Ireland’s rich landscapes and vibrant culture have long attracted travellers seeking authentic experiences. As the demand for eco-friendly tourism grows, alternative accommodations across the country are stepping up, integrating sustainable practices to preserve the environment and offer unique stays. Many accommodations have eliminated single-use plastics and implemented comprehensive recycling programs, aligning with Ireland’s broader sustainability goals.
While many of us may consider carbon offsetting while we’re travelling, did you know that accommodation is the second biggest contributor to the tourism sector’s carbon emissions?
Thankfully, it’s possible to do your bit for the planet by reducing your emissions and carbon footprint while still visiting the places you love and supporting local communities.
Sustainable Practices in Alternative Accommodations in Ireland and Northern Ireland
Many of Ireland’s alternative accommodations have adopted innovative measures to minimise their environmental footprint:
Ard Nahoo, Leitrim, Ireland
A Dublin couple turned a derelict cottage on 6ac into a stylish home and eco-tourism destination. In 2001, Ard Nahoo opened its doors for the first time in Co Leitrim, setting up as a health farm promoting a healthy and balanced way of life.
“Back then, health farms were about nibbling on lettuce leaves and losing weight,” says owner Noeleen Tyrrell. “That wasn’t what we wanted to do. We wanted to promote a healthy and balanced life through yoga, therapies, relaxation and the great outdoors. Just spending a few nights away from the bustle of the real world had a restorative power for our guests, as it continues to do today.” https://shorturl.at/88u52
In 2001, ecotourism wasn’t a term many people were familiar with. But Ard Nahoo was a trailblazer in this area, with Tyrrell serving on many eco-tourism boards and working groups, including the Greenbox and Leitrim Tourism. When the business expanded in 2007, the works included a groundbreaking eco-build, using a sustainable architect who designed environmentally sound eco-cabins and a yoga studio. Over the years, Ard Nahoo has evolved from a health farm to a multi-faceted tourism enterprise, offering self-catering breaks in the Eco Cabins, yoga teacher training and retreats.
‘It wasn’t pretty, but all we saw was its potential’ –from a cow in the sitting room and holes in the roof to a €750,000 retreat in Leitrim’ https://shorturl.at/PRtyl
Back then, there was a lot of work to do. The walls were crumbling, there were holes in the roof, and it had no windows. “There was 20 years of cow shit on the floor,” laughs Brendan. “On top of that, there had been a fire at some stage. It wasn’t pretty. But all we saw was its potential.”
They were also drawn to the local community of families who had lived there for generations and the area’s high count of musicians, artists and filmmakers. “It was just perfect,” adds Noeleen. “And when we found the cottage, despite its raw state, we felt it had something magical about it.”
With the help of local craftsmen, they set about developing a two-story, three-bedroom family home. They rebuilt walls, laid down floors, crafted windows, and installed central heating. What makes this property special, however, is that it incorporates parts of the old cottage in its structure and has been designed with a classy boho vibe.
“We didn’t have a lot of money, but we selected carefully with what we had, and we had a lot of items made specially for the house. I think that gives it its unique look,” says Brendan.
In 2000, the couple began developing an eco-tourism retreat centre at their home. Noeleen has been teaching yoga here for 30 years. In addition to the main house, there’s a versatile timber-built venue comprising an entrance hall and reception area, a large yoga studio and function room, a dining area, a kitchen, a hot tub, a sauna deck, a steam room, showers, a changing room, and two treatment rooms. Also on the six-acre site are three wooden eco cabins for guests, which can sleep up to 17 people. Our green policy is incredibly important to us, so you can be assured that all of our Eco Cabins are…
- Timber framed (Irish)
- Cedar cladded (Donegal)
- Hemp insulated
- Heated with wood pellet stoves
- Finished with natural paints
- Powered by wind turbine (Airtricity)
- Built with minimal concrete and no petrochemicals
https://fivestar.ie/self-catering/Dromahair-Retreat/
The original stonework is evident in most of the rooms inside the house. “The house was covered in plaster when we bought it, so the first thing we did was to chip away at it to expose the original stone,” says Brendan. This works well with the wooden doors and polished wooden floors, and single walls painted in bold matte colours like purple or turquoise add vibrancy. There’s a good balance of traditional and modern design throughout.
