Introduction *
Higher Trewithen Holiday Cottages Climate Report
The purpose of the report is to increase the understanding of what is driving the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, set targets to reduce these emissions, and ensure transparency and traceability on the journey towards net-zero.
Methodology
The emissions or greenhouse gas accounting is based on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol’s corporate and value chain standards (ghgprotocol.org).
The GHG Protocol defines emissions in three scopes:
- Scope 1 – The company's direct emissions from vehicles, combustion, processes, or leakages
- Scope 2 – The company's indirect emissions from energy purchased and consumed (electricity, heating, cooling).
- Scope 3 – Greenhouse gas emissions that occur upstream and downstream in the company's value chain, as a consequence of the company's operations. Examples of scope 3 emissions are purchased goods and services, transport, use and disposal of products, business travel and employee commuting.
Total greenhouse gas emissions are quantified in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e), which take into consideration that different greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, methane etc.) have different global warming factors.
reporting year
*2022
number of employees in the reporting year
*2
Commitment And Targets *
net zero target year
*2050
Base year
*2019
comment on your net zero targets
*We are determined to continue reducing our carbon emissions year on year and we're actively investigating ways to reduce our Scope 3 emissions which make up the largest % of our overall emissions.
near-term scope 1 target
*5
target year
*2050
near-term scope 2 target
*5
target year
*2050
near-term scope 3 target
*5
target year
*2050
comment on your near-term targets
*We would hope to achieve higher reductions to these but we have tried to give more realistic targets.
Own emissions *
scope 1 emissions
scope 1 emissions (metric tons co2e)
*4012.79
own facilities
*0
own vehicles
*4012.79
metric tons CO2eown processes
*0
scope 2 emissions
scope 2 emissions (metric tons co2e)
*9639.99
total energy consumption (kwh)
*58427.00
renewable energy
*17
purchased electricity
*49850.00
metric tons CO2eRenewable electricity (%)
-
purchased steam
*N/A
Renewable electricity (%)
-
purchased heating
*N/A
Renewable electricity (%)
-
purchased cooling
*N/A
Renewable electricity (%)
-
Comment on your energy consumption
*We're pleased to see that the changes we have already made have made a significant impact to our Scope 2 emissions totals. We hope to move our large meter over to 100% green electricity and install a few batteries to capture excess solar generation that we are currently sending back to the grid.
Value chain emissions *
scope 3 emissions
scope 3 emissions (metric tons co2e)
*84054.57
supply chain related - upstream emissions
purchased goods and services
*5022.04
metric tons CO2ecapital goods
*0
fuel and energy related activities
*0
transportation and distribution (upstream)
*0
waste in operations
*160.97
metric tons CO2ebusiness travel
*0
employee commuting
*N/A
leased assets (upstream)
*2186.95
metric tons CO2ecustomer related - downstream emissions
transportation and distribution (downstream)
*76677.71
metric tons CO2eprocessing of sold products
*N/A
use of sold products
*N/A
end-of-life treatment of products
*6.90
metric tons CO2eleased assets (downstream)
*N/A
franchises
*N/A
investments
*N/A
If you have excluded or have not measured any relevant sources of value chain emissions, provide your estimate of the % of your total emissions that is represented by these sources.
*86
List any sources of emissions excluded:
*we haven't excluded any but the form won't save without me completing this bit. The 86% relates to our guests travel to our property and their travel around Cornwall whilst on holiday.
describe the calculation methodology and comment on accuracy:
*Outsourced to carbon foot-printing consulting support (SustainAbility), accuracy based on data given and latest available factors online. Data collection techniques to be improved for future measurements.
