Sustainability

Waste

There are no single-use plastics anywhere on site. That includes the spa slippers and the toiletries, and it includes the dogs: every dog staying gets biodegradable poop scoops, never plastic bags. Wherever something can be reused, we reuse it.

The toiletries in each lodge are Irish-made soap bars from Naturally at the Wren’s Nest, so there’s no bottle to throw away at the end of a stay.

All waste is separated into general, recycling and compost. Recycling bins are available to guests and four or more types of waste are recycled. Our composting is complete, and every lodge has a compost caddy, so guests can compost all their food waste.

Guest information lives in the guest app and in our messages rather than in folders of printed paper. We keep print to the few cards that are more useful in the hand than on a screen.

There’s no bottled water. In the Sanctuary and the communal spa areas, drinking water is served from glass dispensers.

On self-catered retreats, housekeeping is light by design. There’s no daily servicing, and linen and towels aren’t laundered mid-stay unless a group asks for a towel change on day three.

Water

We have our own well and our own wastewater treatment plant, so the site is entirely self-sufficient for water.

Each lodge has a private alfresco hot bath in place of a chemically treated tub. Each bath holds just 240 litres, drawn from our own well.

We collect rainwater and use it to keep the pond fresh for wildlife. Public areas are fitted with water-efficient devices.

Energy

Reducing carbon emissions is a crucial step in limiting climate change. We’re working to reduce, and in time remove, our reliance on fossil fuels, and to move to clean energy. Solar and an on-site EV charger are committed for 2027, and new heaters go into the lodges this autumn.

We don’t run electricity we don’t need. During quiet periods, power to empty lodges is switched off, and our housekeeping team is trained to leave every appliance off after each turnaround.

The Bayview Sauna is electric, so we don’t leave it heating an empty room all day. The communal sauna is open from 5pm to 9pm daily, and retreat groups use it for an agreed window each day.

The lodges are built to hold their heat. Every window is double glazed, walls and roofs are highly insulated, and heaters are set to switch off once a comfortable temperature is reached. All lodge lighting is energy-efficient LED.

Outside, lights at the lodges, the sauna and the group areas run on motion sensors or solar. Pathway lights only come on from dusk to dawn where they’re needed.

We invite guests to reuse their towels and robes during their stay.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity gives us clean air and water, healthy soil, nutrient cycling and pollination, and it shapes how we live, rest and play. It’s also a large part of why people come to stay, so protecting it is part of looking after our guests.

Dark skies

Wild Hideaways is a DarkSky Approved Lodging, the first in Europe. The accreditation (ID DS-LOD-15) was awarded on 5 March 2026 and is valid until 5 March 2031.

We run the site to a lightscape plan that puts darkness first: low warm lighting on sensors, torches on every key fob, and glare and light spill kept to a minimum. Earlier in 2026 we replaced every light on site, so all our lighting is now DarkSky approved. A dark night matters to the wildlife that feeds, moves and roosts after sunset, not only to the people looking up.

The land

The site is a rewilded 3.5 acres. We leave large areas unmown so wildflowers and other pollinator plants can grow, and so wildlife has somewhere to live.

Our rewilded pond was created when the build was finished, to bring in local plants and animals. It’s now busy with frogs, insects, birds and small mammals.

We’ve planted many Irish native trees on the site, and we’ll keep adding to them.

What we use

Housekeeping and the spa use natural, eco cleaning products and no harsh chemicals. The Sanctuary uses a range of Irish organic products, and the products we buy come in biodegradable packaging wherever it’s available.

Local community

The Mealagh Valley is a small place with a big heart. As members of this community and local business owners, investing in it is our duty and our pleasure.

We employ local staff and buy local products and services wherever we can. Every food hamper is made with locally sourced ingredients. The seaweed for the bath is hand-picked on Bere Island. The toiletries are Irish-made, the Sanctuary’s products are Irish and organic, and retreat groups travel with a local coach company. Guests should feel West Cork in the details, and our spend should stay in the valley.

We invest a percentage of our revenue in the local community hall, a hub for activities for people who live here.

We organise and promote regular clean-ups of our local roadsides and hedgerows, we donate unwanted goods to charity, and we keep an eye out for other local community and sustainability projects we can support.

Our three-year roadmap, 2026 to 2029

These are the commitments we’re holding ourselves to. Everything else in this policy carries on as standard practice.

This autumn, new heaters go into every lodge.

In 2027 we’ll install solar on site, along with an on-site EV charger for guests.

In 2028 we’ll take the next step on our work towards B Corp.

Every year, we’ll keep planting Irish native trees, running roadside clean-ups and supporting the community hall.

To the future

This policy is the next step in a longer commitment, and we’re glad to take it on. We’re working towards B Corp, and we’ll keep reviewing and improving this policy so it stays honest about what we do and where we’re heading.