Heather Bayer

Today I'm talking to Bob Garner, the owner and host of Casal del Fichi, which is a beautiful property in Italy, somewhere I would love to go visit.

I've talked to Bob before on a number of occasions about how he manages his property and delivers his particular brand of hospitality to his guests, and we've heard about his green initiatives and his passion for environmental issues. Today we are focusing on this because Bob is about to launch a new project which you're going to find really interesting called EnviroRental. So you'll want to listen in to hear about what EnviroRental is all about, and how it's going to benefit you and your company.

Dialing-in from the sunny climbs of Gulf Shores, Alabama, where I am for the winter – no shoveling for me this year. I've probably said that before and you're probably going to hear it again, because every day when I wake up and look out over the little lake – and it's called Little Lake – which is behind me as I look out of my window, I just thank goodness I am not going to be shoveling snow at all, ever – well, at least for this year. I don't know – you never know what might happen. A couple of years ago, I thought I was going to be away for the winter and ended up back in Canada after the border closed. So you just make the most of every moment, right?

So today I am talking to Bob Garner and I've met Bob on a number of occasions. He is the host and co-owner of a beautiful property that I would love to visit in Italy called Casal del Fichi. Bob and his partner have a particular brand of hospitality that we've heard about in previous episodes. And if you want to listen to those, I'll put links to them in the show notes.

It's really worthwhile because people who go to Casal del Fichi don't forget it, and they go back over and over again.  It really is a masterclass in how to get repeat guests. The theme that runs through the episodes I've already done with Bob is his passion for environmental issues and how he has worked hard to adopt green initiatives on so many fronts and also to share that with many, many other people, certainly to share that with his guests and to help the local community as well. Bob won the first Destinationaire Award back in 2020 and that was in large part because of how he projects this passion to his guests and the local area as well. So, definitely worth a listen to the previous recordings.

So today we're talking about a new project that Bob is launching called EnviroRental, and I'm not going to jump the gun and share anything about it, I'm going to leave that to Bob to explain to you. So without further ado, let's move on over to the interview and hear all about it.

So I'm super delighted to have back with me again, Bob Garner. He's been on the show a couple of times talking about his wonderful property in Italy and his unique approach to hospitality, as well as the green initiatives that envelope his entire business. And today we're going to be talking about that and be talking about his new project called EnviroRental. So, welcome Bob, thank you so much for joining me again.

Bob Garner

Well, thank you for the invite, it's really great to be back for the third time.

Heather Bayer

Yes, and it's good to see you too.  Actually, it's been a while since we last met. So what's been happening with you and your business since we last spoke?

Bob Garner

Well, for the business it's been fine. It feels like this year's been back to normal post-COVID, so it felt like a very normal year and that's been just how I like it. No great crazy things happening in the world. So it felt very calm and I'm very happy that way.

Heather Bayer

So did you get business? For most people, 2020 and 2021 were a bit crazy. How was it for you when travel came back again?

Bob Garner

Well, for us, 20 and 21 were okay. They weren't the best years, obviously, but they weren't terrible years, and you hear such stories about the things that people went through. So I think we feel very lucky that we had a reasonable season in 20 and 21. And as I say, 22 just seemed to be back to normal and it's like it never happened and everything's just carried on as it used to do, so long may that continue.

Heather Bayer

Yeah, exactly. It's a bit like it was a blip. Those two years were just a blip and we've just gone back, it went from 2019 to 2022.

So I'm super interested to hear about EnviroRental and there's a lot out there about sustainable travel at the moment, and I really wanted to start off with that because Booking.com seemed to have taken the lead with their annual sustainable travel reports. So I wanted you to just give me some of those statistics that came out of the latest sustainable travel report from Booking.com, which came out in September of this year, and a little bit about what those insights are and how they can help shape the way we approach environmental action to the future.

