During 2023 we have been working towards our Green Tourism Business Scheme assessment. But why?
Highland Quietlife is a small business team that consists of me and .......well....me! I've tried to put the dogs on the pay roll but they just didn't commit and couldn't be relied upon to turn up on time and not eat all the snacks! Highland Quietlife is also a nature therapy business so it should be really straight forward that we are super green and environmentally conscious - it's not as easy as that though!
The GTBS gives a thorough criteria to follow and guidance as to what areas need to be addressed and things to be implemented. As I work through it, I can see areas I had not thought of before and areas that need to be improved. It's really useful!
One of the reasons I trained with the ANFT is because of their emphasis on the reciprocal relationship between humans and the land. The process of exchanging things for mutual benefit and rewarding kind actions - when out in nature this simply means the land supports us and we in turn treat it with the respect it deserves and show gratitude. This is such a key element of my practice as a nature and forest therapy guide and helping other people to understand. During a session we respect the land we are on, we thank it and after the session I give back in terms of monetary donations from income.
For our 2022 sessions we donated a total of £225.30 to RSPB Abernethy and the Grantown Health Woods for sessions running on their lands.
Highland Quietlife has little overheads, other than sessions the majority of work is online marketing and the like. When I travel to sessions if possible, I will use the train rather than drive and we try to run sessions in areas that are quieter and not over-used. In the last 12 months there is one location that sadly has become a victim of its own popularity and I no longer guide there.
Snacks are another really important element of our sessions and if not baked by myself they are bought locally. The tea comes from the land normally pine needles or silver birch and we only use the small amount we require.
I shall continue to update our Green Story here as more unfolds, thanks for reading!
Cath, Highland Quietlife
