When I was running the Hampstead Lido café, I became increasingly aware of just how much plastic flowed through our hands every single day. Bottled water stacked in fridges, cleaning products arriving in bulky containers, takeaway cups heading straight to landfill. It felt relentless. Useful in the moment… but devastating in the bigger picture.
Around that time, I was in constant conversation with my old school friend, Hattie Ourousoff. We were sharing articles, ideas, frustrations — asking ourselves how we could do better rather than just feel guilty. In 2016 Hattie started a Facebook group called Say No to Plastic Packaging, and invited me to co-admin it. That group became an education in itself. Not preachy. Not perfect. Just thousands of small shifts in awareness that slowly began to change our choices.
At the café, we introduced a closed-loop coffee cup recycling service. It wasn’t flawless, but it was a start. And that was the moment something shifted for me. I realised that meaningful change doesn’t begin with perfection. It begins with action.
That journey has shaped how we run Pembrokeshire Beach House today.
At Green Shutters, we’ve tried to embed those same principles quietly into the fabric of the house. We use Bower refillable shampoo, conditioner and Faith In Nature hand wash. Seep Sponges, Bower Collective Dishwasher soap and cleaning products are refill-based wherever possible. We’re currently using refill systems from Bower Collective alongside beautiful, low-tox products from Purdy & Figg. We’re exploring dishwasher and laundry sheets to reduce bulky packaging even further. We’re trialling a washing-up bar from Canori as an alternative to bottled liquid — because zero plastic will always win over minimal plastic.
We also clean our windows using ionised water, meaning virtually no chemicals circulate in and around the building.
The result isn’t just less waste. It’s a healthier, lighter environment. Guests with sensitivities often comment on how good the house feels — fresh air, clean surfaces, no heavy chemical scent lingering in the background. It aligns with why we created this space in the first place: somewhere to breathe deeply, rest properly, and reconnect.
Saying no to plastic packaging isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being intentional. About choosing refills over replacements. Bars over bottles. Longevity over convenience.