Scotlands First Official CarbonNeutral Hotel

	by Rufflets Country House Hotel on Friday, July 06, 2007
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Award-winning Rufflets Country House will be certified as CarbonNeutral® making it the first official CarbonNeutral hotel in Scotland. The initiative is part of the hotel's guaranteed commitment to reduce its carbon emissions.

Working with The Carbon Neutral Company, Rufflets has undergone a thorough assessment of the emissions it generates in its operations.* As a result, the hotel will be investing in three projects to offset its carbon footprint including the reforestation of the Carrifran Valley in the Scottish Borders. The aim of this project is to re-create a tract of forested land that will be home to a variety of trees, flowers, animals and insects, offsetting almost 30,000 tonnes of CO2 over a 100 year period. The CarbonNeutral® certification is part of Rufflets? continued commitment to green initiatives. The hotel has achieved the gold award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme for its operation such as using low energy lighting and encouraging guests to use showers instead of baths. In addition, further responsible tourism policies will be introduced in the new Garden Suite at Rufflets which will be used for weddings and conferences and is due to open later this year. These include harvesting rainwater for use in all the WCs, as well as supplying the existing on-site laundry, and providing irrigation for the surrounding garden. Stephen Owen, General Manager of Rufflets commented: ?I feel we have a moral obligation to reduce, where possible, the effects we as a business are having on the environment. The carbon offset projects we have chosen have been selected either for their connections with Scotland or the tourism industry as this holds an obvious interest to us. I think it's key for Scotland to be pioneering carbon neutral initiatives especially as more and more travellers are choosing destinations based on their environmental impact.?

Rufflets is one of the original county house hotels of Scotland featuring 24 individually styled bedrooms, three suites and two self-catering lodges. The fine dining Garden Restaurant, with its two AA Rosettes, is recognised as one of the finest in the area.