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.
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.
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 completely carbon neutral by the end of 2025 by generating all of our energy needs.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
More details of these 7 principles at Leave no Trace website
Environmental Policy Statement
The Burren Yoga Retreat recognises that our business has an important role to play in protecting and enhancing the environment of the environment for future generations and to help secure the long-term sustainability of visitors to the Burren.
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.
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:
The centre was founded in 1999 by yoga and meditation teacher Dave Brocklebank.
