We try and source as much stuff locally as possible - Raja’s beans for example
It’s a bit tricky for us to be too high and mighty on sustainability given that we’re out here encouraging people to fly thousands of miles to come and stay with us.
Our efforts, then, are a work in progress but just putting down on paper (so to speak) what we’re committed to, and using that as a benchmark against which to measure ourselves we’ve found a useful start.
Low impact building
We made a few mistakes when we built Ruk but one thing we were comfortable with was making the most of the existing (slightly unlovely) building that was the old house and garage. Some elements weren’t perhaps ideally suited but we refashioned those, rather than pull down and pour in more concrete.
Solar
Our hot water comes almost entirely from solar panels. We have fairly regular issues with monkeys wanting to pull them apart but Ashan (our head of maintenance) is just about winning the battle.
Plastic
This has been a tough one given the unfortunate ubiquity of single-use plastic in Sri Lanka. We have looked closely at everything we need on a regular basis and, where we can only buy with single-use plastic, we’ve thought of alternatives. It is an ongoing challenge.
Re-planting
We are currently building out a plan to offer a carbon off-setting programme to guests - we hope to use some of the 100 acres at Ashburnham Estate as a carbon-positive plantation. Our goal is to have this up and running by the Autumn of 2023.