We are not environmental zealots but we reckon to “do our bit” and then, hopefully, a bit more. Actually it is surprising what can be considered to constitute good environmental practice and we are indebted to the Sustainable Tourism Action Group for Staffordshire (STAGS) for opening our eyes as to what might be included. The following leans heavily on topics identified by that organisation.

Here we do reckon to go overboard with: glass bottles, plastic containers, paper, tin cans, cardboard, foil and beverage containers. We compost all food waste (in our rodent proof composter) for use in our own garden and include in our main compost heaps all used paper wipes, napkins and paper used for wrapping food (e.g. fish and chips and other take-aways). Of course, it is easy for the materials we are responsible for but what about our guests’ waste materials? Well, we don’t admit to rustling through the waste bins when rooms are cleaned but anything obvious is recycled or put aside for composting.

We deliberately steered clear of hot water storage systems and “plumbed” for a condensing combi boiler, only delivering hot water when it is demanded – a system considered to be highly efficient.

In our B&B we counted 30 light bulbs; all but three are low energy.

Not so good here for use of recycled products, except for ink printer cartridges (which can be refilled at a shop in the village).

Following the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle, when the B&B was set up we bought numerous products (including room decoration materials and items of furniture) from local charity shops. Further reuse involved taking in two desk/dressing tables that our daughter intended offering on Freecycle and two good quality wardrobes that a neighbour was proposing taking to the local tip.

We are keen on this. Our sausages are made by a butcher in the neighbouring village of Rolleston using pork sourced from the Packington Free Range Herd (near Lichfield) and eggs are free range from the farm Highfield Happy Hens at Etwall, about six miles away (sold through a shop in the village). Happy Hens is a Christian organisation working with troubled youngsters. (It is also a visitor centre).

Preserves (marmalade and jam) are made by Beryl or others within the National Forest or by a farmer on the A444 at Sibson and honey is produced at Branston on the other side of Burton.

Brown bread is home made by Beryl.

Bacon is in the form of medallions. Not locally produced but dry cured with no added water. (We have tried unsuccessfully to source this locally.)

It is not usual to single out food products that have an international brand image as being locally produced and environmentally friendly. Under locally produced, in the bedrooms we provide Nescafe coffee (which is produced in the coffee factory in the village) and for breakfast Marmite is available. This is a famous, or infamous, foodstuff derived from a brewery waste product and made at a factory in Burton. Both are local. When it comes to being environmentally friendly, however, we dread to think how far they travel in articulated lorries from the local factories to distribution centres many miles away and then back again, so we can buy them within a short distance from where they are made.    

We encourage guests to use local facilities for food and drink. We point out that the Castle Hotel (a short walk away) has a restaurant and that drinks are available without using a car at the local pub and the Doveside Club (just round the corner). The Coop store in the village satisfies many needs without the necessity of driving to a supermarket in town. Local restaurants are available elsewhere in the village and Tutbury (half a mile away) and some of these sell take-away food. Two doors from our B&B is a quality fish and chip shop which we encourage guests to visit by putting crockery and cutlery in the dining room for their use in the evening.

We are on bus routes between Burton-on-Trent and Uttoxeter and Derby and on the railway line between Derby and Crewe. This is referred to on our website and public transport timetables are available.

For the use of taxis, guests are pointed towards the two firms in the village.

We strongly promote attractions in the “National Forest and Beyond” Area.

The front of our house (actually houses) is dominated by arrangements for car entry exit and parking. About half the surface area is concrete under which we used hardcore recycled from builders’ demolition material. The other half is gravel or roadstone which allows water to drain. Water falling on the concrete is absorbed by the garden or gravel/roadstone – none of it runs off onto pavement or road.

The timber purchased for concrete shuttering has been reused in the making of raised beds in our vegetable garden and floorboards removed from the two main bedrooms (when insulation was added between floors to meet Building Regulation requirements) have also been saved for reuse in the garden. So far they have been used for a gate, our main compost heaps and ends of raised beds.

The garden is not yet available to guests (hopefully this will change next year) but we are trying to create a wildlife friendly environment. We have five ponds and a shady “woodland” area in a village garden home to and visited by several species of birds and insects, frogs, toads and hedgehogs and probably much more. Happily Mr Mole is no longer a guest at DoveVale but the grey squirrels don’t seem to be able to read the KEEP OUT notices!