Our ecological approach for our gites
- green gites and well-preserved Burgundy

One of our main concerns, to give our guests an enjoyable stay, is to make the gites and their environment as natural and ecological as possible.

Electric cars

We have bought in 2017 a Renault Zoé. This allows us to offer 1 charge with our electrical plug (called Green Up) for electrical or hybrid vehicule, to our guests (lodging in our gites at least one week).
An electric charging station is available in Mercurey, at 2km, near the supermarket.

Organic cleaning products

On arriving, you will find that the gites have been cleaned with products that are PH-neutral, without phosphates and made with wheat proteins, coco oil and cornstarch.
Non-allergic washing liquid and softener, which has been dermatologically recommended, have been used for sheets and towels. These products have no bleaching or preservative agents and are suitable for babies and those with sensitive skin.
These organic cleaning products are highly concentrated and a small quantity is sufficient to produce a good result.

Around the gites

We do not use pesticides in the courtyard and garden around the gites. The weeding is done by hand so some persistent weeds have been known to survive!
Except in winter, aromatic herbs in the little garden in the courtyard are available for you to use.

Water

We only water the flowers and vegetable garden with rain water collected in our huge tank located under our house. Most of the taps are equipped with a flow restrictor and the toilets have dual flush to minimise the amount of water used.

Energy

We have replaced most of our electrical appliances, including light globes, with ones that are energy efficient. In order to have greater control of the gas central heating, a thermostat allows you to regulate the temperature according to the time of day and the outside temperature. Thermostatic valves have been added to most of the radiators to allow you the flexibility of adjusting the heating to suit your needs and provide a comfortable environment.
 Since end of 2016, we have changed our electricity supplier for "green elecricity".

Recycling

Only natural substances are used to help our plants to grow! You are invited to contribute discarded fruit and vegetable peels for compost – no fruit stones though. Fruit and vegetable waste goes into a green bucket.
A leaflet we have left in the gite shows which packagings can be put in the yellow garbage container. This does not include paper and magazines and we will collect these.
 Containers for recycling glass and papaer are located at the top of the village, next to the picnic area and boards showing the various walks.

The surrounding hills - a protected environment

Many walks are possible starting from the gites. You won't need your car. Among these, the botanic path is highly recommended with its view over the Valley des Vaux. Most of the walks are located in a protected area, classified Natura 2000.
A short distance (1 km) away, on foot or by bike, you can find bakeries located at Mellecey and St Jean-de-Vaux.
A bus for Chalon passes through St Martin twice a day - just ask us when it leaves and where it stops.
We encourage bike riding (we will lend 2 bikes, on request). We can provide, for example, a map to go by bike to the Germolles castle, passing through the Mellecey hamlets to avoid busy roads (3km).

Organic wines and products

Please do not hesitate to ask us for the contact information for organic producers close to the gites.
On the way from Chalon to the gites you can find a La Vie Claire and Bio Coop shops, supermarket of only organic products, in Chatenoy-le-Royal (next to Grand Frais supermarket).

 

We thank in advance our guests for their ecological concern. Please don't forget to switch off or reduce water, electricity, or heating if it's not necessary. 

A well-preserved environment relies on us all.