Heather Bayer

Yep, absolutely. Booking.com has been doing these sustainable surveys for about seven years now, and I've been following it very closely because it's really interesting to see the statistics, the percentage increases year on year when people respond to certain questions, which we'll talk about in a second. And it's been really, really fantastic to see those numbers keep going up and up. For example, this year one of the stats was that 71% of those people surveyed, and I think it's several tens of thousands of people surveyed, want to stay in the sustainable property in the area. So 71% now doesn't mean they will do, doesn't mean they can do, but they would like to stay in a sustainable property. So 71% seems to me like an incredibly high number of people who would like to tap into sustainability. And one of the other stats that comes out of Booking.com survey is that 25% of those people would be willing to pay more for a sustainable stay, which I think is a really fascinating number because when I'm talking to property managers all the time they're worried about “Shall I be profitable or shall I be sustainable?”

Bob Garner

And I know from my experience of running Casal del Fichi here in Italy for the last 15 years that the two go well together. It isn't a case of one or the other, the two go together and you can create a successful business around sustainability and attract those people who are looking to stay sustainably. Obviously I meant that's evidence it's worked and it's a proven fact that it does work. But I think the other thing to also reinforce is that Expedia did the same sort of survey and came out with the same sort of numbers – so it isn't just a one-off.

We've got Booking.com and Expedia doing these surveys now, and like you, I've been at a number of conferences this year in Europe with Booking.com and Expedia on the platform saying that they want to put sustainability at the heart of their businesses. And as you're probably aware, Booking.com has introduced eco-badging now for properties, so that properties that qualify can have an eco-badge next to their profile. I think they've got something like 1500 properties now with that on their profile. And just last month they enhanced that profile and they brought in various levels to make it more structured and more simple for travelers to find the right eco-place to stay.

Now, it’s not perfect and they're not claiming it's perfect, but I think we're on the right road. Things are pointing in the right direction now and the big OTAs and a lot of the players in the industry are starting to realize that sustainability needs to be and should be part of the operation and they're aligning themselves accordingly. We've still got a long way to go, but I think we're on the right track.

Heather Bayer

That's so interesting to hear, and good to hear that Expedia are doing the same thing. It's not just Booking.com out there on a limb doing that. So I think we've got to ask a question for people who are listening – what is sustainability? What are we talking about here? What does it mean?

Bob Garner

Yeah, well, sustainability is shorthand for environmental sustainability and we should always remember there were other types of sustainability because of course any business needs to be financially sustainable as well. But I think now when people see the word sustainable they think about environmental sustainability, they're thinking really about the carbon footprint of that business of a short-term rental. What it's doing to reduce its emissions?  What it's doing around plastic?  What it's doing around energy?  What it's doing around giving back to the community?  All of these factors and lots of others form part of being sustainable.

I certainly know that when we started out 15 years ago, as I think I've said on a previous podcast, we knew nothing about this. We started out with trial and error as to what would work and how we would operate and did a lot of research.  Then we found that once we introduced those elements of sustainability we found that the guests appreciated it, they liked it, they came back because they enjoyed it. They commented with a great review. They referred people to us and it felt like a virtual circle to us that when you implement some sustainability you get some good feedback, you get a better return on investment and it's good for your business.

So then you think, oh well, I'll do some more of that.  So I think sustainability, there are lots of ways of defining it, but I think the core part of it is about doing the right thing for the planet and reducing your carbon emissions and communicating that, which is obviously really crucial.

Heather Bayer

I went to England this summer and stayed at a property near to where my family lives, and for the first time I saw there was a little monitor just sitting on top of the microwave and it showed how many kilowatts were being used – how much electricity was being used during the day in that property. And I have to say I looked at it for the first time and I thought, that's interesting. Then the next day I looked at it and it told me how much we used and it was almost like a trigger that got me thinking – well, should I be using the washing machine in the daytime because that's going to use more? It was so simple and there was nothing there that said you need to look at this, but it actually got me thinking about it.

Bob Garner

That's really interesting. You don't recall if it was branded at all or labeled in any way, do you?

