Our Environmental and Ethical Policy
When we were busy painting and decorating the hostel we
came across the handsome old cast iron YHA signs that used
to adorn the outside walls. The 'mission statement' as its called
nowadays still resonates with us and what we'd like to achieve
here at The Old School Hostel, Trefin. Just as the Youth Hostel
Association set out to do in the 1930's our aim is to provide
comfortable, clean, safe accommodation available to all and particularly
to keep prices low enough so that anyone, young or old who may
not be able to afford a holiday otherwise, can do so.
Arriving on foot, by cycle, bus, sea kayak, microlight - any 'low
impact' means of transport and you'll get an 'eco discount' in our
shared and single rooms.
We use a small amount of bottled gas for the three hobs in the kitchen
so electricity is our major energy source at the Old School Hostel
and therefore the main cause of our CO 2 emissions.
We've signed up with Ecotricity and they supply us with electricity
that comes entirely from renewables. Or rather they feed into the
national grid the amount we use. Last year they invested more per
customer in building new sources of green energy than all their competitors
put together. It wasn't the cheapest deal we could have got but it
was competitive and demonstrates that if we, as budget accommodation
providers can do it then companies who say they can 't afford
to go green are telling big porkies. 
THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE WAS 20 YEARS AGO. THE SECOND BEST
TIME IS NOW.
Anon
We're sceptical about the concept of carbon off-set. Planting a
few trees to neutralise the CO2 emissions from a long haul flight,
for example, doesn't really stack up we feel. However, trees are crucial
to life on our planet and despite this, humankind, having chopped
down most of them, seems hell-bent on chain-sawing the rest. Trees
generate oxygen, play host to a spectacular variety of wildlife, offer
us tranquillity, inspire us and refresh our souls. Best of all, we
reckon, is the simple act of planting them. Kids love planting trees
and the earlier they do it the better. Plant one when you're ten years
old and it'll grow into a fine young tree to visit and pay homage to
throughout your adulthood. Planting trees is an investment in the future.
It's all about hope. There are ambitious plans to plant a billion trees
worldwide this year and we're going to play our little part in that.
We sponsor the planting of a tree for every booking made. So, help create
a forest for the future. Come and stay at the Old School Hostel and
B & B in Trefin!
EVEN IF I KNEW THE WORLD WAS GOING TO RACK AND RUIN TOMORROW I WOULD STILL PLANT MY APPLE TREES.
Martin Luther King
What else? We try to do all the small stuff. Recycling, composting, using low energy light bulbs, recycled loo roll and eco-friendly cleaning products. We support our local shops and businesses. Our breakfast and packed lunch ingredients are mostly a mixture of fair-trade, organic and local produce. Our business bank account is with the Co-op, the only high street bank with an ethical and environmental policy. Some of our profits go on chipping in on buying and preserving rainforest in South America through a charity called Rainforest Concern. We're not smug or complacent about this - ( is even a so called 'green' lifestyle sustainable? ) and we'd like to hear any ideas ( no matter how radical! ) about how we can take our environmental and ethical policy forward. It's easy to think what's the point too. Politicians make big speeches but in reality do next to nothing and meantime the small-scale stuff we can do as individuals and small businesses is just a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things. To end on another quote though, this is our favourite:
NOBODY MADE A GREATER MISTAKE THAN HE WHO DID NOTHING BECAUSE HE COULD ONLY DO A LITTLE.
Edmund Burke