The Salthouse Eco Hotel in County Antrim, Northern Ireland
The Salthouse Hotel is a 24-bedroom luxury eco-hotel with six eco-lodges, a spa, and a bar-restaurant situated on private lands in Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, an area famous for its salt pans. The carbon-neutral hotel stands in its own private grounds surrounded by the natural beauty of the coastline to Fairhead and beyond.
Renewable Energy Sources: Establishments like The Salthouse Eco Hotel in County Antrim harness wind and solar power, ensuring a minimal carbon footprint without compromising luxury. https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/the-salthouse-hotel
‘At The Salthouse, we prove that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand. As one of Ireland’s few carbon-neutral hotels, we’re proud of our eco-conscious features. https://thesalthousehotel.com/about-us/our-story/
This luxury hotel does everything it can to minimise its impact on the environment through the following eco features:
- 225kw wind turbine and 150kw solar PV panels on site – this combined wind and solar energy could power 150 households for a year!
- Air source heat pumps primarily provide the hotel’s heating and hot water, and the electricity is generated by onsite wind and solar energy.
- In addition to the carbon savings from the heat pumps, the bedroom radiators are individually controlled, reducing heat waste and increasing the overall efficiency of the hotel.
- Outside temperature sensors enable the building to adapt to its environmental conditions, and heating in public areas comes on or turns off despite time schedules being set.
- Zappi electric car chargers – These smart EV chargers can be connected to renewable generation to charge the cars so electric cars can genuinely be emissions-free.
- The hotel has LED lighting throughout the building with motion sensors and controls for the staff, adding to the overall energy efficiency.
- Hotel staff monitor and control the energy efficiency of the building through a centralised dashboard available on hotel tablets, phones and desktop computers, which provides energy reporting and evaluation from the automated intelligent building management system.
- SMART control of bedroom radiators by linking to our booking system so that rooms are only heated when absolutely necessary.
- CO2 sensors are fitted throughout the hotel to monitor the air quality.
- No single-use plastics.
https://www.tourismni.com/business-guidance/business-support/sustainability/ideas-and-inspiration/the-salthouse-hotel/
Two Green Shoots, Botanical B&B & Bell Tent, West Cork, Ireland
We specialise in creating edible landscapes and wildlife-friendly spaces planted with the planet as much as people in mind. Our accommodation gardens are re-imagined. We’ve worked on both big & small, public & private, rural & urban & get a taste of how we work with people, places & the broader natural landscape to design spaces that will nourish all into the future.
We design spaces & experiences that reconnect you with what nature looks, smells, sounds & feels like & most importantly, how vital this is for our health & that of this planet we call home. https://twogreenshoots.com/escapes/
We wanted to bring our dream accommodation to life and share it. We have a Botanical B&B and a Botanical Bell Tent surrounded by beautiful, botanical-infused, nourishing spaces nestled in delicious planting and stunning scenery, with lots of hearty feasting.
The Botanical B&B is nestled in this unique edible paradise looking across Bantry Bay. It has four botanical-themed rooms, exclusively for private groups of 4 – 6 people for stays of 3 – 10 nights.
The Botanical Bell Tent sits in a forest clearing along your own private track. Furnished with handcrafted bunting, feather cushions, cosy coir flooring, a wood-burning stove and solar lights twinkling in the surrounding trees. It sleeps 2 people for stays of between 2 – 5 nights.
Experiences
Offering Foraging and Stories from the Local Landscape
We love talking about plants, foraging, and stories from the local landscape and giving hints and tips for further escapes and adventures around West Cork. We also give you as much space as possible to unwind and relax in peace and quiet. https://twogreenshoots.com/product-category/experiences/
Our Sustainable Travel Policy
The IPCC’s 2018 report on Global Warming of 1.5°C makes clear that:
“Limiting global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot would require rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transport and Buildings), and industrial systems. These system transitions are unprecedented in terms of Scale…and imply deep emissions reductions in all sectors”
We are running out of time to make this happen.
“Avoiding overshoot and reliance on future large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal
(CDR) can only be achieved if global CO2 emissions start to decline well before 2030”.
That’s less than 8 years from now & the only solution is action.
Sustainable Actions & Policies
The policies outlined below outline specific actions we’re taking a business with regards Sustainable travel & will be added to & developed as our work continues.
Policy: Transport
Details & Inclusions / Exclusions:
- Discount of 10% on accommodation or experiences for guests who reach us using transport option(s) fuelled by renewable means, i.e. foot, electric vehicle, (e)bicycle or sailing boat.
- Travel specifically for education or training deemed vital so currently exempt.