Heather Bayer

No, I don't. I shall have to find out. I have to go back to the owner because we're going to stay at that place again next year, and I'll find out about that. But I just found the psychology was interesting there, but is this not something that's usual?

Bob Garner

It isn't very common. There is a product called My Green Butler run by a guy called Chris and he'd be a great person for your podcast.  He's introducing iPads into properties with those stats that you've just been referring to and other prompts to the guests to encourage them to reduce their energy consumption. I think it also doubles up as a digital guide as well and gives various information about the area.

Another thing that you might be aware of is that Vanessa de Souza-Lage is also introducing a product based on her company Sustonica and that sounds like it's going to be very similar to what you've just been describing. She's trying to bring that in as an accreditation scheme specifically for vacation rentals. So, again, that's something else that you might want to pick up on. But it sounds fascinating. I'd love to know more about the products if you ever find out.

Heather Bayer

I will, I'll find out and let you know.

I want to just step back a bit. You were talking about eco-badges that the OTAs are talking about. How does an owner, manager, whatever, get into receiving an eco-badge? What do they have to do? What do they have to demonstrate?

Bob Garner

Well, it's on Booking.com now. I think Expedia is going to be looking at next year. Basically it's self-certified. So of course it's relying on honesty on the part of the owner or manager and it's a series of questions around energy consumption, water, laundry, plastic, things like that.  You self-certify to whatever level you feel you can based on a questionnaire, and then they give you a rating and put the appropriate badge next to your listing on the site. So it's very simple and straightforward and Booking.com don't claim it's the be all and end all, but they're on that road and they're enhancing it year in, year out to make it better.

Also, talking to Enrique at Holidu, I don't know if you know him, Holidu has introduced the same sort of thing and they've actually got some analysis. I was talking about it at one of the conferences this year and it proves that the click rate for the eco-properties and the click to book rate, which is the most significant thing, was considerably higher for the eco-properties than for the other properties on their platform, and that's absolutely what we want to hear because that's a great driver for property managers and hosts to go on.

So, if I can create some eco-properties and some eco-branding, without green-washing, and bring in more business, that's a great way to motivate property managers and hosts to introduce these things, because they can see they'll get more business as a result.

Heather Bayer

You just mentioned green-washing, and I know you've talked about this on a previous episode, but could you recap please? What is it?

Bob Garner

Yeah, of course. It's in the news so much now. Basically, it's when an individual or, normally, a business, talks about their sustainability in a way that isn't actually accurate. So they're over-egging what they're actually doing or the impact that they're having, and they're actually saying that they're doing, or the impact is much greater, than it actually is.  There's a zillion examples of green-washing, but what we really need people to do is be what we say we are. Be genuine, be honest, be clear, get it on your website, talk about what you're doing.

I speak to host and property managers every day about this and they say, “Well, I'm not really doing very much”. Then we talk about it and we find out they are doing three or four or five things, and that's fine, put that on your website, explain what you do, even talk about what you might be able to do more of in the future.  People will appreciate that, and that's obviously a great thing. But green-washing is when you pretend you're doing a lot more, and obviously we don't like that. That's a horrible thing, and you will only get caught out in the end.  So what's the point?

Heather Bayer

Okay, give us some examples. You say you talk to hosts and managers all the time about what they can do and what perhaps they're already doing, but aren't really acknowledging because they don't realize that they are contributing to sustainability. So what are a few things that people can do?

Bob Garner

Yeah, absolutely. I'll probably just preface this by saying that I think a lot of people are struggling to think what they should be doing. I was at the Vacation Rental World Summit in Porto earlier in the year, and I was on stage talking about sustainability.   One of my things that I do is I try and get everybody in the audience to stand up and there were 500 property managers in the room, and I asked them two simple questions. I say, continue to stay standing if you believe that sustainability should be a core part of your business. Everybody stays on their feet. Then the second question, and this is the revealer, now continue to stay standing if you've already implemented something around sustainability in your business; 95% of people sit down.  This is the gap that we're trying to address through EnviroRental, which is the ambition of people who want to do something and their ability to deliver it. And we'll go on to see what those somethings are in a moment. That's the core, because most businesses are busy, they're trying to make a profit, they don't necessarily understand sustainability, or what to do, where to start, which order of things to do it in and so they don't do anything.

