“We are proud to be one of the first travel providers to help customers choose more environmentally friendly travel options. We hope to set an example, so that focusing on your health and wellbeing does not have to be at the expense of the health and wellbeing of our planet.”
Rebecca Williams, co-founder
The global travel industry has one of the biggest carbon footprints, accounting for over 8% of global carbon emissions. As travelers become increasingly aware of the cost of climate change, they are looking for more sustainable options. Choosing to travel solely in your own country, or vowing not to fly, is not always realistic. However, the travel industry can do a lot more to help encourage and facilitate environmentally conscious travel.
We are extremely proud to launch our ‘Healthier you, healthier planet’ initiative which helps our guests minimise their carbon footprint. We will not only offset the carbon cost of travel but also provide financial incentives for guests to travel sustainably. This is all in addition to our own sustainability initiatives that aim to reduce, significantly, the carbon impact of our retreats.
Encouraging responsible travel
Group Evolution encourage our guests to make sustainable travel choices:
- All emission costs, whatever your mode of transport, will be fully offset through our partnership with Carbon Footprint.
- We encourage you to travel by train, if travelling alone, with a £75 per person reduction in all retreat prices.
- Travel by car and ferry for groups is also encouraged with a reduction in all retreat prices of £50 per person for groups of 2 or more.
We have put these initiatives in place because we know that even our environmentally responsible travellers have to consider the price and convenience of travel, alongside the environment. By neutralising the carbon impact, regardless of the mode of transport taken, guests can feel more at ease with choosing the most practical journey. At the same time, by financially incentivising guests to travel in groups or favour the train, we are encouraging the most sustainable travel choice.
In most cases, the further you travel, the greater the carbon footprint. However, travelling closer to home is not less enjoyable or less memorable. Chateau de la Motte Henry is an awe-inspiring location, set in over 9 hectares of beautiful parkland grounds. Recently renovated, the Chateau retains its period features and refined elegance, but now combines this with upgraded sleeping accommodation and extensive sports, health and wellness facilities.
At only 400 miles from London, the Chateau is easily accessible from the UK.
Including all the usual check-in, transfer and waiting times you arrive in a little over 5hrs by train or 4hrs by plane. Families and groups can take the ferry from Portsmouth and although this takes longer, nearer to 8 hours by car and then ferry, you can choose to travel overnight, conveniently splitting the journey.
A group of 4 contributes 38kg/CO2 per person by car and ferry. Somewhat better, at only 20kg/CO2 per person by train, this includes all transfers. Air travel is, predictably, the least sustainable, contributing 115kg/CO2 per person by plane, including transfers.
By way of comparison, a plane trip to Majorca contributes over 400kg/CO2 and takes nearer to 7 hours. And one to Lanzarote almost 900kg/CO2 and takes almost all day. That’s 25 times the environmental impact of a trip to the Chateau!
Delivering responsible retreats
Over 90% of our electricity is from renewable sources and CO2 free. Air source heat pumps are used for heating the pool; solar power for the gates; and spring water for the cultivation of our grounds. The hot tub and sauna are heated with wood sourced from the Estate and the 1.25km running trail is laid with oak woodchips, sourced from on-site and nearby, sustainable forests.
All fresh ingredients are sourced locally, from within the ‘garden of France’, the Loire Valley. Food is freshly prepared each day, to meet the demands and diets of our guests, therefore reducing food waste. Snacks, whether to support training or just for enjoyment, are also freshly prepared on site, to the needs, diets and preferences of guests, again reducing wastage.
The provenance of all goods and services is also investigated, with more sustainable options preferred, as long as, from source to Chateau, they improve our environmental footprint.
We only partner with ethically conscious brands.
When it comes to traveling in more sustainable ways, it seems not all holidays are created equal. From how you travel, to who you go with, to the choices you make whilst you are away, there are a number of opportunities to help lighten your load on the planet – plus, you might even save money and challenge yourself to new experiences along the way! Group Evolution recognises that there is not a silver bullet solution to climate change. However, its ‘Healthier you, healthier planet’ initiative aims to be industry-leading in tackling the environmental impact of travel.
English (UK)