Our Environmental Policy

Our aim at Greenbrae is to provide comfortable accommodation and facilities that visitors should expect while making as little environmental impact as possible. We will try to enhance the environment wherever possible. The mantra that we use is 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle'. We hope that our guests will help us to achieve this broad policy.
Our efforts have been recognised by the Aberdeenshire Environmental Forum -Green Butterfly Award - and Greenbrae Farmhouse was the first accommodation provider in the Aberdeen and Grampian region to receive a Gold award in the tourist board Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Produce

We aim to grow as much of our food as possible in the garden. We have rescued hens from a battery farm and they provide most of the eggs we require. On the odd occaision that we have to buy eggs they are from local free range hens. We also have some rescued ducks but they don't lay many eggs!
Wherever possible we will source quality produce from Aberdeenshire and Scotland. This not only helps the Scottish economy but reduces the pollution that transporting goods emits. For the visitor it means that we will use best Aberdeenshire beef, Scottish bacon, locally made black puddings and home made white puddings. We also try to source food from organic farms.
Where food had been obtained from abroad we will only use Fair Trade Certified products, when available.

Energy

We get our electricity from Scottish Hydro-Electric through the RSPB. They guarantee that the electricity we use will come from renewable sources. This will help prevent the build up of 'greenhouse' gases that contribute to global warming. The RSPB also get a yearly income from the scheme. However we also want to reduce our overall consumption of electricity so we use low energy lighting or dimmer switches where we can. Your help in turning off lights that are not being used would be most welcome.
The Greenbrae central heating and hot water is powered by oil. This was the system in place when we bought the house in 2002. We are currently waiting (March 08) for quotes for the installation of a log burning boiler which will provide 'carbon neutral energy' for central and hot water heating. Greenbrae is not connected to the mains gas supply.
You will find that we keep temperatures a couple of degrees lower that you would normally find in hotels. This is to save on burning oil that depletes natural resources and produces greenhouse gas. We have also found that hotels are general uncomfortably hot. All our radiators have an individual temperature control, so if you are cold you can turn it up. You can of course turn it down even further!

Transport

We live half a mile from the village and it is tempting to get in the car to go anywhere. We try to walk to reduce car use. We also try to double up on journeys, again, in an attempt to minimise car use. It is for this reason that we ask you to give us prior notice of dietary requirements so we can plan ahead in meeting your needs.

Waste

The government is encouraging us all to reduce the amount of waste that we produce. This is to ease pressure on scarce landfill sites and to meet international targets.

Reduce

Where possible we try to reduce the amount of waste that we produce. This means avoiding over packaged products. You will not find little sachets of shampoo or little tablets of soap in the bathrooms these are provided in dispensers avoiding the packaging and making them more assessable; we find it difficult to open the things. Similarly we do not have those little pots of jam, butter and milk that people find so infuriating. We take our own bags to the shops so we don’t get the plastic bags that shopkeepers, especially supermarkets seem so keen to give us. We have rechargeable batteries and will provide you with a recharge service free of charge. We like to conduct as much of our business via the internet so that we reduce the amount of paper we use.

Reuse

Useable containers are put to a good alternative use in the house or garden. Waste paper is reused as note pads. In our renovations at Greenbrae we have reused timber whenever possible, used reclaimed wood and if wood has to be new it has come from sustainably managed forests.

Recycle

As much waste as possible is recycled. Aberdeen Council provides facilities for the recycling of paper, glass, cardboard, metals, batteries, oil and plastic bottles. Waste food products are recycled through the compost heap or the hens. Supermarkets even have a plastic bag recycling point, so even when they can’t be avoided they don’t have to end up on the tip.
You can help us with our waste policy by separating the waste if at all possible and by giving us ideas and tips on how we can make improvements.

Pollution

We try to reduce the amount of pollution that we produce. Many of our efforts are outlined above. In addition we garden organically, we don’t use poison to catch the odd mouse that gets into the house.

The septic tank

Greenbrae is not on the main sewerage system. We have a septic tank. This processes the wastewater in the tank and ‘clean’ water is drained off into the fields. We have to be careful what we put into the waste water system so that it does not get blocked and the bacterial action that does the possessing does not break down. All our cleaning products therefore have to ‘environmentally friendly’. We also have to be careful about what gets flushed away. There is a notice in the bathrooms that will give you some guidance.

Cleaning

We use borax, bicarbonate of soda, soda crystals, white vinegar, Ecover washing powder and microfibre cloths. We use no chemical sprays.

In the Garden

We are resurrecting the vegetable plot. We hope that we will leave the environment in a better condition than we found it. We will be gradually getting rid of the leylandii and other non native trees in the garden and replacing them with native species such as rowan. We will deliberately keep some of the garden ‘uncultivated and wild’.

And Beyond

Both Jill and Mike are keen bird watchers and we use this hobby to help with environmental improvements. Jill likes to stay at home and she undertakes the British Trust for Ornithology garden bird count and winter garden bird feeding survey. Mike likes to get out more and is an RSPB volunteer working on their Volunteer and Farmer Alliance project by undertaking farm surveys.

You can help

You can help by joining our Carbon Offsetting scheme click here to find out more!