Thread lightly on the Earth

Our Commitment to Sustainability

Located in the legendary landscape of

‘The Burren’ on the West coast of Ireland.

The Burren Yoga Retreat is committed to running our luxury health and wellness retreats in an environmentally sensitive way, ensuring that the environment of the Burren Geopark and our community are sustainably maintained.

We have a proven track record and won the Ecotourism Ireland silver award in 2012 for our environmentally friendly work we achieved and for our policies.

We run our retreats according to our commitment to Sustainability

Environmentally Friendly Yoga Retreat Ireland

The Building

The building has been designed to the highest level of insulation with a BER of A.

There are huge triple-glazed windows to maximize the passive solar gain.

All the heat that is pulled in from the sunshine is then trapped inside the building.

We use electric blinds for shading so that we can regulate the solar gain.

There is underfloor heating throughout the whole building which is driven by air-to-water heat pumps ensuring cosy warm floors beneath one’s feet all year round.

Energy

Our energy is supplied by renewables and due to the design of the building and heating system is optimised to provide a very comfortable environment.

In 2019 we changed all the lighting in the original building to LED.

In 2021 we opened the newly built retreat centre which uses LED lighting throughout.

We are currently undertaking a massive micro-generation project.

We aim to be almost carbon neutral by the end of 2026 by generating most of our energy needs.

Water

In 2019 we invested in a huge rainwater system that gathers the rainwater from the roofs of all the buildings and is stored in a massive underground water tank.

This supplies 95% of our water.

The remaining 5% of our water is supplied by own own well which is over 160 feet deep into the Burren rock.

We filter this alkaline Burren well water and use it for drinking and cooking in the kitchen.

We also provide it to our guests so they don’t need to buy water or plastic bottles.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

In 2012 we negotiated with our suppliers to use re-usable packaging.

We use recycle bins to increase recycling of as much waste as possible.

All our waste raw food goes to our compost.

We continue to look for ways to improve according to Our Commitment to Sustainability

Burren Ecotourism Network

In 2011 we joined the Burren Ecotourism Network commonly known as BEN.

BEN is a network of tourism enterprises who demonstrate ecotourism ‘best practice’ and who are actively and measurably involved in protecting the environment.

More details on their website at www.burren.ie

The Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark supports people and organisations to work together to ensure a cared-for landscape, a better-understood heritage, more sustainable tourism, a vibrant community and strengthened livelihoods.

More details on the UNESCO Burren and Cliffs of Moher wesbite

Learn more about Geoparks by clicking GeoPark Basics Information Sheet

Guided Outings

We introduce the Leave No Trace code to our guests and outline the importance of looking after our fragile environment.

We ensure that our guests understand the importance of respecting and caring for the environment, not disturbing it in any way, staying away from livestock and wildlife, being considerate of others and not leaving anything behind.

We car share on all of our outings to minimise carbon emissions as well as reduce the number of vehicles in the Burren.

All our outings are led by an experienced guide who gives a background of The Burren and an understanding of the unique environment in which we are privileged to be.

County Clare is EarthCheck Destination Certified.

The Burren Yoga Retreat is Earth

Leave No Trace

The Burren is a beautiful environment and we are very conscious to protect the environment within which we live and where we run our retreats.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Be Considerate of Others
Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife
Travel and Camp on Durable Ground
Leave what you find
Dispose of waste properly
Minimise the Effects of Fires

More details of these 7 principles at Leave no Trace website

Our Environmental policy statement

Environmental Policy Statement
The Burren Yoga Retreat recognises that our business has an important role to play in protecting and enhancing our environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability for future generations. Through continuous improvement, collaboration, and transparent communication, we aim to build a more sustainable and resilient business while contributing positively to our wider destination.

Working Together
We collaborate with all stakeholders to collectively develop the Geopark as a sustainable tourism destination. We attend regular BEN meetings and contribute in any way we can to help us all to work together.

A cared-for landscape
We actively participate in conserving our natural and cultural heritage. We plan ahead for our guided outings into the Burren, and employ car sharing to reduce number of vehicles, give information to our guests about the Burren, the Leave no trace principles and how to look after the environment.

A well-understood heritage
We offer quality information and interpretation to communicate our stories and the unique character of our place to guests. We have Field Guides from Burren Beo and many books about the Burren in our reading area. We give our guests information about the Burren during our guided outings.

Vibrant Communities
We work to ensure that tourism makes a positive social contribution so that it benefits our community as well as our guests. We source our organic veg from Beechlawn Organics and try to source as much food and supplies locally. We bring our guests to sample the best local cuisine at local cafes and restaurants.

Resource Efficiency
We measure and monitor our use of resources so we can actively manage and reduce our consumption of energy, water and production of waste. We have taken proactive steps by investing in a large rainwater system that supplies over 90% of our water usage. We are in the process of
investing in a large Solar PV Microgeneration system that will supply most of our electricity needs.

Strengthened Livelihoods
We contribute to the local economy by maintaining and supporting local employment, by sourcing services and produce locally wherever possible, and by engaging with other businesses in promoting our region as a sustainable tourism destination. Our staff has trebled to 24 part time staff and 1 permanent member of staff over the past 3 years.

Sustainable tourism management
We work to an Environmental Action Plan, which includes actions and targets for improvement that are reviewed annually. We have effective systems for managing our waste, water, wastewater, and energy.

Burren Yoga Retreat are committed to taking the following actions:

To continue sound environmental practices across our entire operation
To produce an annual Environmental Plan setting out our objectives, targets and planned actions.
To fully comply with all relevant legislation
To minimise our waste and reduce our water consumption where possible
To continue to produce much of our own water needs from rainwater gathering
To implement a Microgeneration project in 2026 to produce almost all of our electricity needs
To reduce, reuse and recycle the resources used by our business wherever possible
To invite our guests, staff and suppliers to partake in our efforts to protect the environment
To provide all employees with the training and resources required t meet our objectives
To openly communicate our policies and practices to interested parties
To monitor and record our environmental impacts on a regular basis and compare our performance with our objectives.

Who we are & our exceptional teachers

The centre was founded in 1999 by yoga and meditation teacher Dave Brocklebank.

Click below for more info

in one of the most beautiful and spectacular landscapes on the west coast of Ireland…The Burren