The Green Parent
Raising kids with conscience
Blog / April 2011
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Apr 09 2011
Cornish skies
We’ve just returned from an extended family holiday to the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall where we stayed on the award winning Trelowarren estate and got a chance to meet owner and eco holiday pioneer, Sir Ferrers Vyvyan.
He is truly an inspiration; passionate and well-informed about green issues, he has taken every aspect of the accommodation at Trelowarren into account and ensured that it is an sustainable and efficient as possible without compromising on luxury. We stayed in a new build house which has super thick, insulated walls, is furnished and decorated using natural materials and like all the properties is heated using the huge biomass boiler on site. The fuel for the boiler is produced from the coppiced woodland on the estate and the minimal resultant ash will be used on the veg beds later in the year, creating a perfect example of a closed loop system.
We were delighted to discover that the outdoor pool (heated by the same biomass boiler) used ozone technology for cleaning with no need for the usual chemicals found in swimming pools. Within the 1000 acre estate, which is criss crossed with beautiful woodland walks, there is also a restaurant, organic spa and a brilliant craft gallery, so our whole diverse family group was well-catered for. The restaurant, which is on the pricey side in the evening, had a special Cornish Spring Feast offer available at lunchtimes when we were visiting so we were able to sample the delights of the kitchen at a much reduced price. They aim to source all ingredients from West Cornwall and some produce, such as wild garlic used in soups and breads, is picked on site.
In choosing not to fly many years ago due to the environmental impact and a desire to explore our own landscape rather than seeking a quick escape to warmer climes we have had many wonderful family holidays in the UK. This has to be one of the best though. As it’s a good distance from Sussex to the Lizard we decided to leave the car at home and use public transport to get us there and though it took much longer, cost much more and was logistically more difficult to organise, it was an adventure and gave us all a sense of the journey that we were taking. Trelowarren is in a central location on the Lizard but is not an easy place to get to using public transport. Hopefully this is something that will be improved upon because there’s plenty to entice the holidaymaker staying elsewhere in the area, and more planned, such as Victorian walled gardens, a bakery and a deli. We are looking forward to going back next year to discover the new developments and revisit some of our favourite spots from this year’s holiday.
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Apr 01 2011
Raw goodies
Have been meaning to put up a post about the lovely Kate Magic and the gorgeous package of goodies that she sent us recently to try out. Since launching her raw chocolate business years ago, she’s branched out into luscious beauty products too.
On a cold spring day, which just happened to be my birthday, a package dropped into The Green Parent office smelling sweetly of vanilla and rose petals. Opening it up we discovered raw chocs, sparkly body butter and a nutrient packed trail mix. The awesome folk at Raw Living had read my mind and sent a shamanic Be the Change bar, containing all the usuals plus crystal manna and etherium gold. A few nibbles on this and I was ready to do something big and life changing. In fact, this and another bar of Kate’s raw chocolate kept my nose happily to the grindstone through the production process of the last issue.
Better Days is the name given to the crunchy, just on the right side of sweet super trail mix that we received. I love this blend – mulberries are an awesome addition and this proved a popular family snack for days when we were out and about.
Kate’s recently launched The Raw Spa where you can pick up gorgeous floral Epsom Salts blends for bathtime indulgence, vegan lipbalms in a range of funky colours and flavours and a cacao butter bath bar that smells good enough to eat (and tastes pretty lovely too – I just couldn’t resist). In our package we received a pot of Alpha Dream Supreme Cream, which is seriously yummy. It smells like an exotic garden at dusk and makes skin sparkle and glow invitingly. It’s an essential dressing table staple for any aspiring goddess. So that piece of mail was the icing on the birthday cake for me. And now whenever I’m in Brighton I stock up on some shamanic chocolate to aid the creative flow. It really works!
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Welcome to the new blog from the Green Parent office. Here we'll talk about what's going on in the small and quite leafy headquarters of the UK's leading green lifestyle magazine. We'll share news that interests us and talk about green issues and natural parenting. We'll share advice and information from our own experiences of living a green lifestyle. And we'll even tell you what we are reading, eating, drinking and thinking. Hope you get plenty of food for thought here.
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