Question 1

Green Tourism Gold

Accepted Answer

"Overall, House of the Northern Gate has shown an amazing commitment to green issues and are obviously eager to do as much as possible to be sustainable and not only reduce their impact on but also improve the environment around them. Congratulations on this fantastic achievement."

We are very proud that our sustainability efforts were awarded a "Gold" rating by the world-leading sustainability accreditation partner, Green Tourism.  They are a strong partner in our sustainability practices, and in our improvement journey.

Achieving a Green Tourism award means that our sustainability practices have been assessed and verified by a credible partner. It shows that we have an ongoing commitment:
•	to sustainability standards and practices
•	to work responsibly, ethically, and sustainably
•	to contribute to our community
•	to reduce our impact on the environment, and
•	to be accessible and inclusive to all visitors and staff.

Green Tourism has assessed our business against 15 sustainability criteria grouped under the pillars of People, Places and Planet. These consider the social, economic, and environmental actions we undertake, providing a holistic assessment of our sustainability performance.

Green Tourism also helped us to highlight our areas of sustainability strength. At our last assessment we achieved Goldmeaning we met the criteria for a business that achieves the highest standards of sustainability with a strong and broad environmental ethos and can provide excellent examples of best practice throughout the majority of the three pillars of People, Places and Planet. It has made significant changes to its working practices and continues to review and maintain them.  Of those businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry that put themselves forward for Green Tourism’s third-party verification, around one-third achieve bronze, one-third silver, and one-third gold. In the assessment, sustainability highlights included:

Energy: Energy – Several examples of best practice on display including energy monitoring and conservation measures.
Chemicals: Chemicals – Great choice of chemical products reflecting your commitment to sustainability and protecting the planet.
Experiences: Experiences – Good knowledge of local area and how to enjoy it in a sustainable and responsible way.
Awareness : Awareness – Excellent knowledge and awareness of all aspects of sustainability on show throughout.

Question 2

Power and Renewables

Accepted Answer

Apart from the barbecue and catering stove, everything including the heating at the House of the Northern Gate is powered by zero-carbon electricity. An array of 31 solar panels in the gardens power the house (and when it is not sunny, local wind farms provide the rest of the power needed).
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Two ground source heat pumps to provide all heating and hot water for the house by sucking heat out of two 200m bore holes under ground, concentrating that heat and using it to power underfloor heating downstairs, radiators upstairs and our 1000 litres of hot water for long, hot showers and baths after a bracing coastal walk.
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We have an electrical vehicle charger for guest use (electric cars including Teslas are available for rental in Inverness).

Question 3

Efficiency

Accepted Answer

Renovations achieved a "B" rating for energy efficiency (not easy for a house of this size and age) ​through installation of double-glazing in replica style to the old, sadly unrepairable windows as well as significant amounts of natural wall, underfloor and roof insulation. The exterior walls have been reharled (historic Scottish style of rendering) with natural-highly insulating lime that uses minute glass bubbles instead of sand to capture heat.
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Electronic systems monitor and reduce power usage when not required. The whole house has energy-saving lighting throughout and all appliances have high energy efficiency ratings.

Question 4

Chemical use

Accepted Answer

Throughout the house, natural materials were used for insulation such as wood fibre and low-VOC paint has been used for indoor air quality (Farrow & Ball).  Detergents used in cleaning are mainly Ecover with plant-based, biodegradable ingredients.
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In the garden, we do not use pesticides or inorganic fertilisers and we reuse all rainwater.

Question 5

Recycle and reduce

Accepted Answer

We no longer provide single-use mini toiletries but large refillable glass bottles from Bramley - a British supplier using all natural ingredients and local botanicals. The water we provide comes in recyclable cartons. And we recycle as much of our waste as possible.

Question 6

Where next

Accepted Answer

We still have more to do! We need to find a way for guests to be able to compost their waste food and to find suppliers that use less plastic packaging. We still haven't found bin liners made of biodegradable materials that are strong enough for guests. We are also exploring more use of wind turbines on site if we identify small and visually - unobtrusive models.

House of the Northern Gate
Dunnet Estate, Caithness, Scotland

Sustainability at the House of the Northern Gate

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