Lockdown and the Environment: What We Noticed
More birds in our garden. More deer seen roaming the lower fells. Fewer cars on the roads meant less emissions and less traffic noise.
The Other Side: Plastic Waste and Litter
Just a few of the benefits we noticed, as champions of sustainability, during the recent lockdown.
But what we’ve also noticed is increased litter, a return to excessive use of single use plastic. And while we can’t see it ourselves, we know that already the seas are being polluted with more plastic waste. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/08/more-masks-than-jellyfish-coronavirus-waste-ends-up-in-ocean
Our Response: Balancing Safety and Sustainability
It’s a balancing act of which we are very aware here, now that we’ve started to welcome guests back to the Cedar Manor. The health, safety and security of our guests and employees are our highest priority. The hotel is being cleaned and sanitised on a regular basis, throughout the day in public areas and high “touchpoints” such as doors and bannisters.
Staff are trained on the importance of sterilising these areas and will ensure that we maintain a clean and safe environment. We’ve put in place a professional sanitising company that will sterilise our hotel, including all guest rooms, public areas, kitchens and even the garden furniture, assisting us to maintain a COVID-19 safe status. But – and we see this as crucial - they will be using a non-toxic process that helps us maintain our ‘Green’ environmental credentials.
Becoming a ‘Green Hotel’ was very important for us at Cedar Manor, and not just because of the many sustainable awards that we have won. We love the Lake District and sharing the beauty of the National Park with our guests, but we do want to minimise the impact that we as a business have on the environment. Sustainable tourism takes the needs of our environment, local residents, their businesses and visitors into account.
The Problem with Single-Use Plastics
Why does it matter so much now? Just think about the waste that’s being created during these crisis times by people using throwaway masks. According to a report on the BBC *, if everyone in the UK wore and threw away one of these once a day for a year, it would create a 66,000 tonne pile of contaminated waste and almost the same again in plastic packaging. (Yes, the masks contain plastic.)
Green groups are advocating the use of reusable face coverings, but according to the BBC report, the Department for the Environment say this pandemic has meant “unavoidable reliance” on single-use plastic. They said: “When this is over we need to pick up from where we left off and fight against unnecessary plastic.”
We think that’s not good enough. There’s already avoidable waste plastic ending up in the seas. We must not allow fear to overcome our principles.
A Global Perspective: Nature’s Recovery
Globally, the COVID-19 lockdown is proving to be a watershed moment for the natural environment. Air quality has dramatically improved in all cities; on roads and curtailment of industrial emissions. Freshwater habitats are improving, and wildlife appears to be flourishing in some countries as reduced human activity enables birds to nest on unexpectedly empty beaches, and cutbacks in road traffic are increasing habitat connectivity and wildlife roaming.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/20/rare-uk-wildlife-thriving-in-lockdown-reveals-national-trust
Moving Forward: Our Commitment to Sustainability
Every one of us needs to take this on board. Sustainability not only cares about the protection and conservation of our planet but also about good and ethical corporate governance and a mindfulness toward social responsibility. A sustainable business not only wants to meet the needs of customers today but also wants to ensure it can meet needs well into the future. In isolation, as individuals and as organisations, we’ve all learned how to live a greener life. We have to continue best practice NOW and not wait for the world to return to “normal”.
You can read our comprehensive Environmental Policy here: https://www.cedarmanor.co.uk/sustainability/environmental-policy/
*You and Yours, Radio 4, July 13