Organic Ethos

Our beautiful setting, easy-going hospitality and commitment to the highest standards set BrookLodge & Macreddin Village apart. But one thing makes us exceptional: our passion for organic food and sharing this with as many people as possible.

There’s nothing unusual about organic food. It’s simply what our grandparents called ‘food’. What they ate wasn’t produced in a haze of antibiotics and pesticides. It wasn’t treated with chemical preservatives and hadn’t travelled thousands of miles, using transport that emits greenhouse gases.

We want the same to be true today. This means making every effort possible to work in harmony with nature. So our food is sourced as locally as possible, and within its season. No fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics or any other artificial interventions are permitted. And every other way we can reduce our environmental impact – from eliminating plastics to harnessing natural energy sources – is embraced.

Leading the way

Evan Doyle, one of the founders of BrookLodge & Macreddin Village, has been a passionate advocate of organic food since the 1980s. The hotel was established in 1999 with these principles as its cornerstone, and we’ve adhered to them ever since. Over the years, Evan has also been a driving force in the Slow Food Movement, the Taste Council of Ireland and the Organic Trust.

Far beyond food

Our organic ethos extends far beyond food. We understand that BrookLodge & Macreddin Village must do its utmost to minimise its impact on the natural environment. This extends to the energy we consume, the waste we produce and the natural resources we utilise. In doing so, Macreddin Village is now proudly carbon-neutral.

• Reducing our energy impact
  By using biogas produced entirely from organic waste, we minimise our need for fossil fuels. All our hot water is produced by two powerful carbon-neutral wood chip burners. Geo-thermal energy is also harnessed to heat our conference suites and swimming pool in BrookHall.
• Well-fresh water
  The sparkling and still water served throughout BrookLodge & Macreddin Village is drawn directly from our onsite wells.
• All-natural spa treatments
  The treatments offered in our Wells Spa use facial and body products from producers such as VOYA whose organic ethos reflects our own.
• Waste and recycling
  Most homes divide their waste into just three streams: regular, recyclables and compost. For nearly two decades, waste materials from BrookLodge & Macreddin Village have been sorted into sixteen different ‘waste streams’. This gives us the finest control possible over waste and helps reduce the environmental impact of what we produce to the absolute minimum.
• Minimising plastic usage
  At every opportunity, we have eliminated the use of plastics. This policy extends from replacing plastic straws with biodegradable options to banning the use of plastic lamination.
• Carbon-neutral business travel
  Thanks to a unique agreement with the Climate Protection Partnership, we make a financial contribution to offset the CO₂ emissions made by delegates travelling to business events at BrookLodge & Macreddin Village.

These initiatives are just some of the ways our organic ethos infuses everything we do. As time passes, even more ways to lessen our environmental impact are sure to emerge and we’ll also enthusiastically embrace these.