So that's why I created EnviroRental, to give them those resources and give them those techniques and give them that information. So, for example, to answer your question directly, we'll be talking about energy, we're talking about light bulbs, we'll be talking about low energy appliances, we'll be talking about a green energy tariff – that's the energy that comes into your property.

We'll be talking about websites that are low energy, that are run on green energy, we'll be talking about plastic, about water. There are so many topics to talk about, but people get confused and of course this is the key. They don't have the time, or the resources to do all that research. So what I've done with EnviroRental is take all my learning, all my experience and other people's, put it all into a website – all those resources.  Give them a roadmap to go from zero to hero and give those resources away for free. Because what we need is no barriers or as few barriers as possible for any property manager or any host to enter into the sustainability market. What's really crucial, is to give them the tools, give them the techniques, take away the barriers and say so here you go, now you can get started.  And that's what EnviroRental is aiming to achieve.

Heather Bayer

So it sounds like a full knowledge base for anyone who actually wants to get into this and to learn more about it and then to implement some solutions.

Bob Garner

Absolutely. So there'll be podcasts, there'll be webinars, there's a roadmap, there's all the international news around sustainability and vacation rentals, so it'll all be in one place; the blogs, the guides, the training aids, everything you would expect to get from starting out to being experienced around sustainability. But most importantly, in a very action-orientated way, we don't want to complicate it. We don't want to give people 20 things that they need to do. Just get them started on the road, go for some low-hanging fruit first that they can do easily and at no cost, and see a benefit for their business.  Then they'll be motivated, hopefully, to take some more steps further down the green path.

So we've got to make it easy for people, not in any way to patronize them, but because they're busy and they don't have the resources. So we've got to take away those barriers and make it as simple as possible.

Heather Bayer

Well, I'm going to break for a moment, Bob, just to listen to David Jacoby from Hostfully, who is our sponsor, and who's talking a little bit more about their business. We will come back after that question and talk a little bit more about EnviroRental and some of the areas that people can start working on right now.

So David, we've been talking a lot in the past weeks about Hostfully. What features stand Hostfully, apart from the competition, because there are a lot of competitors in this field now.

David Jacoby

Oh boy, where to begin? Okay, so one thing that we get consistent, incredible feedback on is our pipeline view.  That is a guest-centric view of seeing where the guest is in their process of making a reservation and staying with you. We call it kind of the ‘guest lifecycle management view'. So you can see if it's just a quote, if it's on hold, if they're confirmed, or if they're in destination, and based on where they're at, we give different prompts to help move that guest to the next stage, to confirm the reservation, to fill out the pre-arrival form, to put it on hold or extend the hold. A whole bunch of different prompts. Most property management softwares have a calendar view and we have that as well, and this is a different way of looking at that same data and our customers love that.

Some other highlights – our channel integrations. We are the only property management software in the United States that's a preferred partner for Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, so that's them saying our integration is in the best category, not just us saying it's great.

We really pride ourselves on those channel integrations, our API, we make it real easy for you to access the data.  It's your data, you can do what you want with it. Build your own integrations if you want. And we have tons of other integrations with leaders in the industry; our robust messaging or email templates and triggers, and then finally our beautiful digital guidebook. Lots of property management softwares don't focus on the guest communication side the way we do. That was actually our first software and it's still our pride and joy. So having great digital guidebooks as part of a property management software is really integral to our plan and vision.

Heather Bayer

So, lots of features and I'm sure there's a ton more that we haven't been able to talk about here.

David Jacoby

I'm just scratching the surface, but those are some of the highlights.

Heather Bayer

Well, thank you to David from Hostfully. And now I'm back, of course, with Bob Garner talking about sustainability and his new venture, EnviroRental.