Policy: Domestic Travel
Details & Inclusions / Exclusions:
- To be celebrated & showcased wherever possible.
- Continue online campaign via blog & social media channels to celebrate & showcase benefits of domestic travel. Support & connect with initiatives, organisations & networks that further increase the reach of this message & build market share.
Policy: Travel Within Business
Details & Inclusions / Exclusions:
- Reduce in-person travel & use virtual options wherever possible.
- All business vehicles to be run by renewable means by the end of 2022
(The Current fleet includes 1 electric vehicle and 1 4×4 to be switched from diesel to recycled fat.)
Further Ideas To Be Reviewed
- Tackling non-tourism based travel, i.e. Garden contractors, etc
- Carbon calculating & offsetting any travel within or on behalf of the business by non-renewable means.
Tory Bush Eco Lofts, County Down, Northern Ireland
The Eco Loft is a one-bedroom apartment built as part of the new reception building. It sleeps a maximum of two people. It is called the ‘Eco-loft’ due to the many environmentally friendly features and building techniques used in its construction. It is the most recent addition to accommodation available at Tory Bush cottages. https://www.torybush.com/accommodation/eco-loft/
Eco-Friendly Construction: Tory Bush Eco Lofts utilises locally sourced materials and natural insulation, blending harmoniously with their surroundings.
Some of the environmentally friendly features include:
- Sheep wool wall insulation: a natural, sustainable, and locally produced alternative to fibreglass
- Plaster board: produced using compressed recycled newspaper and Gypsum from power station chimneys
- Solar thermal panels: used to heat water, this method reduces CO2 emissions
- Biomass heating: Heating is produced by a wood-pellet boiler; this system is carbon neutral.
The ‘Eco-loft’ contains one bedroom, one bathroom, and an open-plan living room/kitchen. The living room leads onto a large balcony, which offers stunning views of the mountains and surrounding countryside. The size of the flat and the open-plan living area make the ‘Eco-loft’ ideal for couples. It has a cosy feel due to its intimate size and feels bright and fresh.
The kitchen contains all the features standard in a full kitchen, i.e. washing machine, dishwasher, fridge-freezer, etc. The living room includes a dining table and a wood-burning stove (the stove is also designed to be environmentally friendly, producing only as much CO2 as a tree would have absorbed during growth before being used as firewood). A door leads from the living room to the balcony. On the other side of the living room is a sofa, coffee table, television, and stereo system.
The bedroom, which contains a double bed, is located to the right upon entering through the front door. Opposite the bedroom is the bathroom, which is pretty large and includes a bath, a separate shower, and a wash basin.
The Eco-loft is accessed by 15 stone steps at the gable of the Reception building, with car parking immediately at the foot of the steps. It is extremely private and quiet, with fantastic views of the mountains. The new balcony allows guests to sit out and have breakfast overlooking the mountains or enjoy the heat of the setting sun to the right of the balcony.
The Role of Epic Stays in Promoting Sustainability
The Epic Stays project is at the forefront of this green movement, offering resources and training to alternative accommodation providers:
- Educational Resources: Through comprehensive research reports and online courses, Epic Stays equips businesses with the knowledge to implement sustainable practices effectively.
- Showcasing Best Practices: Epic Stays inspires others in the industry to adopt similar initiatives by highlighting successful eco-friendly accommodations.
Traveler’s Role in Supporting Sustainable Tourism
Guests can contribute to environmental conservation by choosing accommodations committed to sustainability: epic.com+4ecobnb.com+4outsider.ie+4
- Informed Choices: Opt for lodgings that prioritise eco-friendly practices and support businesses that align with green principles. This is done by promoting what you are doing on your website that is easy to see and understand by all guests regardless of where they come from.
- Engagement: Participate in on-site sustainability programs, such as guided nature walks or workshops on local ecology, to enhance your travel experience while learning about conservation efforts.
For Example Eco Cabin in Ireland on the beautiful Atlantic Bay, you can stay in a cozy eco-friendly cabin right on the sea with stunning views of the mountains and ocean. The one-bedroom wood cabin is surrounded by nature. There is a lot to discover in the surrounding area, relax, disconnect, hike, and do watersports!
By embracing sustainable accommodations, travellers play a pivotal role in preserving Ireland’s natural beauty for future generations.
Laura Magan,
European Projects Specialist in Tourism,
Momentum,
Ireland
https://momentumconsulting.ie/
