Ecocabin Newsletter October 2009
                                                              
Changes for 2010 ~ Frugality must be one of the surest steps towards respect for the environment.  Combine that with us British having (relatively) less spare cash to spend on luxuries and, from January 2010,  Ecocabin will evolve towards the ‘no frills’ accommodation ethos.  So, what does that mean to you, the visitor?

You still get to stay in the unique, special building, wander in the wildflower garden, enjoy the stunning location.  The tariff will continue to include ‘green’ electricity, solar hot water and wood pellets for the stove  … in fact, basically, everything will remain the same except that it will cost you less!  But to drop the prices, which I hope you will appreciate, there needs to be some tweaking of the ‘icing on the cake’.  From January you will need to bring your own towels, sheets and pillowcases (I will still provide duvets, pillows and cotton duvet covers).  There will be no complimentary organic toiletries in the bathroom and no shopping service (which has essentially been made unviable by the rise in food prices).

So, I hope, these plans will be mutually beneficial.  You get a reduction of up to £85 per week (up to £274 if you book a fortnight!) or up to £15 per night for shorter stays and I feel comfortable that my accommodation is both environmentally responsible and excellent value for money.  Ecocabin will compare very favourably with the prices of other ‘eco-chalets’ that have entered the market – too favourably my business advisers tell me!  I will also (in theory) have more time (not spent washing and ironing) for other projects.  Much as I would like to recline on my chaise lounge and indulge my dream of writing a bestselling novel I will be attempting to spend this time wisely; compiling a booklet of walks and cycle rides from the Ecocabin and developing a productive garden.  And, of course, I will continue to work on my hemplime home I have been building for the past two years.

What else have I been up to? ~ This year we moved into our new house!  It still has a long way to go until completion but, compared to our previous homes of caravan, damp rented cottage and (disastrous!) trailer tent, it is a PALACE!  To summarise its construction, we put together a lightweight timber frame and then wrapped the outside of the frame in hessian and clad with corrugated metal and larch boarding.  After the roof was on we used a plywood shuttering system inside the building to cast walls, 300mm thick, of a mix of chopped hemp, lime and water.  The result is quirky, simple, warm and cosy … we LOVE IT!
                                                                                                       
In September, along with my friends Carol www.strawcottage.co.uk and Ali (an architect), I attended the 1st International Hemp Building Symposium in Kenmare, Co Kerry. Carol and I spoke at the event www.hempbuilding.com; Carol discussed the inclusion of hemplime walls in her latest straw bale building and I talked about the experimental construction of my new home.  We had a great time catching up with some old friends like Eamonn www.ecobooley.com and made many new ones.  We had a mind-blowing tour of an historic estate and hydro-electric scheme with the Grubbs at Castle Grace www.vee.ie, a fascinating look around the developing eco-village in Cloughjordan www.thevillage.ie and enjoyed perfect hospitality from Anne in her beautiful hemplime house (see her B&B on www.responsibletravel.com  - click on Europe, Ireland, Co Kerry).

Kind wishes to all Ecocabin visitors, old and new.  I hope to see you in 2010!        Kate