Actions and plans to reduce emissions *
to reduce emissions in line with my commitment, my company has a plan and is taking action:
*Yes
Scope 1 Actions
own facilities
N/A
We do not burn anything on site
own vehicles
Yes
We hope to change our vehicle to a hybrid or EV in the future which will help reduce our Scope 1 emissions.
own processes
N/A
We do not process products on site.
scope 2 actions
purchased electricity
Yes
We have already installed a 52 panel solar PV array. We would like to add battery storage to this system so we can store unused self generated solar energy to be used later in the day. We also hope to switch our last meter over to a 100% green energy tariff at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime we plan to encourage our guests to be mindful of their electricity usage while they are using our accommodation.
purchased steam
N/A
We do not purchase steam.
purchased heating
N/A
We do not purchase heating.
purchased cooling
N/A
We do not purchase cooling.
scope 3 actions
supply chain related (upstream)
purchased good and services
*Yes
We consider where we purchase all of our goods for the operation of our business and we intentionally seek out suppliers that are doing positive things for the planet. We select local or UK based suppliers first and foremost for all of our supplies.
capital goods
*Yes
We try to buy locally first and we always make sure that any supplier is working with a planet conscious ethos that aligns with out own of do least harm. All capital electrical goods are of the highest energy efficiency rating that we can afford at the time.
fuel and energy related activities
*N/A
We have switched our electric supplies to 100% green energy tariffs. We have one more meter yet to switch which we plan to do at the earliest opportunity.
transportation and distribution (upstream)
*N/A
Not relevant to our sector
waste in operation
*Yes
We are always looking to make recycling easier at Higher Trewithen and we are trialing food waste recycling options to help our guests recycle their food waste during their stay.
business travel
*Yes
We are planning on purchasing an electric or hybrid vehicle for our business as soon as we can afford to do so.
employee commuting
*N/A
We do not have any employees. However, if we do contract anyone to complete any work we make sure they are local first and they are aware of our ethos towards sustainability and regenerative business practices.
upstream leased assets
*Yes
When we hire leased assets we will make sure that items are the used as efficiently as possible eg if we have a project that requires a digger, we will make sure that the item is used efficiently on a day to day basis and be sure to plan our projects so that all works requiring such a vehicle will be planned at the same or similar time. We will also look at the emissions testing data to see if we can find a greener options for the type of task we are completing.
customer related (downstream)
transportation and distribution (downstream)
*Yes
We are looking to install 2 EV charger points to encourage a greater number of guests with EV cars to stay at our accommodation. We are also looking into the idea of having an EV car here onsite that can be booked by guests during their stay. This could then be used by guests with a petrol car instead or could be used by guests who have come to us via public transport. Sadly, the lack of public transport makes it virtually impossible for people to stay with us without bringing their own vehicle with them. We are also looking into building relationships with local hire companies to have scheduled day trips running from our site to key tourist hot spots. Guests can purchase a bus ticket and be driven to the selected location and collected at the end of the day. I am also looking at hosting retreats in the shoulder months that would include transport for our group from our site to each activity for the day.
processing of sold products
*N/A
We do not process sold goods.
use of sold products
*N/A
Not relevant
end-of-life treatment of products
*Yes
We always look at if and how any item can be passed on, recycled, up-cycled.
leased assets (downstream)
*N/A
N/A
franchises
*N/A
N/A
investments
*N/A
N/A
i have asked my suppliers to halve emissions before 2030 and join the un-backed race to zero campaign
*Yes
percentage (%) of suppliers asked
*50
percentage (%) of suppliers committed
*75
i have communicated my commitment and actions to my business customers and asked them to join the un race to zero
*Yes
percentage (%) of business customers asked
*100
Percentage (%) of business customers committed
*75
Climate Solutions *
Do you classify any of your existing goods and/or services as low carbon products or products that enable a third party to avoid GHG emissions in their value chain, here named “climate solutions”?
*No
What percentage of your total revenue comes from sales of climate solutions?
*-
Provide descriptions/names of your climate solutions:
*We do not sell these
Methodology used to assess these as climate solutions:
*N/A
Third party which has validated the assessment, if any:
*N/A
How much of your research and development budget is allocated to climate solutions?
*-
are you investing in climate and/or nature outside your value chain?
