Environmental Policy

Looking after our local environment

As a hotel, we understand we have a responsibility to help to protect and sustain the local environment. We take this responsibility seriously and are constantly reviewing a number of measures to reduce energy loss and lowering our carbon footprint. Thorpeness Golf Club and Hotel sits on a low-lying plain of the Suffolk Heritage Coast and is a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Helping the local environment is a part of The Hotel Folk company ethos and our green policy has been built into staff conduct and inductions, ensuring all staff members are aware of their duty of care and personal responsibilities in helping these efforts and staff members are encouraged to propose new energy saving ideas and working methods.

Local Produce

Situated in Suffolk, the hotel is surrounded with a wealth of local suppliers and the ‘keep it local’ ideology encourages departments to use local suppliers where possible, reducing the carbon footprint from deliveries while at the same time helping support local businesses.

Nature

The team at Thorpeness work closely with the Suffolk Sandlings Project, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and English Nature to ensure the club works in harmony with the local environment. Most recently, Thorpeness installed a water recycling system and a variety of nesting boxes for birds and bats, including Blue Tits, Owls and Hawks. As Ian Willett, our Course Manager states: "We are privileged to work in an area of outstanding natural beauty and to help conserve a rich habitat for a variety of flora, fauna, bird and wildlife, from orchids to adders, bats, Woodlarks and Nightjars. Contrary to popular belief golf courses do little damage to wildlife. In fact, they are an oasis for wildlife within urban and built-up areas. We take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and work hard to ensure our golf course remains a haven for wildlife.”

Awards to date

2004 South East Regional award winner BIGGA Annual Golf Environment Competition 2005 South East Regional award winner BIGGA Annual Golf Environment Competition. 2011 STRI Regional Environmental Achievement award for Southern England for rejuvenating heather and gorse habitats and establishing a large scale recycling facility for residents of Thorpeness Village. 2012 winner of the STRI “Overall Environmental Achievement Award” 2012 Gold Award from the Suffolk Carbon Charter; an innovative local scheme designed to recognise carbon reductions in SME’s with fewer than 250 staff. Find out more about the Golf Environment Awards

Most recently we have been awarded a Carbon Charter Bronze accreditation from Suffolk Carbon Charter. The Carbon Charter is awarded to organisations that are monitoring and reducing their carbon emissions. The panel were impressed with the support of wildlife around the course and the use of an onsite borehole to water the course as well as the use of an 100% renewable electricity tariff.