As the year closes, I’m drawn to the trends and themes for next year. It’s cold this morning and after a crisp morning walk with Pippa our Jack Russel, I’m taking a little time to plan the year ahead. With the fire stoked and the coffee close at hand I can’t quite believe December is here once more.
Everywhere I look trends are being published for 2019. These themes for everything from fashion and weddings to lifestyle and holidays are increasingly important. Looking at the trends for next year we are naturally delighted that the environment remains a hot topic. Awareness around the amount of plastic polluting our oceans remains high – I’m still shocked that approximately 8 million pieces of plastic make their way into the ocean every day.
Weddings can have a significant impact on the environment which is why I was delighted to see Meghan and Harry reflecting on their environmental footprint and making small changes. Simply using flowers that were in season, going plastic free, using recycled paper and sourcing locally made their wedding more eco-sensitive. By donating their flowers to charity afterwards the happiness was spread even wider.
We know that small changes make a huge difference. Ever since we opened the doors to guests and wedding couples over 10 years ago, Tim and I have put the environment at the heart of everything we do constantly lowering our environmental footprint. We believe we are stewards of this wonderful valley – its woodland, pasture and glades as well as our beautiful grade II* listed farmhouse that nestles at its heart. We are also believers that changes do not mean compromising the luxury we enjoy.
95% of our heat is from renewable resources – primarily logs cut from our woods, the remainder is from environmentally friendly sources. Our swimming pool and hot tub are completely carbon neutral heated entirely by solar power and our farm is completely organic. All our complementary tea and coffee is fair trade and we support our local food producers, restaurants and transport. These little unnoticed changes have led to our weddings producing 78% fewer emissions per guest than the industry standard. Something we are extremely proud of every day.
Looking ahead we are looking forward to welcoming back a number of old friends as well as having the opportunity to meet through the weddings and holidays booked. The Devon School of Yoga are joining us for the 5th year running and the Two Moors Festival will again return in March for their young musicians competition – not to mention numerous others joining us to celebrate birthdays, hen nights anniversaries or to simply spend precious time together.
So, if you are thinking about your holiday, wedding or organising an event why not think about how the impact on the environment can be reduced without sacrificing style or impact. We have loads of ideas or for wedding ideas from compostable vegetable cutlery (see www.vegware.com) or why not pop over to our friends at Green Union – www.greenunion.co.uk to see what is possible.
Take a look at what makes us special here