Permaculture Lifestyle

At Blaenfforest we are trying to achieve equilibrium with our ecosystem and a sustainable way of life. This includes how we deal with waste, our water and drainage supply, the energy we use and how our fresh produce is grown. But most importantly, being exemplary stewards of nature and helping our bio-diversity recover.

Waste

We recycle everything that can be recycled and do not purchase items that are not absolutely necessary. We aim to be producers, not consumers.
All waste food – except meat and nylon type tea bags - is composted and guests should place only compostable food waste into the bins supplied.
Dog waste – millions of tonnes of dog waste gets dumped in our oceans each year, as such we maintain strict rules on dog waste:
All dog waste must be picked up immediately.
Bio-degradable bags are supplied and must be used.

Place all dog waste in the bin supplied, not in the general waste bin. This is because dog waste, like human waste, is compostable and the pathogens in the waste take significantly longer to break down. Composting is therefore separate and treated differently to compost food waste.

Water supply

Like many rural properties, our water comes directly from a deep underground river accessed via a bore-hole. It is filtered several times and is tested regularly. We would ask you to use water responsibly and avoid leaving taps running unnecessarily. Even though the water supply comes from a natural source, that source needs to be replenished by rain, so please keep water wastage to a minimum.

Drainage

The waste drainage from the toilets and sinks throughout Blaenfforest is naturally filtered through a 3 part Bio-Digester carbon system that treats waste water and renders human waste environmentally benign. HOWEVER, this system is in place for bio-degradable material only and must never be used to dispose of anything other than human waste and toilet tissue paper. We do not allow the use of biodegradable toilet wipes to be flushed into this system either. All the shower gels, shampoos, laundry and cleaning products you use end up in our Bio-Digester system so we provide you with carefully selected eco-friendly products and kindly request that you use them. REMEMBER everything is recycled back into the ground water. Please do read the clause in our Booking Terms & Conditions regarding potential additional costs from drainage abuse primarily from foreign objects flushed into the system.

Toiletries, laundry, washing up and cleaning products.

We supply our cottages with environmentally friendly, chemical free, cruelty free products that are, where possible, not packaged in plastic and guaranteed not to upset our Bio-Digester drainage system. We will always give preference to plant based products and products wholly made in the UK, so that we don’t contribute to carbon emissions from imported goods.

Some of our suppliers include:

https://www.myddfai.com
https://www.peacewiththewild.co.uk
www.moralfibres.co.uk

Growing Our Own Fresh Produce

We have adapted to a plant-based diet for environmental, health and animal welfare reasons. The only exception to this is that we keep free-range chickens and eat their eggs that would otherwise be left to spoil. We also use local, sustainably produced honey and intend to have our own beehives next year after intensive re-wilding with British wild flower seed and indigenous trees and shrubs that attract pollinating insects.

We grow our crops organically (but non-certified) using compost we make ourselves and follow a ‘no dig’ method. This preserves the integrity of the soil with its essential microbes, fungi and bacteria. So far we’ve only grown in outdoor raised beds but with the rapid and unpredictable changes in our weather patterns caused by climate change, we decided to install an underground thermal climate battery system for our polytunnel. This will allow us to grow some variety of salad crops through winter months.

We always work with nature and do not use any chemicals for pest control – look at some of our lovely veggies on the Gallery page. Much of our work has been by trial and error, but we’ve come a long way in the three years we’ve been growing.