Fifteen businesses, including four from the Lancaster area, received Green Tourism Business Awards after meeting a rigorous set of criteria, covering areas such as energy and water efficiency, waste management and biodiversity.

Award winners Grisedale Farm B&B even rescued some battery hens in their efforts to be environmentally friendly.

The 18 hens now provide fresh eggs for the B&B at Leighton Hall near Carnforth. Among their other environmental measures are a recycling system for all glass, plastic bottles, tin cans and newspapers; shopping locally to reduce their carbon footprint and support local retailers; and helping with the restoration of the reed beds at Leighton Moss to improve the habitat of the bittern, one of Britain's rarest birds.

Ailsa Robinson from Grisedale Farm said: "I think there are great benefits in green tourism both for businesses and the environment.

Just last night we had an enquiry from somebody who wanted to stay with us because we were a green tourism business. I think it's fantastic that people are interested in green tourism and in what we are doing here. It's something we passionately believe in."

Other winners in Lancaster district were Forrest Hills of Lancaster; Broadgate Farm at Bleasdale; and Pickle Cottage in Garstang.
The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) is a national sustainable tourism certification scheme, the largest and most established of its type in the UK.

Lancashire Green Tourism Project is delivered by the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) team, Lancashire County Developments Ltd, and Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board with support from the NWDA.

There are now 33 businesses in Lancashire in the GTBS and the Lancashire Green Tourism Project aims to help at least 35 more businesses achieve the accreditation by 2011.

The project also plans to create six new tourism business clusters in the Forest of Bowland AONB which will include guided walks, Tramper vehicles for people with limited mobility, and the 'Bowland Experience'.