*Yes
provide details of the project/s you invest in:
*We invest in projects that we can manage ourselves within our own garden spaces. We do not use herbicides or pesticides in any of our gardens or grounds. We have a flock of chickens to help keep the bugs down and recently purchased some ladybugs to tackle a greenfly issue we had with some new tress. We have created 2 wildflower meadows on previously grassed areas. We have a flock of rare breed sheep and 2 retired racehorses who help us to keep the fields trimmed and allows a wide range of wildflowers to grow and disperse. Our animals generate manure for us to use in the gardens, for mulching and adding good bacteria and nutrients into the soil. We have created a wildlife lake and wet-woodland which is fenced off from all grazing activity. We have created a range of wild areas including, log piles, and a bug hotel for various insects to shelter and find food. We have installed a number of rain water collection devices on our gutters to reduce our use of tap water in the gardens. We have created a new orchard with native Cornish apples, pears and cheery trees and adding other small tress and flower beds to our courtyard. We have adopted a no mow policy in a few of our garden areas to allow the grass and wildflowers to grow.
how are they quality secured?
*We invest in projects that we can manage ourselves within our own garden spaces.
which value do they represent (in usd)?
*This is very hard to calculate and I'm not sure how I would attribute a value to what we are currently doing.
which percentage (%) of your total emissions (scopes 1, 2 & 3) do they represent?
*75
Management and strategy *
Is responsibility for climate strategy and action clearly allocated at executive & board level? If yes, describe how and to which positions.
*Yes
We are a small business, consisting of just myself and my husband, plus outside contracted staff. We make sure that anyone working on site is aware of our policy of nature first thinking. Both Simon and I are committed to making our business as environmentally beneficial as we can and we are always thinking about how each decision we make impacts on the immediate and wider environment for now and the future.
Is there board level oversight of climate action? If yes, describe how.
*Yes
I am the lead on the environmental aspects of our business and work hard to make sure that nature is given a voice in all areas of our business.
Have you analyzed whether your strategy, business model and product/service portfolio are aligned with the latest climate science? if yes, explain if/how it fulfills this ambition or how it needs to be transformed.
*Yes
I have recently completed a Carbon Literacy course and commissioned someone to assist us with calculating our carbon footprint. I try to read up on the latest developments in climate science but I must admit it is hard with just a team of one to be as up to date as I would like on all aspects of such a broad and dense subject area. I hope to work on up-skilling myself within this area and continuing to learn more so that if and when we are able to achieve our aims for becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Do you identify, assess and manage climate risks? If yes, describe how.
*Yes
On quite a small scale for us really. We look at areas of concern e.g. plastic washing up sponges and look for a way to swap this item for a more sustainable alternative e.g. cellulose sponges. Another example would be our paints. We were using paints like Dulux which is very plastic heavy in terms of the container it comes in and the ingredients used to make the paint. We now use a very low VOC - water based paint that is made to order from a small business based in Norfolk. They deliver via 0 emissions courier and the paint comes in recyclable tins. Another example would be our greenfly problem. We could have bought a pesticide and sprayed our trees with this to kill them off. However, understanding the impact on the environment that this would cause and not wishing to use pesticides in our gardens, I ordered some ladybugs and larvae to help manage the risk.
Have you integrated climate and/or nature into your mission statement? If yes, describe how.
*Yes
Our sort of unofficial mission statement has been this so far, "Making memories that last a lifetime whilst treading lightly on the environment."
Do you contribute to accelerating climate action in society e.g. by influencing peers, governments, employees, and/or aligning your membership in trade associations with your missions to halve emissions by 2030?
*Yes
We share our story on our social media and we talk to guests and suppliers directly about what we are doing and what we plan to do in the future.
Results, challenges and outlook *
Comment on results:
*We are pleased to see that we have made some progress with the changes we have implemented within our business so far. We hope that we are able to continue to move forward towards our target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Do you face any key challenges in reducing emissions and/or scaling climate solutions? If yes, describe how.
*Yes
The cost of the next stage for us will be more expensive as we have already tackled the smaller, lower cost adjustments that we can make. We now need to purchase new technologies like EV chargers, battery storage for our solar generation and replacing windows and installing heat retention fans in our properties to improve thermo-efficiency of our accommodation. We also have lager scale projects to tackle with the enrichment of our wildlife lake which will require both financial investment in the creation of pathways for our guests and other groundwork and for planting native saplings and seeking advice on how best to achieve the ideal environment for wildlife and guests.
What support would you need to tackle these challenges?
*Advice on habitat creation suited to our location. Financial investment in the form of grants or affordable loans would be helpful to speed the projects along. Manpower to help us get the work completed.
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