Being Eco-Conscious
&
Managing Our Impact
Our Promise
At The Mole Resort, we acknowledge our responsibility to take all appropriate measures to reduce our environmental impact. We take our responsibility to preserve the environment we live and work in seriously. Every major business decision has the environment at its heart, from the eco-conscious lodges to creating new activities. We have achieved Green Key accreditation for 2023/24 and look to continue improving and maintaining our accreditation with them.
Green Key
We're delighted to announce that we're now Green Key accredited for 2023/24!
Green Key is an international eco-label for tourism facilities. Since 1994, Green Key has been a leading standard of excellence in environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. Green Key is run internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education. In England it is managed by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
Green Key provides a well-proven framework for an establishment to work with its environmental management on sustainability issues, including awareness raising and education. The high environmental standards expected of these establishments are maintained through rigorous documentation and frequent on-site audits.
For guests, a Green Key shows that the establishment is committed to reducing the environmental impact of their stay. Green Key is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 addressed by the United Nations.
North Devon Biosphere Business Partner
The Mole Resort is located within the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere. This is one of 738 reserves in 134 countries to be recognised as a UNESCO World Biosphere and it was the first in the UK.
Biosphere reserves promote solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are learning areas for sustainable development under diverse ecological, social and economic contexts, touching the lives of more than 250 million people.
The Mole Resort has also made a Pledge for Nature and will update it as the pledge is achieved and future pledges are made.
Shower Heat Recovery
The heat recovery system works by extracting the heat from waste water from baths and showers. This is used to heat the incoming mains water for showers, reducing the requirement for the energy to heat water up to temperature.
Lighting
Lighting throughout the lodges is LED. This is a more energy efficient form of lighting.
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
These systems use a heat exchanger to capture the warmth of stale air from inside the building to heat the incoming air and are highly efficient - up to 85% of energy is retained.
Insulation
Using high performing and well insulated building fabric, achieving floor and roof U-values of 0.1 and 0.12 w/mk respectively.
Triple Glazed Windows
The third pane of glass located halfway between the inner and outer panes of double glazing, creates two air locks which improves the energy performance of regular double glazing by around 50%.
High Temperature Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP)
Used as part of an efficient all-electric heating solution which includes heating the hot tub - ERP rated A++.
Sunamp
Heat batteries use a patented phase change material that provides a low carbon, reliable space-saving thermal battery storage system. The energy is released to deliver hot water.
Power Storage
Each lodge has 1 battery at 2.4KW, storing power for when it is needed.
Electric Vehicle Charging Point
Currently, we have one electric charging point outside the entrance to the Manor House and we have another one located outside of the leisure building for use if the main hotel one is in use.
We are currently working to try and improve our infrastructure to be able to offer more EV charging points throughout The Mole Resort.
Building Our Activities
Indoor Pool
In 2013 we invested £125k in a new 199Kw Biomass plant, heating the Pavilion and the indoor pool, reducing reliance on oil.
Golf Course
The Golf Course takes up a generous portion of the estate and is carefully managed to enhance a variety of habitats. In recent years we have seen an increase in the numbers of orchids, supported by careful grass management. Dormice have also been spotted in the bramble-lined hedges.
Water for irrigation on the golf course is from storage ponds on the course, which also helps with the ecology of the area. For use across the golf course, we have invested in a “Symbio” system, an environmentally sensitive non-chemical product that helps root development and soil chemistry on the greens. It is “brewed” onsite in a tank and does not contain any chemicals.
Around The Resort
Wildlife
The Mole Resort is set in stunning unspoilt countryside, with a diversity of wildlife on site and close to the hotel. Red and Roe deer are present most days and in October the red deer stags are frequently heard when the rut is on. Foxes and badgers reside on site and may be glimpsed early in the morning or at dusk.
A walk along our stretch of the River Mole may result in sightings of Kingfishers, Dippers or sometimes an Otter. On the Estate we have a long list of rare fauna and flora that we work to protect, including; Greater horseshoe and pipistrelle bats, Newts, wild orchids and woodland.
Exterior lighting throughout the resort has been kept to a minimum in order to protect our local bat population.
Recycling
All cardboard, paper, glass, plastic and metal is recycled via local suppliers. Our lodges utilise colour coded waste bins, ensuring our guests as part of the sustainability journey and are actively doing their bit. We minimise waste across a number of different touchpoints across the resort, this includes offering filtered water in our restaurants, which we bottle onsite. After each use, bottles are sterilised and can be used time and time again. All of our cooking oil is sent to a facility where it is recycled into biofuel, while cleaning chemicals used on site are biodegradable and safe.
Local Sourcing
North Devon produces some of the best food in the country and we've fostered strong and lasting relationships with local farms and artisans to ensure that food travels less from field to fork. We design our menus around locally sourced food, this includes the wild garlic which grows onsite.
Going Green
Within the lodges, we have opted for eco-friendly and sustainable soap bars. They are supplied in card packaging as opposed to plastic, keeping both you and your conscience squeaky clean. We have an internal 'Green Team', champions from each department that take initiative to implement and make changes to drive our efforts to become as green as possible.