Hägern Bed & Nature shares examples of amazing best practices, which help to reinforce biodiversity by preserving existing natural areas and combating pollinator and insect loss. The biggest outcome is the abundance of insects, butterflies, wild bees, and bumblebees.

Hägern Bed & Nature is a bed & breakfast, situated on the island Bolmsö in the Swedish region Småland. The name of this establishment was inspired by the beautiful nature that surrounds the establishment and by outdoor experiences that are available nearby, such as hiking, fishing, and bird watching.

Being located so close to nature, Hägern Bed & Nature decided to contribute to biological diversity by designing a flower garden full of pollinator-friendly flowers and herbs by the entrance to their establishment. The flower garden was designed with the help of a gardener student, Stina Gustafsson, and in addition to several birdhouses, wild bee hotels, and bird and bee baths it attracted a lot of bees, butterflies, and other insects into the area.

Karl Sandrock, the environmental manager and owner of Hägern Bed & Nature shared his thoughts on the importance of the Green Key certificate and sustainable development for the establishment:

“As Hägern Bed & Nature is located on an island of extraordinary natural beauty in the south of Sweden, surrounded by forests and lakes, it was an easy decision to want to have the Green Key certification. Sustainability is essential for us and of course also for our guests who want their impact to be as minimal as possible. Despite being a very small accommodation, we have taken all the initiatives within our reach to leave a footprint. An especially significant one that also fills us with joy is our new garden which welcomes our guests with many flowers, butterflies, and insects.”

To support the flower lifecycle, the establishment leaves parts of their lawn unmown, which apart from other benefits also allows meadow flowers to bloom and spread. By leaving dead wood and branches untouched, they preserve existing natural areas and combat insect loss.

Moreover, to fight diseases such as fungi, Hägern Bed & Nature uses beneficial fungi instead of pesticides. The beneficial fungi are biological products based on naturally occurring root fungi in the ground, the fungi then strengthen the plants and keep them healthier.

In addition to all these actions that help with the protection and support of biodiversity, the establishment also focuses on energy-consumption savings and managed to reduce electricity consumption by over 40%, from January to August 2021, in comparison to the same period in 2022. The reduction of electricity consumption was achieved by simply improving the manual routines for heating and lowering the temperature in rooms.

To learn more about the Hägern Bed & Nature, click here.