Sustainable Tourism

Ribbonwood Retreat is a small accommodation business, operating in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We wholeheartedly support  UNESCO's goals in safeguarding our living heritage for future generations by making our contribution to sustainable tourism and following the Tiaki Promise. Together, we can create a truly  great place to stay, by making a positive contribution to Glacier Country and ultimately Aotearoa, New Zealand.       

We are involved in a range of sustainability initiatives and consciously make effort to reduce our carbon footprint such as planting five hundred trees on the property, taking action to enhance carbon reduction and off-set, environmental volunteer community projects, recycling, making soap in-house and utilising our land as much as we can to produce food and resources (for us and our guests) and create a wonderful habitat for birds. 

Our Tiaki Promise

Ribbonwood Retreats Environmental Sustainability Initiatives

Utilising firewood from trees we grow on the property

Energy

​We choose to work with an electricity supplier who uses hydro electric power stations, the nearest being only 15 km away. An energy efficient heat pump is in the cottage. Heating in the house is from a modern solid fuel stove utilising firewood from trees grown on the property. 

Under the cottage there is a high level of insulation with a vapour barrier over the ground. In the house, fibreglass insulation is between the wooden joists, combined with another layer over the top to eliminate thermal bridging, or heat escaping. We use energy-saving light bulbs and energy-efficient appliances.

Volunteer Work

​We enjoy working with Glacier Valley Eco Tours who run a community trapping project at Lake Matheson named Project Earlybird. This was was set up to combat predators and to protect our birds and invertebrates. The project takes care of the recently released Rowi kiwi, as we work towards a Predator Free 2050 goal of sustainability in New Zealand.

We make ourselves available for community clean ups, Gorsebusters and were involved in the Fox Rubbish clean up.

Checking the traps

Jo making our calendula soap

Reduce and Recycle

​We separate waste as much as possible by sorting paper, glass, aluminium and tin cans to be recycled at our local waste station.

Green material is also separated and composted for use in our garden. We make our own soap and provide guest shampoo and conditioner in convenient pump bottles that reduce the waste of small plastic bottles and packaging.

​We audit our suppliers making sure they align with our sustainability ethos and we prioritise products that are handcrafted in New Zealand and organic.

Carbon Reduction

​We measured our carbon footprint over the last 2 years through the Toitu Emissions Calculator and offset this with a donation to Trees That Count.
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Ribbonwood Retreat selected Trees that Count because they help make an impact on climate change and improve our environment. Our donation was focused on planting long term native forests on degraded farmland in North Canterbury. We valued our carbon at $50 a ton and purchased credits by donating the equivalent amount.

Toitu Calculator for Ribbonwood

Avis

Conservation in Action

 
​Ribbonwood Retreat are sponsors for Avis, the Kea you see in this photo. Citizen science is very powerful and we feel we have had a small stake in the success of the Kea programme.  
We invite you to read our blog about this experience.

Here is a link to Avis's profile.

Ribbonwood Retreat have purchased credits with Trees that Count to offset their carbon. We are also avid back country hikers, and donate to the Backcountry Trust. 

Carbon Reduction - Biochar

We use hazelnut pruning's to make biochar and dig it into our land. Biochar is an eco-friendly type of charcoal that you dig into the soil to improve its health. 

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Jo in action making biochar

The roof goes on - building Ribbonwood

Sustainable Design

​Ribbonwood Retreat was designed with sustainability in mind.

We used timber framing to conserve energy, with insulation in the walls and the ceiling and double-glazed windows to maximise passive solar heat. 

We used natural materials where-ever possible.

Hazelnut Orchard

As a child Jonathan's family had mixed nuts as a Christmas treat and his favourite was hazelnuts because he found the larger nuts were difficult to crack!

Upon purchasing our land at Franz Josef 20 tears ago, he was pleased to learn that hazelnuts suited the poor silty soils here.

​Over the years we have planted nearly 100 trees of five different varieties to enhance pollination.
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Ribbonwood Retreat hazelnut orchard

Julie trying to keep on top of the beans

Our Edible Garden

​We have a large garden and tunnel house, producing vegetables and berries for our guests. In the large, walk-in berry house we grow strawberries, raspberries and blue berries, especially for our guests breakfasts. Raised and covered garden beds provide a variety of seasonal produce including spinach and silver beet. 
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All green waste is composted with leaves and grass clippings  and layered onto the beds to enhance soil fertility and drainage.

We love living in Glacier Country, surrounded with fabulous views of the snow capped mountains, glaciers and rainforest. We get much joy out of watching the trees and shrubs we plant mature, provide food and a habitat for so many birds. Last spring we were rewarded with fledgling bellbirds and fantails, whose parent birds nested in our trees.

​We always look forward to sharing this eco-haven with our guests and can't wait to see you soon.

The ancient Ribbonwood that inspired our name and plantings