Sustainability at Ballygarry Estate
At Ballygarry Estate Hotel and Spa, our passion for regenerative tourism has developed over the past few years. We are dedicated to reducing our environmental footprint while delivering the exceptional service our guests expect.
Our team are proud to share that we’ve significantly reduced our carbon footprint—from 462.77 tonnes in 2017 to just 8.3 tonnes in 2022—and we continue to strive for even greater reductions! We’re currently waiting for updated figures to share our latest achievements with you.
We are actively engaged in buying responsibly. This includes purchasing as much from the local market as possible, reducing our food miles, as well as stimulating and supporting local businesses. Last year we spent €1.4M on food of which 58% was produced in County Kerry.
A further step we have taken is our Native Tree Plantation which the 29,500 trees planted are to offset the carbon cost. With this in mind, our mission is to also offset the carbon produced by our staff and guests’ travel by 2030.
We are happy to share with you, our journey towards becoming carbon-negative and continue to find opportunities to further enhance our commitment to sustainable tourism.
Sustainability
The Estate
The centerpiece of our drive for a more sustainable business, is our current works to create our Estate, and the re-wilding of this land, which for generations was a working farm. This has seen us:
- Create an integrated wetlands, which uses reed bed filtration to treat wastewater, and in turn, offsets a massive amount of carbon
- Planting of fifteen acres of native woodlands, which will in time complement Ballyseedy Woods
- Plant three acres of native wildflower meadows next to our apiary to promote pollinators
- Re-wild over eighty acres of former farmland
- Re-introduce wild hedgerows, which are excellent sources of food and shelter for wildlife
Sustainability
Biodiversity area
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. Maintaining a high level of diversity among plants, animals and all living things all around us is essential in keeping the environment healthy and fit for human life.
One third of our bee species in Ireland are threatened with extinction. This is because we have drastically reduced the amount of food (flowers) and safe nesting sites in our landscapes.
Ballygarry are proud to home a number of beehives and have planted a number of wildflower meadows to help re-establish lost colonies of bees and offset the natural decrease in pollination by wild bees.
We also harvest our own honey which has have significant antibacterial qualities amongst many other benefits.
Sustainability
Biodegradable Area
Awareness of the damage caused to the environment by pollution is top of the agenda at Ballygarry Estate. What started with small efforts to reduce waste with the introduction of paperless checkouts and refillable soap dispensers, has quickly led to the formation of a dedicated ‘Green Team’.
We believe in having good recycling procedures in place to minimise our carbon footprint. Some of the initiatives to date include:
- Removing excess plastic from bedrooms, changing to organic glass bottled water
- Providing biodegradable takeaway containers, coffee cups & straws
- Composting waste to create compost for our gardens including a herb garden for our chefs
- Plastic, Cardboard, Glass, and Dry Recycling are all collected separately for recycling
- Replaced individual portion cosmetics in guestrooms with organic products from Irish brand Voya
Sustainability
Electric Vehicle Charging
Ballygarry Estate were proud to be the first hotel in Ireland to offer Tesla Superchargers. This is in addition to the two destination charging spaces already provided at the hotel.
After the upgrade in 2024, the on-site Tesla Superchargers are universal and compatible with all electric vehicles. Switching to electric vehicles contributes to lower carbon footprints and mitigates pollution, supporting our objective of preserving the environment for future generations.
Sustainability
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan
The team is excited to share that we are official members of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan Framework.
Our Estate grounds and the gardens surrounding the hotel provide a habitat for our pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and various insects. These creatures play a crutial role in preserving the health of our ecosystem. As a team, we are dedicated to protecting these pollinators and enhancing our efforts by leaving areas of unmowed grass, planting pollinator-friendly shrubs, and caring for our insect hotel in the gardens.
Each week, we share fascinating facts and discoveries from the Estate with our team and social media community to educate and inform them about our findings.