The following is an extract from an article that appeared in The Sunday Telegraph on 11 September 2005:

Cabin fever

Another low-budget, niche-market holiday let which has enjoyed almost full occupancy in its first season is the Ecocabin in Shropshire. This, too, is a wooden chalet in a rural setting, but the emphasis here is on providing the perfect retreat "for your environmentally responsible self-catering holiday".

The Ecocabin is constructed from sustainable materials, the decor is natural (using eco paints, and vegetable-dyed organic cotton), and the furniture is recycled (an original 1950s dresser, kitchen worktops made from yoghurt pots). And guests get to try a week of living with recycling bins, a wormery for composting waste, solar power and a wood-pellet stove. "I drew the line at a compost toilet," says Kate Grubb, the owner.

Grubb, a farmer’s wife, was inspired to build her Ecocabin after cleaning other people's holiday cottages one summer. "I was horrified by the amount of rubbish people left, and the amount of fuel they used," she recalls. "I thought there must be a better, more responsible, way of doing things."

Her solution was to apply for a grant through a Defra Enterprise Scheme (which supports farm diversification projects) to build an alternative holiday home with genuine green credentials. Her successful application gave her a £29,000 start on the project, which cost £80,000. The response, says Grubb, has been amazing. At rents from £400-£550 a week, she has barely had a spare day since opening at Easter.