Donegal B&B accommodation, Ireland

We feel that we can make a difference in helping to improve the environment, and take responsibility for our actions in everyday life. We feel by training our staff and customers and making people aware we are contributing to a better and safer environment for our families. We just wish that there were more finances for training to make people aware of the everyday damage that is being done. These small changes over a period of years will have a very positive effect. We hope to learn and improve with time and make bigger and better changes.

Our aim is to minimise negative economic, environmental and social impacts. Generate greater economic benefits for local people, improve working conditions and access to the industry. Involve local people in decisions that affect their lives. Make positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. Provide an enjoyable experience for tourists, and a greater understanding of local culture, social and environmental issues. Be cultural sensitive, encourage respect between tourists and locals and build confidence. We support local charities, encourage the use of public transport to visit local attractions.

We assess economic impacts before developing tourism and exercise that development so that local communities benefit and minimise negative impacts on local livelihood. We recognise that tourism and large developments may not always be the most appropriate form of local economic development. We maximise local economic benefits by increasing linkages, by involving local communities so they can benefit from tourism wherever possible, and use these links to assist in poverty reduction.

We develop quality products that reflect and enhance the destination, market tourism in ways that the natural cultural and social integrity of the destination. We pay and charge fair prices and build partnerships in ways in which risk is minimised, and recruit and employ staff recognizing international labour standards.

We provide sufficient support and help in every way to support and advertise small, medium enterprises, so they will thrive and remain sustainable. We actively involve the local community in planning and decision making and provide capacity building to make this a reality. We also provide more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people and a greater understanding of local cultural social and environmental issues, ie. music, dance, story-telling etc. We support local charities by helping with fund raising, being supportive by attending meetings, joining in activities e.g. quiz nights, car boot sales, giving unwanted items to these fund raining events.

We aim to comply with all relevant environmental legislation, reduce our use of non-renewable resources and of energy produced from such resources, reduce waste and pollution deriving from what we do, and use all resources efficiently. We pass on our knowledge to our staff and local community. We bring environmental considerations more explicitly into our corporate thinking and decision making process conserve and improve the built and natural environment. We reduce water flow, energy efficient bulbs, collect rain water for flowers and gardens, change of laundry policy in place, wind electricity, turn off lights signs visible to guests, encourage wild life, compost and recycle all waste. Water reduction systems are placed on showers, sinks, toilets etc, and we have signs asking guests not to run water unnecessarily. We save energy by using all energy efficient bulbs, and again making guests aware of turning off lights etc when leaving rooms.

We recycle all cardboards, papers, compost all natural kitchen waste, dogs and hens eat all cooked leftovers, recycle all bottles, glass broken delph etc. We keep any hazardous waste for collection every six month at the local depot. We changed over to natural electricity (a local company), encourage wildlife by having bird tables, ponds in the garden which attract frogs dragon flies etc, on the farm when feeding the sheep and cattle we also feed the birds, and pheasants and foxes often appear to eat any leftovers of nuts. We employ local people, buying from farmers markets, (everything in the restaurant is locally produced,) recommend local attractions and places, spin off from tourists for local shops, garden centres, petrol stations, restaurants, etc, and use local tradesmen, and buy local materials.