While we were listening to David there, I was just looking up that device, so I shared it with you; it's called Ecobee and I will put a link to it in the show notes, so anybody who wants to go take a look at it can do so.

Heather Bayer

Okay, we were talking about what's going to be on EnviroRental and we're going to come back again to that in a minute, but I just wanted to address how you started out by talking about the Booking.com statistics. About 71% of these people want to stay in a sustainable property. How do hosts and managers actually find those people who are out there actively looking for a sustainable property?

Bob Garner

Yes, I mean, this is absolutely crucial. I always say to people, when you've done some things and you can start to talk about your sustainability, and there's a couple of dozen things you can do, but then it's super crucial that you brand your website and you brand your communication around sustainability, because otherwise people aren't going to be able to find you.

So, get a page on your website, talk about what you're doing and talk about what you're going to do and be honest about that. Also put it in your digital guide. We're both big fans of Touch Stay, but whichever digital guide you're using, put it in there. It's another form of communication because I certainly use that as an aide before I've even got the booking, so that's another way of communicating; I think that's absolutely crucial.

Bob Garner

There's also some specialist OTAs who are dealing with sustainability. One which is particularly strong in Europe is Ecobnb, and they specialize in eco-properties all around Europe. There are other types in other parts of the world, so if you're going to use an OTA, maybe consider using an OTA that specializes in eco.

And then there are other things you can do, for example, electric vehicles are becoming much more prevalent. We're all going to end up with an electric vehicle one day. We've had ours for a few years now, so obviously we have a charger at our home and our guests are free to use it. But what that means is our charging station goes on all the databases of charging stations, and we've had a number of people come to us because they wanted to stay in the area, but of course, they also want to stay where they can charge their car and not have to take it down the street or into the next town. So that's another great way of communicating your message, and we've had maybe a dozen people come to us over the last five or six years since we had it, who have found us through the charging database.

Heather Bayer

I love that. I love the idea about the charging station, I hadn't thought about that. It's just that one extra thing that could bring people to your place rather than somebody else's.

Bob Garner

Yes.  We've said before and we've had these conversations, I know I always say to people, you've got these two properties, they're exactly the same in every way, the same view, the same pool, the same price, the same quality service, etcetera, etcetera, and the only difference is one is eco and one is not.  With all the factors being equal, who isn't going to choose the eco place to stay? You know nobody's going to say I'm not as eco, when all other factors are the same. So it's a great way of being part of the first mover status and getting ahead of the competition, if you are one of the first in your area to introduce some eco aspects to your business. So it's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

Heather Bayer

I love that idea being part of the first movers because this is coming, it's getting stronger every year and certainly as these new generations grow and produce their families, they are going to be looking for these things. So I think you're right, if you don't get in there now, you're missing out on the benefits. Everybody is missing out on the benefits.

Bob Garner

Yes. I mean, we're a slightly older generation, but the younger people coming up behind us are much more aware of the climate emergency. They're much more conscious of their carbon footprint and they're much more sensitive to wanting to do something about it. So that demographic is rising, so why not tap into it? By being sustainable?

Heather Bayer

Yes, exactly. So moving on to that, about promoting this to guests, how do we do this once people are in our properties? How do we encourage them to adopt the greener practices that we are introducing in the properties? Such as things like recycling. One of our biggest bugbears when I was running CottageLINK Rental Management, was to actually get guests to follow the recycling instructions and separate everything, as required by the local transfer sites where they would have to take the garbage, because we don't have garbage collection. They would get there with their one big black bag with everything in it and be rejected. And then they'd come back with this big garbage bag and then just leave it. And then the owners, caretakers, cleaners had the job of recycling, of separating everything out and it was, as I say, a bugbear. How do we get guests, who perhaps aren't looking for the sustainable options? We're sort of in an education phase here.

