Casal dei Fichi in the Environment

We are Bob and Ian, owners of Casal dei Fichi, we do our best to be active and responsible members of the local and global communities. This page outlines the efforts we have made to make our business and your holiday environmentally friendly and some of the plans we have for the future.

Cooling:

We designed sustainability into the restoration of the building making full use of natural ventilation. The building's thick walls, ventilated shutters and flyscreens on all the windows keep it comfortable all year . Bedrooms wherever possible are on the cooler northern side of the building and each has at least 2 windows this means that even on the hottest days a fan is all that is necessary for a good night's sleep. Having converted the attic into our spacious apartment we fitted 17 velux windows, so that warm air which rises to the top of the house naturally continues straight out of the roof. We never regret not having air conditioning which would be so uncharacteristic in a traditional farmhouse.

Heating:

Practically all of our hot water comes from solar panels, these have the added advantage of heating the swimming pool which makes it a few degrees warmer in the spring and autumn. Even in Italy the winters can be cold, a modern gas boiler provides central heating, each apartment is individually controlled and all the radiators thermostatic. Several apartments have open fireplaces for which we source wood locally, recycled where possible. In our apartment the fireplace also supplements the central heating, reducing the gas consumption considerably. The thick walls and double glazing again mean that the house is well insulated.

Water:

A first priority was to sink a well which provided all the millions of litres of water which were needed to make enough concrete to ensure that the building complies with the latest safety standards.

Now the well water is supplemented by collected rainwater in a huge underwater tank and is used to irrigate the gardens, vegetable plot and the many trees which we have planted.

an olive tree that we planted, heavily laden and ready for harvesting

we measure food steps, not kilometres.

Travel:

Many of our guests arrive into Ancona airport with Ryanair. We all know that we need to cut down on air travel but Ryanair are probably one of the best environmental options:

• Modern high efficiency fleet.
• High passenger loading means less fuel per passenger.
• Baggage restrictions mean less fuel used.
• Practically no paperwork.
• You can bet Ryanair don't waste money!

Alternatively you can take a train from Paris to Milan and change there for Civitanova, just 30km from here.

Electrical:

All of our domestic appliances were chosen for their high efficiency rating. As lightbulbs blow we replace them with low power equivalents. In communal areas the lighting is movement controlled while external lighting is daylight operated so that it doesn't come on too early, though it still goes off on a timer. All of our (substantial quantity) of laundry is done on site, almost all of it being air dried.

Organic:

Planting trees was an early priority. The varieties include ornamental, traditional olive and some tropical palms. By far the majority though are fruit trees, as well as gobbling the carbon these provide a fresh source of goodness including apples, pears, peaches, cherries, nectarines, walnuts and - of course figs, for us and our guests. To date we have planted over 100 trees.

The orto (vegetable plot) also provides fresh vegetables and herbs just a few steps from our guests' front door. Oil from our olive trees is pressed locally and we provide a supply in every apartment.

The septic tanks are the self decomposing type which means that waste is slowly returned to the environment in a controlled manner, a valuable source of nutrition for the land.

This year we will start a serious composting programme.