Eco

We are delighted to have been awarded the title of Eco retreat of the month, Feb 2010 in Highlife Magazine, British Airways in-flight Global publication.

Heating & Power
Heat is provided via a leading-edge wood pellet system, powering under-floor heating and the hot water. It is over 90% efficient and uses waste chips from the local sawmill giving no transportation issues either. It's green, carbon neutral, local and renewable. In addition, 2 powerful wood-burners give ambiance and warmth through the winters. All lighting is low energy and most appliances are low energy also.

Chalet policy
We purchase food loose and not in packaging where possible and everything is produced from base ingredients. Ingredients are mainly seasonal and are sourced locally in mind of where it has come from (e.g. apples from France, not America).

We recycle virtually all waste food (Mainly in Indie the dog!), plastics, glass, paper and metals all get seperated and recycled.

Cleaning
Cleaning products are supplied by . They make non-toxic planet and people friendly cleaning products using natural plant derived formulas. Because it is natural, there are no harsh chemicals and as such is a very safe and green way to keep the chalet gleaming. Bottled in recycled packaging which is fully recyclable, the company has won global praise for its eco working ethics.

Build
We renovated the farm carefully using authentic and green old build techniques. The walls are mainly lime instead of concrete and cement and enormous wood beams from the forest support the building instead of steel beams.

We super insulated the chalet using a multi-layer foil blanket system which is highly efficient in summer and winter so uses less fuel and there is no need for air-con. The insulation is complemented with fermacel, a compressed then sealed fibre system that acts also as a powerful fire retardant and noise insulator. The roof is local Morzine slate.

There is very little paint used in the chalet - exposed lime pointed walls and hand sandblasted local fsc regulated timber. We have created coffee tables from the old kitchen ceiling oak beams, the stable grates are now part of the banisters and the carport roof is made of reclaimed local slate.