Kergudon Ecological and sustainable gites in Finistère
Kergudon Ecological and Sustainable Gîtes in Finistere
The hospitality industry is historically notorious for being damaging to the environment with the use of large quantities of chemicals for laundry and cleaning, reduced recycling from holiday makers, and less attention to waste of both products and energy.
At Kergudon Gîtes we strive to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum and our impact on the environment as low as possible. Our efforts have been validated by the organisation who run the natural parcs in France and is now evidenced by the increased wildlife that we are seeing in and around Kergudon year on year.
Partner of ‘Valeurs du Parc Naturel’
Inspected and accredited with the brand ‘Valeurs du Parc Naturel’. The gîtes at Kergudon were awarded this accreditation in 2018 after a thorough inspection from the committee at the natural parc who highlighted the work that we do at Kergudon to support the natural wildlife and habitat and for our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.
100% cotton linen to help reduce plastic use in textiles.
100% air dried bed linen, towels and textiles. At Kergudon we NEVER use a tumble dryer. We use mother nature to air dry all of our bed linen, towels, robes, napkins and other textiles.
We recycle all of our plastic, metal, cardboard, newspapers and glass. We have our own onsite recycling separating bins. We ask our guests to use these recycling bins from where Ben and David will take it to the recycling banks so that guests do not have to.
Reducing Single Use Plastic
- For our B&B breakfasts at Kergudon we only use jam, natural yoghurts and fruit juices in glass containers so they can be reused or recycled.
- Gîte cleaning products are all filled from refill bottles which reduce single use plastic waste.
- A local artisanal company, B.E. Cosmetics, provide all of our soaps and solid shampoos. These soaps are handmade and certified organic, and they are also packaged using zero plastic.
- Complimentary items we leave in the gîtes for guests such as cotton buds and cotton balls are all plastic-free.
We have invested in three 800L rainwater harvesting tanks, which have been recycled from a local jam factory. Along with additional traditional water butts we are able to harvest nearly 3500L of rain water for all of our hanging baskets and pots. Even during the heat waves we are able to water the gardens and flowers for up to 8 weeks without rain.
How do the gîtes reduce their carbon footprint
- We use local produce in our catering to reduce food miles.
- We have replaced all our light bulbs for LED bulbs which use less energy.
- We have installed air source heat pumps in Priory, Granary and Kergudon which reduces the use of electrical energy for heating by up to 4x efficiency and has meant we no longer use oil for heating and hot water.
- Aerator filters are fitted to taps to reduce water usage.
- We use recycled paper on new flyers and business cards.
- Since we arrived in 2015 we have started to develop the gardens with wildlife in mind. We have planted many new trees, shrubs and hedges, installed nesting boxes for birds and hedgehogs and will build a pond for wildlife in 2021.
Be Cosmetics is based in our own commune of Sizun. This small business was created in 2016 by a young woman originally from the United States, Sara Galasso.
Sara started as a cook and market gardener but is now exploring cold saponification. She has developed a collection of 16 organic soaps, certified by Ecocert, including 3 ranges, basic, exfoliating and 4 elements. She has recently started producing organic solid shampoos, lip balms and body lotions.
Kergudon is proud to offer B.E. soaps and shampoo as our complimentary toiletries.
- No use of week killer chemicals.
- Organinc seaweed feed and fertiliser
- Sanytol products in the gites
- B.E. Cosmetics
Valeurs du Parc
The Armorique Regional Natural Park is a rich but fragile rural area. The brand ‘Values Regional Natural Park’ has been established to identify local services, originally in the tourist sector, that share the values of the park.
· The preservation and enhancement of landscapes, natural environments and biodiversity
· Socially responsible development harmonious to the natural environment
· Development of local initiatives and projects to enhance the local economy