Sustainability

Nowadays, the word sustainability is often thrown around as a way for businesses to greenwash themselves. The Dingle Peninsula has plans to become a green zone in the future. And Atlantic Bay Rest is not perfect but the eco journey started when Laura started care taking, so we will keep taking steps to do better and add them to this list overtime.

• Peter had installed panels that heat the water on the property for the house and the hot outdoor shower. They’re standing strong and we hope to install more in the future.
• We provide refillable natural hygiene products for guests. We buy it in bulk to avoid too much plastic.
• In the same spirit, Laura makes homemade cleaning products from bulk natural ingredients.
• We encourage slow travel by offering discounts the longer you stay and help walkers and hikers get to us via public transport and offer a ride if needed for the last leg whenever possible. We also offer bike storage for cyclists.
• Respect of heritage and culture is important to us. A plethora of visitors flock to Ireland every year for its rich history and traditions. We love that Atlantic Bay Rest has its own story. We are preserving this by keeping the soul of the property intact.
• When it comes to bedding, we buy “new” (still in the packaging) second hand linens or new ethical bedding when necessary. Everything is cotton or organic cotton to avoid synthetic materials and microfibre pollution upon washing.
• When we need to purchase new, we do it from local businesses as much as possible. We also support all sorts of local services, trying to hire only people who live nearby on the peninsula. This ensures a richer local economy.
• If a renovation is necessary, unless we have no other choice, we first use what we have and upcycle those materials or materials we get second hand. For a fresh paint look, we bought eco water based paint. To build a new fence, we upcycled a fishing net that was being discarded at the Dingle marina.
• We avoid single use plastic and strive to be as low waste as possible. That includes food composting on site and diligent recycling.
• Our bank is ethical and doesn’t support the fossil fuel industry or conflicts around the world.
• The garden is managed for wildlife. This means we have corners that are left completely wild, we planted local native flowers, and we mow long keeping the grass a diverse ecosystem. Although there are lots of possible nesting places and birds love our gardens, we also installed natural birdhouses just in case they might need them.
• We regularly clean our beach although it luckily doesn’t need it too often!
• Hopefully, all these commitments inspire our guests. We like to think we are planting seeds that may later blossom into actionable change. Maybe the experience of staying at Atlantic Bay Rest will have positive ripples?