Summer Lodge's Sustainability Initiatives
Find out more about our environmentally conscious activities at Summer Lodge committed to providing a greener future.
30 Jan 2024
At Summer Lodge Country House & Hotel, our commitment to environmental and social responsibility has a multifaceted approach, find out more about our holistic dedication to creating a positive impact on both the environment and the community below.
CLIMATE
As part of our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, all lightbulbs in Summer Lodge are now LED bulbs, which have a much lower energy requirement than traditional bulbs and last much longer. Additionally, we have committed to attempt paperless check-ins, meaning our registration cards are now electronically provided to guests and stored on an internal server, this reduces paper usage and improves security.
Eliminating single use plastic has been at the forefront of our efforts towards sustainability here at Summer Lodge. We are currently investing in tablets to replace printed task sheets and restaurant lists. Additionally, all of our waste is recycled and waste food is sent to a local bio-digestor to create both electricity and fertiliser for local farmers.
FOOD
Kitchens can waste up to 20% of food purchased, often equivalent to their total net profits, as chefs too often lack the necessary tools to accurately measure and manage waste. However, at Summer Lodge, what gets measured gets managed, and by using data intelligently kitchens can be made more efficient. Winnow develops technology to help chefs achieve greater visibility in their kitchens and make better decisions that lead to dramatically reduced food waste and costs. In 2020, Red Carnation Hotels partnered with Winnow Solutions to tackle the issue of food waste and set targets to halve this by 2025.
Local & Organic Suppliers
At Summer Lodge we place a great significance on using premium, locally sourced products in our menu. For example all fish, meat and dairy is sourced from a maximum of 50 miles away. This enables us to provide exceptional service, whilst being aligned with these values. We have a new relationship with a specialist meat producer, Lyons Hill Farm, who source and produce mature, rare breed cattle, for beef with greater flavour and much better animal welfare.
VOLUNTEERING
Summer Lodge has provided strong volunteering contributions to our group efforts over the last year. For example, we work closely with a local homeless charity in Weymouth to provide one meal per week for the homeless. Our staff choose to give up a staff dinner every week and we donate it instead to the charity. Staff members volunteer to take the food down to Weymouth every Thursday evening and help serve.
SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS
We are deeply committed to protecting our environment and contributing to local causes, including phasing out single-use plastics, saving energy, reducing food waste. We are proud to also be working with the following charities and companies dedicated to bringing positive change to the world: Furleigh Wine Estate, Caprelous Fine Foods and Julia's House.
Sustainable experiences
Embark on a sustainable experience that will leave you in awe and inspires positive change. Join Head Gardener Robin Andrews, who will guide you through the vital process of good soil management to help you make the most of your garden or allotment.
Find out more