We will only use raw materials from known, sustainable sources (those that can be renewed) which do not damage the environment. We will reduce packaging on all products and recycle packaging wherever possible. We grow our own produce in season without the use of pesticides and sell locally. We set comfrey traps to catch slugs. We pick slugs and caterpillars off plants by hand. We hoe or pull weeds by hand. We use the companian planting method to help keep some pests away.
We do not use peat. Peat bogs support a wide variety of animals and plants. We strive to use water wisely. We have many water butts around our premises and collect as much rainwater as possible each year. We encourage and welcome wildlife. We have created a wildlife garden and pond. It is a haven and refuge for many creatures whose natural homes in the countryside are being lost.
We have planted several trees over the past few years and aim to plant more each year. Trees provide shelter for many types of wildlife, from insects to birds and bats. We try to help the bees. Both honey and bumblebees need a wide range of plants that flower from spring to autumn for food.We grow a wide range of flowers just for them. For the bumblebees we create patches of bare earth in warm sheltered spaces for nesting sites. We leave piles of stones, logs, dead plant stems and fallen leaves for them to hibernate in over winter.
We keep our own honeybees and have our own supply of lovely honey! We reuse and recycle whenever possible. This means that less waste has to be buried in the ground in landfill sites. Burying less rubbish means we have fewer landfill sites, which frees up another important resource——land! Recycling also cuts the amount of methane – another powerful greenhouse gas, which can be given off by biodegradable materials as they rot under the pressure of landfill sites.
We no longer use plastic for packaging. Plastic has a bad reputation and with good reason. It takes centuries for a plastic bag to dissolve after ending up in a landfill. Plastic litter which includes bags, kills thousands of marine animals each year, by blocking the entrance to the stomach – causing starvation to all manner of creatures.
We now package all our products in biodegradable paper bags which are made at least partially from recycled paper. Once discarded, they can also be recycled again and pose less of a risk to wildlife.
Paper bags take an average of one month to decompose. Paper bags are made from trees – which is a renewable resource.
Every little helps!