Bob Garner

Yes, and it's how we started out, really.  I think it's about communicating what you believe in as an individual and as a business. Where are your ethics, what's important to you?  Then brand and communicate that really clearly. Not in any way to say that you're better than them, but just say what's really important to me and my business, that we're interested in the environment. We're doing A, B, and C, and we would really appreciate it if you could help us with that because your small contribution, whether it's taking out the garbage correctly or turning off the lights or, you know, turning the thermostat down or up, depending upon the location, can help us make a difference for the environment. So we would really welcome your help and encourage you to be part of that. As I say, we would certainly communicate that and do so all through our business. So it's in our emails, it's in our digital guide. There's a whole section in our digital guide. We use Touch Stay around EnviroRental about all the things that we're doing and how in each case the individual guest can help us, and of course, in our organization.

In my small business, they see it and feel it every day. They're aware of it because the solar panels are heating the pool. They're not using single use plastic. There are dispensers rather than throwaway bottles. There's a water fountain that can give you still or sparkling water, so you don't have to carry plastic bottles. We give them a gift of a bottle that they can take home with them, a metal bottle. There's an organic garden.  Whatever it might be, demonstrate it to the guests so that when they go through the business and using the facilities, they're getting reminders of what you're doing and why you're doing it. And that's reinforced through the website, it's reinforced through the communication and through the digital guide. Because it's the digital guide they're looking at every day and they're seeing what you're doing, and it's really important to try and get them on-side. But I can appreciate it's difficult, certainly in certain communities where it's not made easy for them and they have to make a little bit more of an effort. I can appreciate that.

Heather Bayer

Yes, recycling has always been interesting. I came down to this campground two weeks ago and it's a massive state park in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and in previous years there's always been recycling bins and we've been diligent about separating everything out. This year they've gone, the recycling is no longer there, and it's a little concerning.  But can you very briefly give us the basics of recycling? Because I do understand that the cost of it can override the benefits in some areas.

Bob Garner

Well, I'm going to perhaps surprise you and say I'm not a great fan of recycling really. And when I say that to people, they go, “What?” This is slightly political, but I will try and keep it simple. Essentially only 9% of items around the world get recycled. Obviously that varies from country to country. The rest goes into landfill or is incinerated. So with the best will in the world, what happens is that the products that you recycle, depending on where you are, will or will not end up being recycled. And that's something to do with the infrastructure in each region, it's something to do with the product and whether it's been cleaned sufficiently before it goes into recycling. And it's also, if I can put it this way, “it's in”. Let's just take an example. Let's take Coca Cola, one of the biggest producers of plastic in the world in the retail area.  It is in their interest to encourage you to recycle because it makes you feel like you're doing your part around keeping their business going. But what they need to be doing, and what other industries need to be doing, is removing single-use plastic out of the cycle.

Because what happens once it's recycled, once it degrades, and then it can't be used for the same product again, and it has to be used for something more simple, like a car mat. And, when that is worn out and that is recycled, it then can't be used for something else and has to be incinerated. So I think we need to understand that.  Yes, recycling has a place, but don't in any way see it as the be all and end all, because what we need is to reduce our consumption. Let's take single-use plastic out of the cycle of operations. So if you have to buy plastic, only buy plastic that's come from a reusable product, because single-use plastic is a really bad thing for the environment. It's polluting the seas, eating the land, everybody's aware of this. So it's the consumption we need to address, not the recycling. So in a way, it's masking the problem, it's the consumption that we need to get down because unless we can get recycling up to 80-95%, we're always going to have this problem.

Bob Garner

So this is a very interesting one, because when I speak to people, the very first thing they say is, “Oh, I recycle.”  They think that's the be all and end all, and of course they're really trying and I really appreciate that, but it's tackling the problem from the wrong end; we need to get it from the inputs and not just the outputs, if that makes sense.

Heather Bayer

It absolutely does, and I feel educated now.  Yes, we all see the single use plastic, the clamshells vegetables come in when it's so unnecessary. What can we do though?

