazing.
Paul’s naturally friendly face positively beams when he talks of a recent guest Charlie and young Charlie’s enthusiasm for a local nature walk. For a moment it looks as if the proudest moment of the former CEO’s career was when Charlie presented him with a drawing of his day.
Paul does confess that he is most comfortable hosting guests who share their environmental principles, he is proud that by offering a green product he is already attracting people active in the green movement. Although he was surprised by the lack of comprehension of basic recycling displayed by one enviro-guest. Clearly we all have something to learn! He also agrees that it isn’t necessary to preach but simply by demonstrating good practice hosts can have a positive impact on visitors who might not have previously considered the environment a priority.
If guests ask about arranging a supermarket delivery, of course Paul provides the necessary information, though he implores them not to buy supermarket eggs. Many rivers in the region are suffering severe pollution caused by runoff from poultry farms. Of course there is a neighbour who can supply fresh free range eggs.
Going Forward
Paul is thinking to the future and how to progress White House Cottages on its environmental journey. Living in a conservation area with strict planning rules, he is frustrated that their plans for photo-voltaic solar panels have not yet materialised, but you can rest assured that as soon as they get the go ahead they will be in place. With grant assistance factored in, Paul has calculated a payback of 3 to 4 years, which is another example of how doing the right thing for the planet can also be good for business. The plan is to have them up and running by the autumn along with EV charge points and smart heating control, with Billy’s input and the help of a musician friend.
Angela meanwhile is planning garden enhancements with more bird boxes, and a wormery in the courtyard. They are organising wildlife activity sheets to encourage children to explore the environment.
With their plans to start volunteering with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust at the local nature reserve – Haugh Woods, which has the most beautiful butterfly trail, it would seem that Paul and Angela are well on the trail to achieving their mission – “To create the best dog-friendly, eco-friendly self-catering escape in Herefordshire.” Which they will do “by rooting themselves in the community, adopting a hyper-local mindset, greener practices, and providing their guests the very best experiences Herefordshire has to offer.”
Takeaways
- In less than 18 months Paul and Angela have transformed White House Cottages into a truly eco-friendly destination. Rather than delaying while they established the business they got straight on with implementing the changes they wanted to make. This has already shown dividends, attracting more guests whose primary concern is the environment.
- Take advantage of free resources like EnviroRental, with 40 years experience, culminating at the top of his industry, Paul might have approached a relatively small operation thinking he knew everything. Instead he supplemented his expertise with guidance and support from EnviroRental generating accelerated returns for both the business and the planet.
- Listen to your mother!
The Climate Emergency may be unprecedented but the principle of economising and avoiding unnecessary use of the planet’s precious resources is age old. No individual has all the answers; we can all learn from older and younger generations.
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