Swedish Country Living

Swedish Country Living has built three so-called off-grid hermit cabins in the
cultural landscape by the Dalsland Canal. Ahead of the summer of 2022, there is
also a circular water house with shower, toilet, and laundry facilities combined with a greenhouse.

The aim is to create a sustainable and regenerative way to vacation with as little
environmental impact as possible.

The hermitage cabin was the first of three houses to be completed, but it is now
joined by the Slate House Hermitage and The A-frame Hermitage. All houses are
built of timber from their own forest and locally sawn in Skållerud, about 7 km away. Windows and doors are recycled and have been given new life in these houses, reducing environmental impact.

The walls are insulated with sheep’s wool, a natural material that is fireproof, soundproof, and harmless. The floor is insulated with hemp, which is a non-toxic byproduct of hemp cultivation. Hemp regulates moisture and has a deterrent effect on mice. The living roof of the hermitage cabin consists of plants such as wild strawberries and valerian picked from the surrounding environment. The walls of the Slate House are made of recycled slate.

Food, environment, and health are interconnected. Therefore, food from their own production or locally produced nearby is served. The farm is organic-certified, and the sheep keep the pastures open, creating opportunities for increased biodiversity. A zero waste policy is applied here, where food waste is given to the animals on the farm or composted.

Muscovy ducks roam freely and produce duck eggs while also working on snail control. The hens lay breakfast eggs and process parasites by free-ranging after the sheep in a mobile chicken coop. Here, their own vegetables are grown using the permaculture method, where the soil is disturbed as little as possible. The soil is covered with straw in the autumn, and the worms create nutrients in the soil. The vegetables are fertilized with sheep manure in an eternal cycle.

Holistic management is practiced on the pasturelands to build up the soil. Through concentrated grazing pressure and constant movement of the sheep, the grass’s root system increases, improving the soil’s ability to counteract drying out or flooding. Additionally, a so-called carbon sink is created to handle carbon dioxide emissions.

The newly built circular water house with private shower and dry toilets has a circular water system. Water is taken from the lake, and the grey water formed after showering and handwashing is filtered before being purified through plants in the greenhouse and flowing into the duck pond. Walls and floors in the shower areas are covered with clay plaster, a natural material consisting of clay, sand, and straw. The clay plaster buffers moisture and creates a pleasant environment. Thanks to separating toilets, unpleasant odors are reduced, and the waste can be composted while the nutrients are used where needed.

Energy consumption is environmentally certified through green electricity and produced via solar panels on the stable roof.

The goal at the farm is for you as a guest to become aware of your own environmental impact and have a greater understanding of the natural cycle we are all part of.

Swedish Country Living has received several awards for its sustainability efforts, including:

• Best Sustainability Experience of the Year 2022 (360° Eat Guide)
• Tourism Company of the Year 2023 (Visit Dalsland)
• Nominated for the Grand Travel Ecotourism Prize 2024 (Forum for Nature
  Tourism)