Bob Garner

I guess, well it's those small gestures, isn't it? When I go to the supermarket, I take my own re-washable string bags for the vegetables, so I won't take the plastic bag, I won't buy the products, say the tomatoes, in a clamshell as you describe it. I'll go for the loose products, and I'll put them in my own reusable bags. They're small steps, but we all have to tackle at that level because unfortunately, we can't control everything that the industry is doing and obviously it varies from country to country. I'm most familiar with Italy and the UK and in both those countries certain supermarkets, for instance, are so much better in managing loose goods, let's say, rather than packaging plastic. And I guess the same is probably true in Canada and generally in North America. So you have to make a decision where you go and which products you buy and how you buy them. It's complicated, it's difficult, and it's something you have to deal with every single day. But I don't see any other way around it, really. You tackle it one day at a time, one product at a time.

Heather Bayer

I'm finding this conversation absolutely fascinating, and looking back five years or so, I don't think I had that interest in it. But now it's coming at us from all sides, isn't it? From climate conferences on the bigger scale, way, way down to the local supermarkets in Canada. I know what they've all done now is stopping the provision of free plastic bags to carry your shopping home in. You see people walking into supermarkets now and they've all got bags, they're carrying their canvas bags. So I think we are being delivered this message from many different fronts right now, which is great, and as I say, finding it quite fascinating.

Last question is about environmental causes, because I know that you support a couple of causes in your area.  If you can just share those with us and then perhaps talk about how hosts or managers can get involved in environmental causes in their local communities.

Bob Garner

Yes, I think one of the things that's important for me, and we take sustainability at a very wide angle, is when I go to choose a place for vacation rental. I'll look to see how sustainable it is, but I'll also look to see what they're doing in their local community, because that's really important to me. I think we've all got an obligation to give back to the community, whether that's your local community or the wider community at large. I think we can all do something big and small. Sometimes it might be cleaning up a beach, sometimes it might be planting trees, sometimes it might be getting educational materials to a school that needs them somewhere in your locality or somewhere around the world. I always think it's really great to see how you can use the power of your dollar or your pound or your euro effectively.

So, as I speak about many times, we have “Who Gives a Crap” toilet paper in our units.  It's a great funny name from an Australian company. What they do, it's obviously recycled paper, but it's quality paper. Some of it is made based on bamboo. But what's more interesting to me is, as a company, they give 50% of their profits to build toilet and water facilities in the developing world for people who don't have them. There's over a billion people in the world who don't have access to running water and proper facilities, so tens of millions of pounds from one single company is going to do that great thing, and I can support them by buying their toilet paper, which is delivered to my door, doesn't cost any more money and it's a product that does what it's meant to do. So that's a great example of how to use your money wisely for the good. So when you're talking to your suppliers and the products that you buy, just think for a moment where you buy them from and what they do in their community, because they can amplify your dollar by doing something good in the community. One of the things we do is use a company called Ecology to plant trees to offset some carbon.  That's a company based in the UK, but they operate around the world. They're a great ethical company, they're a B Corp certified company, which you might be aware of there of the gold standard, so that you know that you can trust what they're doing.

That's a great way when you can't offset, when you can't reduce your carbon any further, offset the carbon that you have. I will give one warning that I always give when I talk about carbon offsetting and tree planting though.  Do not consider that a get out of jail card; I've planted some trees, so I can carry on living the life that I was living before and producing carbon. It's meant to be one tool in the toolbox, amongst other tools. It's not the panacea to fix all your environmental problems. I always say that, because it's important that people understand that tree planting is just one aspect of trying to be more sustainable.

Heather Bayer

That's such a great point, because I think many people probably think, you know, I'll do this one thing and then my conscience is free. So, yes thank you for making that point, that just doing the one thing does not mean that you're really contributing to sustainability overall. Let's go back to EnviroRental. Just give us an overview of what people can expect when this is launched.

