Our Initiatives

This page is a constant work in progress, we check in regularly to share updates.

Environmental Goals

    • PERMACULTURE: Professional opinion on land usage upon acquiring the property.

      • June 2023 - A permaculturist, Aimee Fenech, came to camp to give a 30-page report on suggested improvements. One of the priorities of the report was to improve our composting. The report also outlined where to place new plants to provide shade and encourage pollinators.

      • August 2023 - We built two new compost areas for our kitchen compost and redesigned our gardening compost.

      • March 2024 - We expanded our flower garden to encourage pollination. We identified and planted companion plants for our existing flower beds.

      • April 2024 - We created new potager garden beds

    • CARBON OFFSETS:

      • October 2023 - Offset 16 tons of carbon using Gold Standard’s Certified Carbon Credit Marketplace.

    • ORGANIC VINEYARD:

      • September 2023 - We planted bio-organic barley mix in the meadow to prepare the land for an environmentally conscious vineyard. This is Step 1 to a 3-year process to get certified as an organic vineyard by Ecocert France.

      • January 2024 - We selected climate change-resistant, disease-resistant, organic rootstock and vines ready to be planted in the fall.

    • SOLAR POWER:

      • March 2024 - Philippa, our CEO, and Emily, our groundskeeper, worked with a French Solar Installation Specialist Team called “OFT Groupe” to assess to property for potential solar projects. They provided us with 3 potential projects.

    • LOWER ENERGY USE:

      • We replaced our washing machines with more efficient machines and donated the old ones to local staff members.

      • We expanded our outdoor laundry drying area to better accommodate air drying.

    • PERMACULTURE:

      • Ruth Patterson, our gardener’s assistant, is treating the rose garden organically to bring it back to its former glory.

      • The expanded flower beds and vegetable patch are being maintained with environmentally friendly organic treatments.

    • ORGANIC VINEYARD:

      • The vines are currently being grafted in readiness to be planted.

    • CARBON OFFSETS:

      • We have a promotion for campers to book on Earth Day and in return we will offset their CO2 travel emissions.

    • ELECTRIC CHARGING STATION:

      • We are in discussion with EDF (Electricite de France) to install an electric vehicle charging station.

    • SOLAR POWER:

      • Unfortunately, the ABF (Association Batiments de France) currently is not permitting us to do anything within 500 meters of the château. We have reached out to the mayor to seek an exception.

    • LOWER ENERGY USE:

      • We have successfully engaged a team, Eiffage Energie QRG, that specializes in insulation and heating solutions for historical monuments. This is subsidized by the French government and we will be participating in multiple site visits in the coming months to establish what work we can undertake at the end of the season and what financing and grants might be available to us.

    • CARBON OFFSETS:

      • Once we gather the information from Earth Day bookings, we will offset the carbon using Gold Standard’s Certified Carbon Credit Marketplace and attach the certificate.

      • Contact a service to get the carbon footprint calculated by the end of 2024.

      • Create a strategy to help offset the travel from the campers and staff by the end of 2024.

    • PERMACULTURE:

      • Additional companion plantings for the hillside may include almonds, pistachios, and olives.

      • We are working with a local beekeeper, Jeremy from Eurl Elimeo, to plan future beehives on the hillside by 2025.

    • ORGANIC VINEYARD:

      • The vines will be planted in autumn 2024.

    • SOLAR POWER:

      • We will continue to work with multiple authorities to achieve permission to proceed with solar projects.

    • LOWER ENERGY USE:

      • We are replacing our bedding with bedding that can be line-dried to avoid using tumble-driers.

      • Implement recommendations provided by Eiffage Energie QRG‘s assessment. This may include a new heat pump heating system for the chateau for hot water production and heating, insulation for the roof, and double glazing for the windows.

    • ELECTRIC CHARGING STATION:

      • Instal electric vehicle charging station on-site, exact location is to be determined.

    • Climate Positive by 2030

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Goals

    • Creating our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Team

      • We have had our initial meeting to discuss what we would like the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Team to stand for and embody and the team has now grown to 14 members. Our first draft mission statement is “To create inclusive spaces for all women, where they can relax and rejuvenate and feel an authentic sense of belonging”.

      • In addition we have crafted a value statement: “We are committed to ensuring purposeful inclusion in our communications, opportunities and camp experiences. We pledge to continue improving the diversity of our camp every season”.

    • The new DI&B team is meeting again in April 2024 to organize public next steps and concrete future plans.

    • Coming Soon

    • All-gender and agender-inclusive camp session by 2026.

    • Creating an option to donate when booking to contribute to scholarship bookings.

    More coming soon.

Financial Transparency

    • We use French accounting and legal services to prepare and provide our tax, employment, and other required reporting.

    • We issue confidential reports to our equity investors at east twice a year.

    • Coming Soon


    Staffing:

    • We employ 3 full-time paid employees, a camp director, a groundskeeper, and a property manager.

    • No employee of Camp Château is paid less than 15€/ hour, including seasonal staff.

    • All seasonal staff receive a 10% mandatory bonus at the end of the season.

    • Coming Soon

Local Community Building

    • We have a reputation locally as a good employer and are receiving multiple employment requests from local teenage and college-age students and we will continue to prioritize hiring locally for the camp season.

    • We are currently interviewing for the remaining jobs for summer 2024. We will be able to confirm the final number of local employees when it is completed in May.

    • Our groundskeeper and gardening assistant (who is also a singer during camp!) are local residents.

    • We have a policy of saying ‘yes’ to any requests from our local mayor to hold community meetings in the chateau.

    • This has included tourist board meetings, film institute meetings, historical society meetings and hosting the annual candlelit procession to the chateau for the local fete.

    • We invite the local school children to picnic on the grounds at least once each summer.

    • The whole village visits the grounds and picks all the remaining fruit in the orchard for themselves each fall.

    • We provide guided tours each year for the Journee de Patrimonie.

    None of these activities occurred before we took possession of the property and the impact on community relations has been very positive.

    • Our chef, Jérémy, is currently sourcing local suppliers and partners for the summer season.

    • Counselor staff are creating their material lists for classes due May 1st and will be sourcing the suppliers until June 1st.