All Things Eco...

Our ethos is that it’s always better to work with the environment than to fight against it.

Northumberland is one of the least spoiled areas of the country in terms of traffic impact, light pollution and urban sprawl – and we want to keep it that way!

So at Battlesteads we have put the following in place, all these initiatives and more can be seen in and around the site...

We installed an innovative woodchip burning biomass boiler back in 2006 which supplies heating and hot water to the entire hotel using sustainable fuel from forestry only 1 mile away, meaning virtually zero fuel miles!
All our electricity for the whole of the hotel comes from Ecotricity, who supply 100% renewable electricity
The walled garden you can see from our conservatory is specially planted to encourage wildlife - the boiler house has a bat box and an owl box, we have lots of bird-feeders to encourage the many smaller species in the area; see how many you can identify - we have binoculars in the conservatory to help you.
Badgers, foxes, herons and red squirrels (we are members of the 'Save Our Squirrels' scheme) are frequently reported and a family of otters can be seen in early morning on the river next to the bridge. In spring you can view displays of wild garlic and the most amazing vistas of bluebells – we encourage you to report any interesting sightings in our guest log.
Rainwater collection – We have a 3000 litre tank supplemented by four water butts which provides all the water required to water 2 acres of gardens, tubs, window boxes and two polytunnels.
Reduction of water usage - Toilet flush systems in bathrooms are 100% dual flush. All showers are Mira eco shower heads, public urinals have cistermiser controls.
Reduction in phosphate usage: all cleaning materials used by housekeeping are bio-degradable natural products. Guest toiletries are sourced locally, organic, natural and provided in refillable dispensers.
Thermostatically controlled and mains water pressured showers available in all the bathrooms
Low energy kitchen equipment: induction hobs and Rationale cookers resulting in 36% reduction in LPG and a 16% reduction in electricity.
Installation of Tri Iso Super 10 into entire roof space to reduce energy wastage.
Reduction in lighting wattage: we installed LED lighting throughout the hotel with the restaurant and bar using a low energy dimmable system. For example, our conservatory has 12 bulbs in total using 60 watts. Some areas have lighting sensors.
We promote our local bus service which picks up / drops off outside the hotel front door.
All guest bicycles are stored under a sedum roofed barn made from reclaimed oak to provide dry and secure storage as well as a wildlife support system.
We employ local or residential staff.
Composting – We installed an industrial Aerobin system which incorporates all the hotel kitchens cooked and uncooked food waste. Ash from the biomass boiler is currently used to provide potash and trace minerals for our vegetable gardens and polytunnels.
Reduction in packaging - By using local products in refillable bottles and jars.
Recycling - We provide guest recycling bins for newspapers, magazines, etc. Our office staff have recycling bins for printer cartridges and batteries.
Recycling glass – We house the community bottle banks in our car park and these are emptied by the local council.
Reuse of packaging – For example, toilet roll cardboard inners are used for seedlings in our polytunnels. In addition, we re-use crisps bags to pot on seedlings, due to only using Two Farmers crisps, who provide their product in a 100% compostable bag.
Cooking oils - All kitchen waste oil is converted locally to bio fuel.
Cardboard - All packaging/cardboard goes to a local paper mill.
Careful waste management has led to a reduction in rubbish sent to landfill of 36% in the last 12 months.
After two successive floods we decided to form a 50m pond as a means of water attenuation. This area is now alive with pond life and is now a great attraction for other wildlife around the hotel.
Local and seasonal sourcing - Our food policy is to source local ingredients wherever possible, from regional suppliers who are award-wining in their own right and share a passion for flavour and commitment to quality, all within a radius of only 25 miles.
Ethical purchasing - Use of FairTrade products e.g. tea, coffee and sugar.
Our on site 2 acre kitchen garden and polytunnels, provides a varied selection of fruits, vegetables, herbs and salads throughout the year. We are immensely proud of this feature, as it is solely tended for by our staff, who volunteer to take on board this responsibility. And relish in the sense of achievement, we they can demonstrate the field to fork method,
Flowers for use in the restaurant and throughout the hotel are grown in our garden.
Use of recycled products - All business stationery is produced on 100% recycled paper, using vegetable inks where possible. Purchase of recycled printer cartridges and 100% recycled paper for the toilets.
Reduction of transport miles - by using local producers and tradesmen.
Conservation - Reclaimed oak used where possible e.g. biomass boiler and garden doors. Lime mortar used for reconstruction and restoration of the walled garden.
We investigate the sustainability ethos of each new supplier before signing up to purchase from them.
We have achieved a paperless office and all suppliers email invoices, rather than send hard copies, and all bills are paid electronically.
We have 100% electric mini bus, so we can provide guest transport to and from Hadrians Wall and the local train station
On site we have a 36 panel solar PV tracker, which feeds into the main hotel to support our electricity needs. This system has an addition battery storage system in place, to happy with the transition between mains to HVO generator supply, in case of a mains power failure.
We use the waste heat from our biomass boiler to grow micro shoots and edible flowers all year round, in the top of our boiler house with the help of LED lights which simulate the spectrum of sunlight.
Since 2011 when we installed our first electric car charger, we have now worked our way upto having 4 car chargers on site. To support the needs of our eco savvy guests.
On site mushroom farm – where we farm our own oyster (pink, yellow and grey) and shitake mushrooms.
We have a HVO powered generator, which feeds into the whole sites electric needs when there is a mains power failure. This provides the business and our guests with a guaranteed supply with no adverse effects on the environment or emissions.