Green Initiatives At Cabot Lodge

As a farming family in a small community, the team at Cabot Lodge are intertwined with the land and its people. We are deeply passionate about not only taking care of our guests, but our environment, and we love to share our conservation story with our guests.    

Upon arrival at the Lodge, guests will notice immediately that sustainability is at the heart of our business. Winding up the Lodge driveway, several banks of solar panels are visible on the hillside, and guests will pass three separate vegetable gardens before arriving to the entrance of the Lodge. The stunning landscape that unfolds is in large part thanks to the over 22 kilometres of trees that have been planted by our family. 

As a private home renovated into a luxury lodge, our family was thoughtful in the furnishing of the lodge. The desks in several of our guest suites are made from repurposed solid wooden doors, many of the beautiful bedside cabinets are from wood salvaged from Brad's Great Grandfather's wool shed, and chosen pieces of upholstery have been up-cycled from pre-loved furniture. With impeccable craftsmanship of the solid Hinuera Stone and double glazed windows, the Lodge is also incredibly efficient at retaining and releasing heat. 

To operate an environmentally sustainable business requires dedication and action, and we are pleased to highlight some of our sustainability initiatives and policies at the Lodge:

• We ensure no single use-plastics in all guest suites and no plastic bags, cutlery, straws, or cups on site.  
• Guest suites provide refillable bathroom amenities free from parabens, glycerine, petrochemicals, genetically modified organisms, synthetic colours, silicone's, mineral oils, are not tested on animals and all product formulations are biodegradable.
• We make all of our soaps and bath salts locally and on-property utilising low-impact and local ingredients.
• All food scraps (excluding citrus and dairy items) are composted or fed to the resident chickens and horses (Al Capony and Pony Soprano). 
• All washing is laundered with fragrance free, colourant free and greywater friendly washing powder. 
• We have installed 15 kilowatts of solar generation and 5 kilowatts of battery power with plans to expand our solar banks.
• All lighting sources have been replaced with energy efficient LED bulbs and all exterior lights are on timers and sensors. 
• We operate an intensive pest trapping programme on the property, focusing on magpies, rats, stoats, and possums.
• On our property and surrounding areas, we have planted over 22 kilometres of trees, developed two wetlands, and partnered with Environment Southland on repairing one of the key waterways in the local basin. 
• With Southland raised protein, chickens providing our eggs, beehives for our honey, and three vegetable gardens, we are able to minimise our food miles and embrace the farm to plate philosophy.

We encourage our guests to take part in our farm tours and beekeeping experiences, to learn more about what is involved in taking care of the land, and its animals, as well as the vital work of bees in nature, which Brad is extremely passionate about. On occasion we invite thought leaders in the green space to our nightly cocktail hour to talk with our guests so they can learn more about this very special corner of the world and how fiercely it is protected. 

Our guests can support our green initiatives, with all profits received from purchases of our 'Cabot Lodge' merchandise and products going towards our trapping and tree-planting programme. 

Behind the scenes, we have developed an extensive framework of sustainability targets (economic, environmental, and social) as well as a framework for measuring our outputs, to assess our success against each target. Our framework has been recognised as meeting the highest possible standard by Qualmark New Zealand with a Gold Certification. Qualmark's Sustainable Tourism Business Criteria have been recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) for being equivalent to the international Industry Criteria. Qualmark's Sustainable Tourism Business Criteria is the first in New Zealand to gain GSTC-Recognised Status.

Environmental stewardship is in our blood. We hope that our guest's feel the deep passion we have for our land and our people, and it is reflected in a more fulfilling stay in our little piece of paradise.