our eco-commitment

 
 

Between the two of us having studied veterinary medicine, ecology, permaculture, wildlife management and environmental science we strive to “walk the talk” on a daily basis. Should you wish to incorporate some  eco-friendly measures to your daily life just ask us. We’d be happy to provide you with guidance.  Here is a list of some of the things we did and continue to do:

Starting from the restoration of our house we embraced ecological principles. Of course restoring an old house and having a restricted budget imposed limitations on us but we tried our best. For example, we added 16 cm of insulation in the roof, 10 cm of insulation on our already very thick stone walls and double-pane windows all of which help with our energy efficiency. We've installed a hybrid heating system which uses a mix of solar power with natural gas back up. On cold winter days we also use our wood-burning stove in which we burn, sustainably harvested, wood from our own woods. The solar heating also provides all the hot water for household use.

In our house and our land we strive to use only non-toxic and natural products. All our cleaning products are eco-labeled or home made using simple ingredients such as vinegar, water and essential oils.  In our vegetable garden and orchard we use home made remedies as well.

We shop & use smart to reduce our waste. As much as the regional system allows we recycle our waste (paper, plastic, glass, metal, batteries and old clothes). We compost our organic matter.

We collect our rain water in an underground cistern and 4 X 1000 lt. tanks (which provide us with more than over 20.000 lt .) for future use in the vegetable garden and in the orchard.

Our promise to support the local community started while we were restoring our home. From the beginning we used local vendors and artisans to do all the work and supply the materials and this commitment continues.  Here are a few examples:  our kitchen was hand-made by a local carpenter, the builders (masons, etc.) were all locals and the stone used in the house came from within 100 km and was worked on by local artisans from our own town.

We continue with our commitment by going to our local “Mercato della Terra (earth market)” farmers market every Saturday, where we buy local, fresh and organic produce. Our local butchers provide very good quality meat from their own animals which we feel is an excellent treat considering their high quality and traceability. We buy local wines from the small organic producers and promote their wines to others.

We’ve joined a local environmental NGO to share our professional experiences in nature conservation. Valle Belbo Pulita is a small charity which strives to keep the Belbo River Valley clean and rich in biodiversity. We help with their fundraising efforts, writing/developing project proposals and also recruiting more members for them. 


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THE REGION
The region around Calamandrana offers a wealth of options from enjoying the picturesque landscapes and historical landmarks to visiting museums. Asti’s centre, less than 30 Km away from us, shows much of its medieval history and has many fairs and festivals celebrating the wine and the food of the area. There are several museums to visit including a paleontological museum, which tells the geological history of our hills.... read all
 
THINGS TO DO
Cascina GalloOrsi is the ideal base for many activities such as trekking among the vineyards, horse riding or bicycling and visits to the cellars and breweries. Wine tasting and cellars: We are centrally located, in 5 minutes you can be in wine producing towns of Nizza Monferrato & Canelli and within about half an hour you can visit famous wine producers... read all
 
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CONTACT US
Canan & Umberto
Address  Frazione Chiesavecchia 26
Calamandrana (AT) 14042 / Italy
Phone  +390141856363
GSM  +393316251179
E.Mail  stay@cascinagalloorsi.com
 
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