The Rustic Retreat, nr St Antonin Noble Val, SW France

How does the Rustic Retreat minimise its impact on the environment and contribute to a sense of place?

The house is well insulated in order to conserve heat in the winter, keep cool in the summer and cut down on fuel consumption. They have also chosen to heat the house by burning wood rather than using an oil or gas fired central heating system as they manage their woodland for this purpose and prefer to use a renewable energy source. Energy-saving light bulbs are used throughout the house. They recycle as much as possible and all food waste is given to the chickens or composted and used in the garden. Well water is used for watering the garden, and they are in the process of restoring a second, disused well. For part of the year (when the house is not rented to guests) the owners use the grey water from the kitchen sink to water the vegetables and flower beds near the house. It is a simple system filtering the water through a straw bale. They have a dual flush toilet cistern in the house and a compost toilet on the grounds.

They support local businesses as much as possible; they employed local craftsmen to hand craft windows during the restoration, as well as a local stone mason, and used recycled stone and locally sourced materials. They try to buy as much as possible from the local markets where there is a wide variety of locally made and grown products, and are especially involved with local people who are trying to lead a more self sustainable lifestyle. To minimise their impact on the environment, guests are encouraged to arrive by public transport and calculate their carbon emissions travelling to the Retreat and offset them by investing in carbon reduction projects. They plant flowers, shrubs and trees to attract as many species of butterflies as possible. Chemicals are not used on the land, in order to protect its natural ecological balance.