If lots of people do a little, then lots will get done.
We are not leaders in ecology and we will not single-handedly save civilization, but we are trying to do our bit. Our philosophy is that if lots of people do a little, then lots will get done.
We aim to focus on sustainability, as well humanitarian and social impacts. In short, we do what we can when we can, for the planet and its people. If we can make an impact, we do.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
We do ask our guests to be as conscious as possible in the consumption of energy, when using heating and lighting. We strive to minimise our usage, whilst prioritising guest comfort.
We regularly meet via Internet video chat, as opposed to in person ops meetings.
SEWAGE
We have a septic tank and sewage treatment plant at Woodfarm HQ, which enables us to treat our own sewerage in a sustainable manner before being collected by our waste management contractors, another local, family run business.
CLEANING PRODUCTS
Where possible we use organic cleaning products. These do cost us more, but they are less harmful to people and the environment.
HERB GARDEN
Our herb garden won’t win any awards at Chelsea (or any other London Boroughs) but our guests at Woodfarm HQ are welcome to help themselves.
COMPOSTING
We provide compost bins at Woodfarm HQ, and encourage guests to dispose of compostable items in order for us to repurpose them on our plants, when appropriate.
We also utilise our grass cuttings and pruning victims in the same way.
BREAKFAST BASKETS
We provide a yummy breakfast basket with every stay, and where possible we source as much of the produce as we can locally. This keeps food miles down, and puts pennies in the pockets of nice local people.
RECYCLING
We recycle as much as we can, and use a local, independent waste contractor at Woodfarm HQ. We chose them specifically because they have a recycling plant just down the road from us, so we know that however our waste gets to them, if it hasn’t all been separated, then it will be. Happy, smug look applied.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING POINTS
We have provided external points for EV’s at Woodfarm HQ. We can’t do this with the Barges as they are on quays and that is a bit tricky. EV’s can be left on charge whilst guests are in-situ at the Barns, and at the time of you reading this, we do not charge (pun intended) for this.
CHARITY WORK
We regularly do charitable things. This is only a small business, so we’re not in a position to do huge levels of philanthropic gestures. However, the one thing we can do when required is utilise what we have, which is accommodation.
We have provided our Barns & Barges in the past as prizes for such organisations as Wood Green Animal Charity, Medical Detection Dogs, St Elizabeth’s Hospice, Brambles Animal Sanctuary, our local food bank FIND, to name but a few. We even sponsor a little fella called Eeyore at the Donkey Sanctuary.
We did as much as possible during the pandemic, housing NHS frontline workers so they could shield from vulnerable relatives, and we gave away a couple of holidays in a free draw, only open to NHS employees. It was our little way of saying thank you.
We do what we can, when we can.
FREE HOLIDAYS
For well over a decade we have given away countless free holidays now. In the interests of openness and transparency, we have always made it very clear that we do so in order to build our database, so that we can market to those people in a nice way. However, the net result is that we have given loads of free holidays to very grateful people! That’s gotta be a good thing as a social impact right?
PAYING OUR SUPPLIERS
Other than being forced to use large businesses for some things, we use local, and/ or independent suppliers for as much as we possibly can. Those that invoice us are paid immediately. We don’t believe in making them wait more than a day for payment. Many of them say that we are their fastest payers, and we are really proud of that.
PAYING OUR TEAM
The Woodfarm A Team is absolutely key to the success of the business, and we look after each other. We have always paid considerably above minimum wage, and always will, and nobody is ever paid late.
We increase wages when we can to reward performance and loyalty.
It’s a small, but beautifully formed team, with many members having been with us for many years. We like that.
OUR BARGES ARE STATIC
What positive impact does this have? Well, it simply means that you still get to play at pirates, without using fuel, navigating your way around the Caribbean!
DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE
We just don’t. Ever. End of. Nuff said.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The very fact that we have this ESG Policy demonstrates that this is an ongoing process. We review it continually, and will keep it that way. We are in business for commercial reasons, but believe that we can still achieve our goals, without doing so at the expense of people or the planet. Woodfarm is continually striving towards a net-positive impact on our community, society and the planet.
Please don’t jump on us if you don’t think we are doing enough. We are proud that we are doing as much as we can to help.