Bob Garner

So it's strapline is ‘signposting sustainability for vacation rentals' and that's basically what we're trying to do. We're trying to make it as easy as possible for people who are busy and got a lot of things going on in their lives with signposting what they can do and pointing them in the right direction, giving them the tools, the training, the support, and the information, so that they can just pick it up, run with it and implement it. It's got to be simple, it's got to be clean and easy like that. Of course, there'll be a lot of things on the site for people who want to delve deeper and do more research. But a lot of people tell me, Bob, just tell me the ten things I've got to do, and I'll go and do them. So we'll do that for those people and for the other people. We'll give them the background, we'll give them the information, and each month we will be analyzing a different topic and talking about it, and, as I say, everything will be free on the website. So I would encourage people to register at EnviroRental.earth and as soon as we're launched.  We'll get that information out to them and we'll start to engage.

I think the other thing to say is, yes, I have more experience, but we're all on this journey and I would never criticize anybody for wherever they are on that journey. We've all got to start somewhere, so please don't feel intimidated by that. Just take one simple step and review, because we all started there and we've all got to help each other to move along that path. So I'm hoping EnviroRental will be a vehicle to help people because everything will be there. It'll be a one-stop-shop. They won't need to go anywhere else to find anything to do with sustainability and short-term rentals.

Heather Bayer

That sounds brilliant. So when are we looking for this to be launched?

Bob Garner

It should be in about a month, so in about mid-December.

Heather Bayer

Right, that's wonderful, so on the lookout for that, I will put the link in the show notes and when it's launched, Bob, let me know and I can announce it at that time as well. I think it's just a brilliant thing that you're doing. You've shown for so many years how much of a giver you are on so many fronts, and I just commend you for doing this and for sticking with it for so long. You're smiling and nodding.

Bob Garner

Sometimes it's not easy. It's banging a lot of doors trying to make these things happen. But I think it's something that I'm passionate about and it's one thing that I can give back to the community. So that's what I'm doing.

Heather Bayer

Yes, it's something that you see in another areas, like Rent Responsibly and what they're doing for short-term rental advocacy and just giving to this wonderful community of ours and helping people to get better at what they do. So thank you to everybody, to the Dave Krauses, to the Bob Garners, to everybody out there who is giving to our community; I just applaud you.

That's about it for this week. I hope we get to meet at some point in 2023. I'm going to aim to be in Europe, maybe for the Short-Stay Summit – I'd love to go back to Barcelona.

Bob Garner

I'll be there.

Heather Bayer

You'll be at the Short-Stay Summit. Good. Well, we will get together then. Excellent. Okay, well, I shall see you then, and as I say, I shall promote EnviroRental when it's launched and look forward to seeing the impact that's going to have.

Bob Garner

Super. Thank you and great to see you again.  Enjoy your time in your RV.

Heather Bayer

I certainly am, thank you.

Well, that was such a great conversation and I absolutely meant it when I said I was fascinated by it. I was just talking to Bob after we had recorded that and I said that five years ago, I think I thought I was paying more lip service. I was probably one of those who would plant the tree and think I'd done the stuff, I'd done my bit. And now I'm looking at it in a very different way and I think it is because we are being bombarded from all sides about the importance of sustainability and about the importance of looking after our world. So, great conversation. I will let you know as soon as EnviroRental is launched and trust that you will go there and learn from it; I certainly will. I'll be spending some time on that site as soon as it is launched.

Heather Bayer

So that's it for another week. I hope you enjoyed this conversation. I've got plenty of great new interviews coming up over the next few weeks and months. If you know of anybody that you think should be interviewed for the show or you have a topic that maybe I haven't covered in the last 467 episodes, then let me know.

I would be delighted to find a new topic to delve into. So, as ever, if you've enjoyed listening to this, I would love it if you left a review for me on whatever platform that you listen to your podcasts on. And, if you've got any other feedback, then of course let me know too. Always love to hear from you and you can connect with me at heather@cottageblogger.com, so with that said, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day and I hope that you do as well.

Heather Bayer

It's been a pleasure, as ever being with you. If there's anything you'd like to comment on, then join the conversation on the Show Notes for the episode at VacationRentalFormula.com, we'd love to hear from you and I look forward to being with you again next week.