Our environment

Preseli Venture is committed to remaining an economic force promoting sustainable adventure tourism in wilderness areas, such as the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park here in West Wales.

At Preseli Venture our aim is to deliver the perfect blend of outdoor activities and unique Pembrokeshire hospitality in an environmentally sustainable and socially aware manner. On this page you’ll find details of the initiatives we’re involved in, and read a little more about the unique Pembrokeshire coastal environment.

Green Achievement Award

In 2008 Preseli Venture were the proud recipients of this Pembrokeshire Tourism award, and very happy we were too! It’s nice to be recognised for making an effort, when sometimes trying to be environmentally and ethically aware can feel like a uphill (and expensive) struggle.

Green Dragon Environmental Standard

In August 2005 we achieved our Level 2 Green Dragon award – this means that in our work we have focused on understanding relevant environmental legal obligations and have taken action to make sure these obligations are met.

We’re not big fans of carbon offsetting schemes, so instead we take localised action to reduce the amount of Co2 we produce in our day to day activities – stuff like:

• using a ground source heat pump to produce 100% of the hot water and heating in the lodge
• sourcing the electricity that we do use through a green energy provider – ecotricity at the moment
• encouraging our clients to use public transport, and providing free bus and train station transfers
• sourcing as much local food as possible, along with using local materials, and local trades people and staff!

Additionally we like to:

• use recycled paper and as many recycled products as possible in the office and in the lodge
• recycle all paper, glass, cans and high grade plastics
• compost the food waste, or feed it to the chickens, who then lay the eggs for your breakfast!
• use environmentally friendly cleaning products – we like Ecover best
• source plenty of fair trade tea and coffee for our guests
• use ‘eco’ paint in the lodge, it smells nicer and has no nasty chemicals in it, we use NBT trade paint

Read more about the environmentally friendly features of the Preseli Venture ecolodge accommodation.

Green Traveller and Responsible Travel

We’re proud to work closely with Green Traveller and  Responsible Travel to bring our particular brand and style of sustainable adventures to the wider holidaymaking public. Green Traveller promotes environmentally friendly holidays in the UK and Ireland, and European countries accessible by train, meaning that we don’t have to go far to be green. They’re all about changing the way we travel, about finding ways to get off-grid, and about slowing down our pace of life. We’re proud to be associated with them in their awareness raising, behaviour changing, endeavours!

In 2010 we featured on the Guardian Green Travel List, as an exemplary activities centre and activities provider.

The Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter

This Charter was developed by local outdoor adventure and environmental education centres, working closely with the National Park and the National Trust and has been operating since 1993. The aim of the Charter is to foster commitment by those involved to an environmental code of practice to preserve the unique landscape and wildlife of this beautiful, unspoilt coastline. The key is to develop sustainable management of outdoor recreation on the Pembrokeshire Coast. Preseli Venture has been a key player in the inception of the Outdoor Charter, and fully endorses its code of good environmental practice.

The Abermawr Coastcare Group

Under the auspices of “Keep Wales Tidy Campaign”, the Afonydd Glan/Clean Coasts Project has set up voluntary and community “Coastcare” groups around the Pembrokeshire coast. Their aim is to enhance the value of the coastline by reducing the impact of litter. This in turn enhances the aesthetic appeal and increases the amenity and economic value of the coast to the community and visitors.

Their objectives are:

• To undertake practical cleanups of the coastline.
• To support, establish and promote community group action with a focus on practical environmental works along the coast.
• To raise awareness of problems created by illegal disposal of waste along the coastline of Wales.

Preseli Venture have adopted their local beach of Abermawr, (just one mile away), and organise a number of beach cleans throughout the year, or whenever the need arises.

Abermawr is an extremely clean beach, due mainly to the fact that the beach faces north-west and so is relatively unaffected by any rubbish blown onto the coast by the prevailing south-westerly winds and waves. Due to its remoteness, Abermawr also attracts relatively few visitors throughout the year and so is a perfect place for your beach frolics and moonlit walks!

The North Pembrokeshire Transport Forum (NPTF)

Sophie Hurst, a director of Preseli Venture, is an active executive committee member of the NPTF, a campaigning and pressure group that tirelessly works towards improving public transport to, from and within north Pembrokeshire. The NPTF recognises the vital role of public transport in the sustainable development of peripheral rural areas such as north Pembrokeshire.

We lobby and campaign for improved rail services to Fishguard Harbour, an otherwise excellent integrated transport node with bus, taxi, Irish ferry, cycle track and coastal path links. We work for improved bus services and access for disadvantaged and remote communities with innovative community transport schemes.

We fully support the coastal shuttle buses along the Pembrokeshire coast, which are proving to be a great success and will continue to run over the winter.

Greenpeace and the Nuclear Free Seas Flotilla September 2002

In September 2002 Nick Hurst, a director at Preseli Venture, set off in his RIB boat with 2 like-minded friends to help the Greenpeace flagship “Rainbow Warrior” along with a large anti-nuclear flotilla which set sail from Wales and Ireland. The demonstration was against the shipment of 5 tons of the nuclear fuel Mox, (a potentially weapons-grade mixture of plutonium and uranium rejected by Japan) sailing north up the Irish Sea on route to the Sellafield reprocessing plant in Cumbria. On the day, our RIB fulfilled a vital role, taking journalists 50 miles out into the Irish Sea, right to the location of the flotilla of yachts and Rainbow Warrior, as they crossed the path of the armed nuclear ships.

The protest highlighted the very real danger to the fragile coastal environment of the unsafe cargos currently being transported on the sea, especially in the light of many more such shipments to Sellafield being planned over the next few years.

Like to know more?

If you have any questions about Preseli Venture’s environmental ethos please do call us on 01348 837709 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01348 837709 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or contact us, we’d love to hear from you.