Sustainability at Elms Farm Cottages

Already a Green Tourism member, Elms Farm Cottages has been working on its sustainability credentials since it first opened the doors to its ten beautifully converted cottages and stables back in 2004.

Having created a happy niche for the business - surrounded by beautiful rural Lincolnshire, in Hubbert’s Bridge near Boston, Elms Farm Cottages focused on sustainability early on, for guests to join in with the business’s eco-journey.

For us, it all began with establishing that connection back to our surroundings – the countryside. Wildflower meadows, nature walks, hedgerows and tree planting were all high on the agenda for us when the business’s foundations were being laid. Even rebuilding the cottages from the old farm buildings, we utilised as many materials as possible that were already on site and opted for sheep’s wool insulation which, at the time, was leading technology.

From LED lighting and the EV chargers to the dual flush toilets, paraben-free toiletries, eco cleaning products, and the reed bed sewerage treatment plant we have on-site, we are working in so many ways to make the business as environmentally friendly as possible.

On the farm building we optimise solar panels as well as a wind turbine, giving us combined cover of between 70-95% of our energy usage – heating and lighting in the cottages year-round, and during the summer months supporting grain drying for the farm too.

Local food is another aspect we champion here, not only promoting our local producers - those who lovingly craft Boston sausages, Lincolnshire plum bread and Lincolnshire’s amazing cheeses for example - but sharing their stories with our guests so they can pass on that knowledge, decreasing food miles and our overall reliance on big chain supermarkets too.

We’re also a member of Cycle Lincolnshire, with secure cycle storage to encourage guests to explore on two wheels rather than four. We’ll be hosting a Cycle Lincolnshire workshop in the spring and would love to see as many businesses as possible there – they can register interest with Helen at Cycle Lincolnshire. Even the coast and Skegness are accessible via bike – with a train station located opposite the cottages guests can hop on a train, take their bikes, and explore the coast too.

One thing I would like to work on in the future is adding to the nature signs we created when we founded the business – signposting guests to the wildlife and nature we have in abundance in the area – to extend that content in an interactive way to get families actively exploring the area on more trails.

As extensive as Elms Farm Cottages’ sustainable approach is, the above doesn’t even cover everything. A recycling station exists on site too, as well as benches made entirely out of recycled plastic bottles – a feature which alone has seen more than 25,000 recycled plastic bottles put to good use!