Eco hostels : Ethical accommodation in sustainable bunkhouses and hostels

Why are hostels and bunkhouses the eco-friendly choice?

By their nature, holidays in hostels and bunkhouses have a low C02 footprint. This is because:

– The shared aspects of the accommodation mean more people are making use of the same resources, which makes the accommodation more sustainable. There are shared lounges, kitchens and gardens, and some guests choose to stay in shared dormitory-style sleeping rooms, although private rooms are also available. This reduces the energy that is put into furnishing and heating the whole hostel.

-The self-catering facilities allow you to source your food locally, a great way to celebrate the region you are visiting.

-The outdoorsy nature of independent hostels means the types of activities you will be enjoying while staying at a hostel tend to be low carbon. Rather than days out that produce a lot of waste such as shopping or eating out. At independent hostels, you are encouraged to enjoy environmentally friendly activities such as walking, swimming, or cycling.

If that is not explanation enough you can see the facts and figures in this  research.

Which eco-friendly hostels and bunkhouses go above and beyond?

-A quarter of the hostels and bunkhouses in the Independent Hostels UK network have a green ethos.

-Some hostels provide a Green Discount for people who arrive on foot or by public transport. This is a great way to encourage walkers, cyclists, and the use of public transport.  You can find a list of these with their details on our Sustainable Travel page.

-Many of the hostels in our network create their own renewable energy on-site or use 100% renewable energy providers. For example, Houghton North Farm in Northumberland is now heated by a wood pellet biomass boiler and the electricity is supplied by their wind turbine.

-Many hostels have renovated their properties to become more efficient. For example, Elterwater Hostel in the Lake District has installed double glazing and thermal lined curtains to retain heat in their hostel.

-Eco-hostels know the importance of reusing, this is why the hostels in our network often communicate to share a surplus of items such as chairs or beds. Nothing in good condition gets thrown away in an eco-hostel!

-Some hostels provide bike rentals as an eco-friendly transportation method for the duration of your holiday. Like Old Brooder Bunkhouse in Suffolk.

-Hostels provide metal cutlery and ceramic plates in their self-catering kitchens. No need for single-use plastics here!

Eco hostels and bunkhouses

Independent Hostels Climate Action Plan

Independent Hostels recognises the importance of running a business with special consideration to our impact on the earth and our carbon footprint. That is why we have joined Tourism Declares. Together, alongside other businesses in the tourism industry, we are pledging to declare a climate emerency and we have created a unique action plan for the ways in which we will reduce carbon as a business.

Our declaration

1. We declare our shared commitment to unite all stakeholders in transforming tourism to deliver effective climate action.
2. We support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.
3. We will consistently align our actions with the latest scientific recommendations, so as to ensure our approach remains consistent with a rise of no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

As a signatory, we commit to:

1. Deliver a climate action plan within 12 month of signing.
2. Report publicly both progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as the actions being taken, at least annually.
3. Align our plan with five shared pathways (measure, decarbonise, regenerate, collaborate, finance) to ensure climate action is consistent across all of tourism.
4. Share information on activities connected to Tourism Declares and/or the Glasgow Declaration among contacts and networks.
5. Work in a collaborative and constructive spirit with other members of Tourism Declares and/or signatories of the Glasgow Declaration.

Our Climate Action Plan

Celebrating what we have already achieved (day to day)

• Our office is based in a building owned by the local community and staffed by volunteers.  Our rent contibutes to the community and our staff volunteer at events.
• Wherever possible, we walk to work or use public transport.  Only 10% of our staff commutes’ use a car.
• We reuse 95% of the cardboard packaging we recieve.
• All paper used in our office is purchased as recycled paper and then used on both sides.
• We conducted research into what type of paper is most sustainable for printing our annual guidebooks.
• We remove all our waste from our office, separate it for recycling and deposit at the appropriate location.
• We send email Newsletters to our readers (potential guests) promoting the benefits of sustainable travel.
• We advocated schemes such as Tourism Declares to the hostels in our network (our members). Encouraging more businesses to get involved with taking steps towards a greener future and accelerate carbon awareness.
• Our “Items Wanted and Available” message board is used by our members for up-cycling of hostel equipment.

Celebrating what we have already achieved (one off)

• We have been part of the Green Tourism Business Scheme and achieved the GOLD award.
• We have completed a carbon literacy course. This educated and inspired us as a business to continue with our carbon journey.
• We encourages our members to run their businesses with an eco-conscious.  Such as growing  produce on-site and using renewable energy.  We also educates our readers (potential guests) and give them the information they need to choose greener accommodation and methods of transport.
• Our website allows readers to search for eco hostels and bunkhouses and provides discounts for those using car free methods of transport.
• Our website blog helps tourists get the most out of their holidays without compromising the environment. An example of one of these blogs is How to be a Good Green Hosteller.
• In 2023 we reduced our paper usage by 29%, by changing the design of our book.  This also reduced the bulk of the items we transport from 1190Kg to 690kg.
• In 2023 we conducted research into what type of paper is the most environmentally friendly for printing our books.  We continue to use FSC (100% from responsible forests) controlled paper, as recycled paper is not available of the low weight required to create slimline books.   This decision was made following the priorities Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
• In 2023 and 2024  we purchased Carbon Offsetting from the Woodland Trust for the paper used in our publication.
• In 2024 we purchased secondary glazing which was fitted to our office windows by volunteers, at this community owned building.
• In 2024 our business car use amounted to 3500 miles, equivalent to 1.5 tons of carbon.  We have offset this with a donation to the Woodland Trust.

What we will strive to do (day to day).

• Independent Hostels is encouraging the community that owns our office building to heat the building using the thermal waters which flow beneath it.
• Independent Hostels consults Ethical Consumer before making new purchases.

What we will strive to do (one off).

• Between April 2023 and April 2024, the business conducted travel with a total mileage of 3500 miles.  (This excludes staff commutes).  We will strive to reduce this between April 2024 and April 2025.
• At the end of the year, we will carbon offset any travel we have done. We will use The Woodland Trust to offset our carbon as this business is UK based.
• We pledge to purchase space on carbon-efficient servers (powered by renewable electricity sources) next time we make the transition to new servers.
• We will continue to conducted research into what type of paper is the most environmentally friendly for printing our books.  Our ideal material would be 80gm recycled paper.