Killary Lodge & Killary Adventure Co. Our Green Initiatives

Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the Killary Lodge and its company. Galway Convention Bureau reports on the excellent work and initiatives Killary a family owned business have been undertaking to make their business sustainable for their visitors and the local community.

Nestled among mature native trees, just 250m from the shore of Killary Fjord, in the heart of Ireland’s stunning Wild Atlantic Way, Killary Lodge Connemara, Galway, invites you and your group to leave the chaos of the concrete jungle behind. The lodge offers bespoke activities and experiences with Connemara as a stunning backdrop.

Here are some of the sustainable initiatives Killary have been working on :

Our Heating and Hot Water

We use BioLPG, which is made from 100% renewable sources, to heat and provide hot water for the Killary Lodge.

Our main centre & office building was heated by a Biomass boiler.

It uses logs grown in our local forest and transported less than 5km to our wood storage area. The wood dries there for 1 year before it is split into smaller logs to be fed into the boiler.

We are currently in the process of installing 3 heat pumps which will replace the biomass boiler.

Our Electricity

Onsite at our main centre & office building is a Kingspan 6KW wind turbine. This produces on average 30% of the electricity used in the building. In 2021 it produced 13,500KWs enough to power 3 average houses in Ireland.

We are also in the process of installing 22kw of solar panels which will be installed in May and will make us energy neutral over the summer months.

Our Food Waste

 Everything produced by guest of the Killary Lodge and Killary Adventure Centre goes into an onsite Ridan composter.

The compost is then used in our polytunnel to grow herbs that are used in our kitchens and to produce enough vegetables to feed 4 families who live onsite. We don’t send any food waste to landfill.

Electric Vehicles

We use an Electric golf buggy to transport staff and cleaning supplies between our main base and the Killary Lodge and Adventure Activity site. This is charge overnight by the power from our wind turbine

 Our Waste

We no longer put plastic bin bags in bins. This is to reduce our use of single use plastic (with exception of bathroom bins which do have bags).

We do not provide single use bottles of shampoo/soap etc in either of our properties.

All of our waste is sorted (cardboard/paper, recyclable, general, cans, bottles etc) to reduce what goes to landfill. All our guests are asked to do this where possible.

We have a community glass and can recycling centre onsite located at the Killary adventure centre.

 Our Buildings

Our buildings are designed and built to reduce heat loss.

The buildings have been retrospectively fitted with pumped wall insulation which was not available when they were being built.

LED bulbs used throughout lodge and most of the adventure centre building to reduce electricity usage.

Killary Adventure centre is curved in shape and has grass roof to reduce the visual impact of the building.

Staff

All of our staff are informed and educated on the sustainability principles of the business and this whole theme is promoted throughout the building and the business. Staff are encouraged to reduce single use plastics both in their own use and on the companies. Continuous staff training on recyclable products and the reusing of scrap items. This is exemplified by the owners Mary & Jaime Young who are endeavouring to go off grid with the installation of 9KW of PV panels to go along with their entire heating system of timber. If this installation works we would hope , following trials, to install a solar PV system for the main building in 2022.

Our Activities and Awards

Our wetsuits are recycled with a company in Dublin called 'The Upcycle Movement'

Our guests are educated in nature and flora and fauna and how to survive in the wild and appreciate nature

A small thing but on our archery site instead of using plastic balloons we use Latex so that they biodegrade after use rather than littering

Over the last 5 years we have planted over 1000 trees on our land here. In 2022 we continue the tradition with the planting of 200 more ably assisted by the local primary school kids who come for the day.

We work with local Charities such as FORUM Connemara, young offenders groups and others to help them experience the outdoors as an alternative to where they are presently.

2017 Winner Sustainable Energy Business Award- SFA National Small Business Awards

2016 Winners Best Small Business - Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Awards

2016 Finalist - SFA National Small Business Awards