Hotelier spreading green message

By Jemima Laing
BBC news, Cornwall

The hotel has used solar panels to heat its outdoor pool for 40 years

Anyone turning up unannounced at Bedruthan Steps Hotel in Cornwall on Sunday may be surprised to find it more or less abandoned.

But a quick peek at the beach below and the entire hotel staff will be visible - cleaning the beach.

It is just one of more than 100 green initiatives in place at the four-star hotel.

The driving force behind the current green strategy is Emma Stratton, who owns the 101-room hotel at Mawgan Porth with her two sisters.

Following in the environmentally-friendly footsteps of her parents who opened the hotel in 1959 she said it had "just always been part of how we do things here ".

Vegetables from the family's organic farm have routinely appeared on the menu in the restaurant and a van run has transported staff to and from work for years.

"We've been heating our outdoor pool with solar panels for 40 years, which saves us a fortune in oil and electricity," she said.

It might be a little different but it's just as comfortable and delicious Emma Stratton

But four years ago the push for sustainability gained pace with the introduction of a staff Green Team which constantly looks at new ways of saving energy and reducing waste.

The beach clean, one of the team's suggestions, is to become a regular fixture on the hotel's calendar, along with the regular recycling of paper, glass, tins, cardboard and plastic.

But Bedruthan Steps also boasts more unusual schemes like a wormery in the children's play area, a butterfly release scheme and low-season discounts offered to guests who travel by public transport.

A £2m refit two years ago saw the introduction of low-energy lighting, energy-saving boilers and bedroom systems which turn off lights and TVs when guests leave.

Guests are also encouraged to play their part by suggesting ways they can do even more to re-use and recycle.

Last year Bedruthan Steps was crowned Cornwall Tourist Board's Sustainable Champion and was the first hotel in the county to receive the Green Tourism Business Scheme's gold award.

And now Mrs Stratton is helping other businesses, and more than 150 companies attended a recent conference to find out more about introducing ecologically-sound practices.

She is also keen that sustainability should, in future, play a part in the hotel rating system.

'So wasteful'

Wrapped toiletries were one area that could be improved, she said.

"It is so wasteful and they hardly get used and the plastic bottles can't be recycled."

The AA - which grades hotels according to a star system - has agreed she can use locally-made organic soaps as long as standard toiletries are also offered to anyone who wants them.

We don't force hotels to be unsustainable Peter Birnie, AA Publishing

Since they were introduced only two people have asked for replacements.

And according to Peter Birnie, chief hotel and restaurant inspector at AA Publishing, the issue is now definitely on the agenda.

"At the moment there is nothing in the standards relating specifically to greenness but that doesn't preclude people being green and we don't force hotels to be unsustainable," he said.

He said they planned to consult with the industry and look at potentially including some regulations in the future.

But Manda Brookman, director of Cornwall Sustainable Project (Coast), said tourism businesses needed to be considering it now.

"Anyone who doesn't engage is going to find not only that it is going to cost them more, in terms of their utilities, but also seriously jeopardise the future of their business," she said.

Children make things from recycled material at the hotel's kids' club

Laundry cards

Ms Brookman said Coast should be the first stop for businesses looking to follow Bedruthan Steps' example.

Introducing small changes like laundry cards, which offer the option of having towels washed only as required, could save them money "overnight", she said.

Mrs Stratton said making such changes need not conflict with providing a top-class service.

"Guests still have a crackingly-good experience," she said.

"It might be a little different but it's just as comfortable and delicious."