Woodbrooke - a truly sustainable place

Last week I led an EMS Implementation course on behalf of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC). It was a very interesting course with some thoughtful and hardworking delegates. It’s always exciting to lead a course like this, hearing of people’s experiences, problems and achievements. What made this course rather special was the location. We ran it as a residential course based at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Selly Oak, Birmingham. It was formerly the family home of George Cadbury, the chocolate maker.

The Quaker ethics are embedded in the service provided so the place was both friendly and welcoming and very beautiful. We all ate together in the communal dining room overlooking the grounds. The food was wholesome and tasty and catered for meat eaters, vegetarians, and those with food intolerances. I’ve rarely eaten so well and so healthily. At the end of each meal we took our plates and stacked them ready for washing, emptying food waste into a bin, none recyclable material (butter wrappers) into a separate (small) box and put our cutlery into a container of hot soapy water which would make the cleaning process more efficient. There was minimum waste, not least because you were welcome to keep returning for seconds and didn’t, therefore, take more than you turned out to need.

During the breaks in the training day not only was coffee and tea available but herb and fruit teas together with home baked biscuits and cakes. Yum. The water was not commercially bottled but filtered tap water in reusable glass bottles, again a much more sustainable option.

Our training room, the Eva Koch Room, was lovely. We had comfortable armchairs rather then cold plastic chairs and tables. It made for a very relaxing experience with a view through the sash windows of the glorious autumn garden.

I don’t know what everyone else’s rooms were like. Mine was small but very cosy and they left my towels alone. I can’t count the number of hotels I’ve stayed out where I’ve followed instructions so that they shouldn’t wash my towels and they’ve taken them anyway. It was so nice to have a room that was not messed with, other then the coffee and tea being refreshed.

Much of the activity at the centre is Quaker based but wider education and accommodation is very much welcomed. When we arrived there was a class of children learning to work together and we were not the only outside adult training course they have.

They work hard to be sustainable and invest in sustainable refurbishment. At present they have a box where you can donate to cover the carbon footprint of your travel. The money raised will contribute to installing solar water heaters. This together with the egg timers in the showers (my showers were always over before the sand ran out) will reduce their impact again. All but one of us arrived by train/taxi because this is a very accessible place, within walking distance of Selly Oak station, unless you are carrying a laptop, clothes for three days and a lot of course paperwork. The grounds are wildlife sanctuary and a haven of peace for the residents. Who knew there was such beauty just off the A38? Certainly my taxi driver didn’t.

I think training facilities, conference centres and hotels could all learn a lot from Woodbrooke. I’d certainly like to work there again. (Hint).

In (environmental) praise of budget hotels

I have recently been spending quite a lot of time away from home. It's part of the job and I don't mind it, though it's by no means the glamorous lifestyle it seemed from the outside. When the client is paying expenses, staying at a luxury hotel is not an option. It has always been our policy to stay at budget hotels but it has taken a while for me to embrace the idea wholeheartedly. After three weeks, off and on, living in a Travelodge I think I've finally got there, mainly because I've been impressed by the reduction in environmental impacts demonstrated by the budgets.

Those little bottles full of toiletries are a huge generator of waste and, quite honestly, it's very rare that I love the contents. The honourable exception is Hotel du Vin who provide large bottles of Arran Aromatic toiletries that you are encouraged to take away at the end of your stay. These are so nice that I am tempted to scrape the money together for another stay with them at some point, when they have an offer on, maybe. But generally, no, most hotels provide only-just-good-enough toiletries. It would be untrue to say that I haven't accumulated a stash of half used tiny bottles in the pockets of my luggage that I used to use when staying in budget hotels. Following my recent lengthy stay, however, my nasty little bottles ran out. No problem. There was a Lush nearby (you can tell!) and I followed the overpowering scent inside and bought one of their solid shampoos. What a jolly good idea! No plastic to dispose of, no liquid to leak into my bag. Why hadn't I done this before?

I thought about the toiletry issue whilst packing my bag to go home. I always take my own toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, face-wipes and moisturiser. Why not add a shampoo/conditioner bar to the bag and save myself (and my client) £20 (at least) per night? All I want from a hotel when I'm staying away from home on business is a clean comfortable room with a window that opens within walking distance of a reasonable restaurant. I can live without the pictures on the walls, the trouser press and the 'free' packet of biscuits. The shower and sink fittings tend to be water efficient to minimise the water cost to the hotel and I like this too.

Only two things would make my experience of the Romford Travelodge better. One would be free wifi and the other is a mirror in natural light that didn't have a sink or a desk in front of it so that I can see to put my mascara on. Never mind. I've bought another dongle and I just hope for the best with the make-up.