In addition to caring for our local natural surroundings, our daily focus is on reducing our energy consumption and waste.
In 2022, we have chosen to set up no less than six charging stations, so that guests who visit us in electric cars (either purely electric or plug-in hybrid cars) have the option to charge their car while staying with us or attending a party. See more
Shortly after we moved here, we chose to replace the old boiler with a REKA stoker boiler. Here we fire with grain from our own production and supplement with wood pellets.
We use LED bulbs, motion-sensor lighting in bathrooms and corridors, and Nordic Swan Ecolabelled cleaning products where applicable. We also rent linen from Vraa Dampvaskeri, which is ISO 14001 and EMAS certified.
We seperate our waste according to the applicable regulations, and we have set up some waste sorting stations so our guests have easy access to sorting their waste.
My grandfathers old chopping machine at the hayloft
To preserve the history and the local culture, we have chosen to use old furniture and other old things either from the place or from the local area as interior, where it could make sense. Among other things, we were so lucky in relation to Vesterhede Church's 100th anniversary in 2010 to have the opportunity to acquire one of the long church pews of 4m. It now stands and decorates and is made useful at the same time in our entrance, and I am each day reminded of my childhood, where we very often visited the church on Sundays and subsequently had Sunday coffee at my grandparents'.
On the old hayloft, where we now have a TV room and various games, we have placed the old chopping machine that my grandparents bought around 1925. It was used to make chopping (feed) of oat for the horses so they could be ready for the hard work in the field. Despite the many years and the many hours of use, we can still see the fine hand-painted decorations on the machine.
It is important for us to help tell the story of a bygone era, and we do this, among other things, by using old stuff as decoration here in LOasen. For example, we use one of my grandmother's old jam jars as a pen holder on the old grocery counter in the entrance. Everything else is just more fun with a more than 100 year old jar than some fancy plastic pencil holder. We also like to tell this story to our guests.
In order for it to feel homely and cozy for our guests, we usually put flowers on the tables and in the apartments. As far as possible, I have picked the flowers in my own garden and gathered decoration material almost right outside the door.
I love visiting thrift stores on the 'hunt' for vases, dishes, or bowls that I can use for bouquets and decorations. In this way, we reuse existing items, reduce waste, and support the charitable organizations running the stores at the same time. Getting unique pieces for LOasen is a wonderful bonus.
