At Kilminorth, sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do, provide, and create for our staff and guests. We believe luxury can embrace eco-friendly practices across every aspect of our beautiful Cornish haven, and we strive to be a positive influence in our local economy for others to do the same. 

We’ve woven sustainability into the very fabric of our business. Our commitment extends to a circular materials policy, ensuring that even our waste contributes to a greener planet. We take pride in our recycling management, and continually work towards reducing our carbon footprint to make Kilminorth a sustainable business overall. 

Below we outline just some of the ways we are leading the way in eco-friendly hospitality in the heart of the Cornish countryside.   

1.     Green cleaning

Across all of our cottages we use eco-friendly cleaning products wherever possible, and encourage our guests to do the same, suggesting they bring environmentally safe products with them for their stay. 

By opting for more ‘green’ cleaning solutions, we aim to minimise the ecological impact associated with other cleaning agents, which are harmful to aquatic life and nature affected by its contact. We aim to select products which are biodegradable and free from harmful chemicals, ensuring that our cleaning practices not only maintain a high standard of hygiene but also contribute to the wellbeing of both our guests and the surrounding environment. 

Embracing eco-friendly cleaning aligns with our dedication to responsible tourism, providing our guests with a wholesome and sustainable experience during their stay, which we hope influences them to continue when they return home. 

2.     Clean heating

We are not burning fossil fuels in order to heat our cottages. Instead, we have opted for an air source heat pump, a renewable energy system which extracts heat from the air to provide heating for the cottages. This works in a looped system by circulating a refrigerant liquid in a closed loop moving in and out of the cottage. The liquid evaporates into a gas when moving through the outside part of the coil; the gas is then ran through a compressor which raises the temperature and converts the gas to a high-temperature, which is then passed back through the internal part of the coil running inside the cottage. This is then transferred to the radiators and underfloor heating. The cycle repeats and is proven to create considerably less carbon dioxide emissions than standard heating solutions.  

We also use this system to heat our hot tubs in Ash and Beech cottages and we are working towards converting the rest of our hot tubs to the same system in the near future. 

3.     Efficient water solutions

We have a self-sufficient water supply and back in 2023, we went from using a mains water system to using spring water. By using a natural water source, we are minimising chemical usage needed to clean the water, lowering our carbon footprint by reducing the reliance on energy-intensive water systems that can have a negative impact on climate change and the biodiversity of our surrounding natural landscape. We also use water efficiency systems in our toilets and taps, reducing unnecessary water usage across our site. 

4.     Repurpose and recycle

To minimise waste, we have a circular materials policy, where we aim to utilise everything around our site on multiple occasions. This reinforces reducing our impact on the natural environment as much as possible and minimises the need to source materials elsewhere.

Within our grounds, you’ll find fences made from repurposed tree branches and tables made from tree stumps. Even our stage that was built especially for our Christmas parties, made from locally sourced wood, has now been broken down and is being utilised as a stud wall in one of our sheds. If you have stayed with us, you might have seen some gorgeous decor within the cottages, created by repurposing materials across Kilminorth, such as tables, and mirrors. 

5.     Keeping it local

If we need to source externally, we make sure to responsibly source from sustainable suppliers, and use local suppliers where we can, to further reduce our carbon footprint.

We are proudly based in Looe, Cornwall, and as such we aim to support the local economy by employing local people, contributing to seasonal, local events, and investing money back into the businesses in the area. This helps to keep our local economy sustainable and thriving, as well as setting a leading example for other businesses to follow. 

6.     Waste management matters

As a business we create more waste than the average household, but this is something we work hard on reducing and present solutions to our guests to hopefully continue at home. All our waste is sorted and separated to minimise our impact and we look to reduce waste wherever possible. In our cottages, guests are asked to separate plastics, papers, food, and other waste so that we can efficiently dispose of this off site, and we are on a personal mission to eradicate single-use plastics across our whole business, which we are aiming to complete by Summer 2024. 

7.     Efficient lighting 

We use LED lights across the whole site, which typically use up to 90% less energy than their incandescent counterparts. It has been recorded that 95% of the energy in LED lights is converted into a light source and only 5% is wasted as heat. This is compared to fluorescent lights which convert 95% of energy into heat and only 5% into light. LED lights also have a longer lifespan, reducing the frequency of replacements and consequently reducing electronic waste. This not only supports our sustainability efforts but also enhances cost-effectiveness over the long term.

8.     Electric charging point

We have an installed electric charging point for guests to use on-site, and our company vehicle is also electric. Electric cars are generally more environmentally friendly, for they emit less greenhouse gases over their lifetime compared to petrol and diesel vehicles. They also have a smaller carbon footprint despite using electricity for charging, and are becoming more sustainable with ongoing research and advances in their technology. 

9.     Environmental preservation

The Cornish countryside is one of the most beautifully preserved natural landscapes in the UK and is incredibly rich with biodiversity. We not only feel lucky to be part of this county but feel a responsibility to protect the environment we are surrounded by. 

We are deeply sympathetic to the landscape and preservation of our heritage is extremely important to us. In this way, Kilminorth has been carefully crafted to protect what existed before us and to leave as little behind after we have gone. Our cottages have been converted from their barn state in a way which addresses known environmental issues using technology that is currently available to us, and we will continue to invest in ways to improve our impact on this historic site. 

We also ensure the local wildlife have their natural habitats left intact across our wild meadows and woodland areas, preserving and supporting all our flora and fauna residents.

As a business, sustainability is not just a choice. We believe in the profound responsibility to lead by example, demonstrating to our guests and fellow businesses that environmental responsibility is essential for the well-being of our natural landscape in Cornwall and the preservation of our planet for future generations. 

The whole team at Kilminorth makes a continuous and conscious effort in managing waste sustainably, reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the local economy, striving to make Kilminorth a sustainable business as a whole and as a model for others to follow.

To read more about our sustainability you can visit our page here.