Our Eco-Tourism Values

Ecotourism Policy at Crannog

Here at Crannog we try to tread lightly on mother earth, and give back the richness of the abundance we receive. Sustainability is the key word in all our practices and activities. We look after the land by endeavoring to restore balance and harmony, leaving plenty of space for wildlife and wild uncultivated flora and fauna. We teach and encourage guests, visitors and tourists.

The following are areas in which we are working to reduce our impact on the environment and live in harmony with nature, while providing health and well-being for people.

Our Garden

• We practice organic methods in our vegetable garden and tunnels. No artificial fertilizers, no weed killers and no chemical pest control is used at crannog.
• Our horse and chicken manure, our own compost and seaweed collection at our local beach is our way to fertilize and feed our thriving garden.
• Any food waste and food preparation waste is fed to the horses and chickens, or composted in our home made compost bins.
• Weeds and pests are dealt with in a tried and tested hands-on practical fashion.
• We harvest rainwater for the garden and animals.

Our Accommodation

• Consists mainly of wooden buildings, insulated with natural materials. We have solar powered hot water for the kitchen and showers, in the winter we use a solid fuel stove for heating and gas for cooking.

• We also have a 1 kilowatt home built wind turbine which takes care of lighting and all the low wattage appliances.
• We are in the process of adding a half kilowatt of photo voltaic to supplement our needs.
• With the use of low energy appliances we aim to come off the grid in the future.
• We buy cleaning products that are eco friendly

Our Food

• We grow most of the vegetables we need for our small community and guests.
• We also support our local health food shop and businesses that are committed to environmental sustainability
• We have a dozen chickens supplying us with fresh organic eggs

Activities

• At Crann Óg we support activities that encourage people to reconnect with nature and further their personal development. Understanding and feeling the interconnectedness of all living beings can be a life changing experience, while promoting a positive vision for our future.
• Our activities are modeled on the "leave no trace" ethic
• No chemicals or toxic substances are used in our activities, and green products are purchased when ever available.

Local Community

• We support grass-roots groups (eg. Transition Towns, Local singing groups, eco-yoga days for the local kids)
• We run workshops and provide a variety of spaces for others to run workshops for reasonable rates.
• We offer advice for further activities in our community, in order to raise cultural respect and awareness.
• We have run workshops here on how to build your own windmill, plant alot of native trees, and have developed a pond habitat, encourage the use of bikes with guests, support Bird Watch Ireland's work, and are committed to protecting local SAC woodlands.

Water supply and conservation

• The ecotourism operations involve economic use of water sources
• There is a huge saving in water consumption, by using compost toilets for visitors.

The following measures are taken for water conservation:

• Controlled flow of toilet water
• Showers only, instead of baths
• Low water gardens (local plants, drip water system)
• Rain water collection (minimises need for well water in garden)