Responsible Tourism
We believe it is possible for people to travel in a responsible way, and, in the process, to bring benefits to French communities, to themselves and to the world as a whole. We do our best to act responsibly towards the environment, towards society and towards local economies.
Environmental responsibility
Travel
Although we offer accommodation only, we are able to advise on travelling to France. We encourage people to take the ferry or train where possible, and we are able to provide detailed information on public transport for use during the holiday. We are also able to advise on which properties need no car. For clients who fly to France we provide links to carbon-offset schemes. We also have a link to a similar scheme for ferry crossings.
The French holiday properties
Many of the houses are old properties which have been carefully restored using beautiful locally produced materials e.g. floor tiles, roof tiles, local stone, fabric from Provençal markets.
-We always stress the importance of being careful with electricity and water usage, whether or not these are charged for. On the whole the French are more aware of this than we are.
-We explain that it is better to keep shutters closed during the day to keep houses cool, rather than using the air conditioning.
-All our houses have detailed instructions about sorting their rubbish for re-cycling.
-Many of the houses re-use rainwater collected from the guttering.
-Many of the houses have septic tanks and eco-friendly products are provided for cleaning.
-Heating is often from a wood burner and many of the houses have the “insert” system where hot air from the fire is piped through the walls to heat the other rooms in the house.
In many ways the French are more environmentally aware, and we are sure some visitors return from their holidays with improved habits!
Our office
Our office is in a redundant agricultural building which we re-built using reclaimed, traditional materials. Our water for the office comes from a spring and is pumped by water-powered ram.
We do not produce a paper brochure; our bookings and enquiries are handled by email and all our office paper and printing cartridges are re-cycled. Our shredded documents go on the compost heap.
We support the Devon Wildlife Trust and we have nest boxes and feeding stations in the office grounds to encourage the birds.
Economic responsibility
We encourage people to shop in local markets and village shops to promote the local economy. We recommend visits and excursions to attractions which are not overly commercialised such as local art exhibitions, organic herb gardens, wild life sanctuaries etc.
With every booking we send out a “house book” in which we list the local markets and restaurants which we recommend. Many of our properties are off the main tourist track – even some of our Côte d’Azur villas - and we are sure that our clients’ trade has an impact on local businesses.
Work by local artists and craftsmen is on display in many of the houses.
Our excellent local agents make sure the owners maintain their properties well and we generate business for local painters and decorators as well as cleaners and other maintenance staff.
Bicycle hire shops do well out of our clients as we are always promoting cycling; if anyone staying at one of our Brittany cottages wants to hire a bike, our Brittany agent is usually able to arnage this and deliver the bikes to the properties so they are there for clients’ arrival.
Social responsibility
Holidays in France are largely about enjoying the local culture of another country, and we promote this in every way we can. In particular, almost every village and town in France has a local fête, and there are many village concerts during the summer. We provide specific information to help people enjoy these events.
Charities
We support the following charities by fund-raising and donations:
Local
Julian House in Bath (for homeless people)
Kennaway House in Sidmouth (restoration of a building to be used for adult education)
Devon Wildlife Trust (conservation in Devon) www.devonwildlifetrust.org
France
We support a French charity called ASSOHUMA which organises trips taking humanitarian and medical aid to women in Afghanistan and families in remote Sénégal. www.assohuma.org
Through another French charity (S.C.A.M.T.) We sponsor a child in a Roma (gypsy) family in a remote part of Croatia. This enables her to go to school, have school meals and helps pay for clothes. www.scamt.org
International
Shared Interest www.shared-interest.com
Greenpeace
Amnesty International
Friends of the Earth
