At the Old Brick Guesthouse we want to ensure that our impact on the environment is kept to a minimum, especially as we are lucky enough to live in South Shropshire in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

We are therefore delighted to announce that in our inspection in May 2010 we were awarded SILVER level by the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Helping us achieve SILVER we:
• recycle as much of our waste as possible. Glass, cardboard, paper, tin, aluminium and drink cartons go to the local recycling centre
• send all biodegradeable waste from kitchen and garden (cardboard, food scraps, hedge and grass cuttings) go to the biodigester.
• donate discarded furniture, bedding, pillows, computer equipment and other household items to the South Shropshire Furniture Scheme for reuse.
• closely monitor our energy usage. We can then take steps to reduce, such as low energy light-bulbs and A-rated kitchen appliances, and check on our effectiveness as well as investigate issues.
• try to encourage local wildlife through bird feeders and nest boxes.
• encourage walking and biking by providing information to our guests.
• purchase responsibly using "Fair Trade" products, environmentally safe products (ECOVER cleaners, Eco balls for laundry, toilet rolls made from recycled paper, bio-degradable bin bags) and use local produce and suppliers as much as possible.

In the Future we will continue to:
• Be better at marketing ourselves as a Green business and therefore encourage more people to think about the environment when booking a holiday.
• Make more information available to guests about local wildlife and more environmentally friendly activities.

Recent changes:
• removal of ancient, inefficient, oil-guzzling Aga.
• installation of solar thermal heating for hot water.
• installation of secondary glazing to most windows.
• replacement of some windows with double glazed windows.
• installation of thermostatic controls to all radiators in guest rooms.
• installation of low flow shower heads to all showers.
• installation of Ecoflap draught excluding letter box to front door.
• installation of energy saving panels for all radiators on external walls.

If we do our best to help protect the environment then you can be safe in the knowledge that the impact of your stay in this beautiful part of the world is kept to a minimum.