Why we have a Green Tourism Gold Award

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A Green Tourism Gold Award

Green Tourism runs an award certification programme to recognise tourism businesses which are actively working to become more sustainable. Their Bronze/Silver/Gold awards are acknowledged worldwide as an indicator of good environmentally-friendly practice. They act as a hallmark of ‘green quality’, making it easier for the growing numbers of eco-minded visitors to find the right places to stay. In Booking.com's sustainability research in 2019, it was identified that over half (55%) of travellers want to make more sustainable travel choices but the biggest barrier was knowing how to identify the greenest places to visit and stay.

At Villa in the Vineyard we were committed from the outset to have sustainability and green practices at the heart of our business. This is why we were awarded Green Tourism Silver immediately on application in May 2019 and progressed quickly to Green Tourism Gold in December 2019. We are proud to be the only property certified by Green Tourism in the Le Marche region.

We are not doing this for CSR purposes or to jump on a green bandwagon. We have been determined to live our lives more sustainably for over 15 years and finding Villa in the Vineyard, probably the most eco-home in Le Marche, was the most exciting opportunity for us.

Green Tourism award criteria

Green Tourism undertakes a Green Check for all businesses wanting to be rated for their sustainable practices. The Check covers the following areas:

Reducing energy use
Saving water
Efficient & eco-friendly waste disposal
Ethical buying
Staying local & seasonal
Minimising food miles
Promoting biodiversity
Adopting a smart, sustainable outlook from top to bottom

You can read below how we achieved our Green Tourism Gold Award.

An eco-building

Villa in the Vineyard was constructed 10 years ago to the highest eco standards. The original farmhouse was rebuilt to a traditional style, using all the existing materials combined with the state-of-the-art renewables and eco priorities, such as thick walls insulated with woodchip, non-toxic materials and paints, double glazed windows with internal shutters and insect screens, dual flush toilets, water-saving taps and showers, a ventilated roof and enclosed wood burning stoves.

Energy efficiency

Villa in the Vineyard is run on renewable energy making it probably the most eco holiday home in Le Marche. Our hot water is provided by solar panels on the roof. Our electricity is generated by photovoltaic panels on the house roof and one of the outbuildings. Our underfloor heating in the winter and cooling in the summer is run using a highly efficient heat exchange pump, avoiding the need for energy-intensive gas central heating or air conditioning.

All the appliances we have in the villa are highly efficient, including the pump which powers the swimming pool. The water in the pool is kept clean using a copper ionisation system instead of chlorine or salt water, both of which can be irritants and corrosive.

The natural environment

Villa in the Vineyard sits in the middle of 7.5 hectares of sustainably managed vineyards and farmland. There is a large garden surrounding the villa with around 40 olive trees, fruit trees, mature trees and an organic kitchen garden.

The vines and crops are managed by the Vitali family, who have been farming this land for 50 years. Their main ethos is focused on minimum intervention to the vines and crops as well as during the production process. They harness the power of nature as they always have: using sheep to keep the grass short in the winter and to fertilise the soil naturally; allowing grasses and wild flowers to grow between the vines to encourage wildlife as well as feed the soil; avoiding the use of chemicals on the crops as well as in the production of their award winning wines.

We encourage our guests to interact with nature while they are with us: they are free to walk through the vineyards and enjoy being outside in the fresh air. At night, due to the lack of pollution, they can also try to spot different constellations in the clear skies. We provide a nature guide of different flora and fauna they might see whilst they are with us, from butterflies, birds, lizards and even porcupine!

Italy is one of the most wooded countries in Europe and we want to keep it this way. For 2020 we have decided to plant a tree on our land for every group who book with us. We would encourage guests to visit in a few years' time (particularly if they have children) to see how their tree has grown!

Social responsibility

Villa in the Vineyard is run by just us, Roberto and Nikki. We are both committed to protecting the environment and collaborating with local people. We always strive to recommend local businesses and use suppliers that we know personally who have the same principles as we do.

Zero miles and local food

At Villa in the Vineyard our guests will find it easy to enjoy zero miles food and drink. Guests are free to sample the figs, pears, and cherries when in season as well as organic vegetables from our kitchen garden. They can also try our organic olive oil and jams as part of the Welcome Pack.

The Vitali winery just a short walk up the road has a variety of award-winning wines to be sampled at a wine tasting, which also features local quality cold meats and cheeses.

We always encourage our guests to shop at local food retailers for pasta, meats and cheeses, breads and pastries, pizza, icecream etc. We provide a full list in our Information Guide. We also recommend a wide choice of local restaurants, all of excellent quality featuring local, traditional dishes at very affordable prices.

Enjoying an organic lifestyle

Respect for the environment and concern for human health and wellbeing have been Nikki's passion for over 15 years and she continues to work in ethical marketing and campaigning. All the cleaning and laundry for the villa is done with Greenscents products, a certified organic range whose marketing is run by Nikki. The Castile soaps provided in the bathrooms and by the pool are also by Greenscents. All the products are bought in large containers for refilling the smaller bottles.

We encourage our guests to use DEET-free insect repellents, recommending award-winning brand Incognito.

Reducing waste and single use plastic

At Villa in the Vineyard we provide separate bins with instructions for separating waste and we compost vegetable and fruit waste for use in our kitchen garden.

The mains water is safe to drink in our area and we provide guests with large glass bottles to keep water cool in the fridge.

We refill the complementary Castile Soaps in the bathrooms and by the swimming pool The reusable containers are made of recyclable biopolymer made from sugar cane waste.

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