First Hotel Copenhagen prepares to host 40 Green Key experts

Exciting times at First Hotel Copenhagen as they will host 40 Green Key National Operators during the annual Green Key Meeting from 11-13 April 2016. A great opportunity for the hotel to show the amazing work they have been doing the last couple of years to become more sustainable. 

First Hotel Copenhagen was first awarded with Green Key 1 July 2013 when all the hotels of the First Hotel chain joined the Green Key programme. Since then they have been working very hard to make their ways of working and overall management more sustainable.

A few actions to highlight.

-          All rooms have a key card system that switches the electricity in the rooms on and off.

-          Water flow in showers has been reduced to only 6l/min and 4l/min in all taps.

-          All lights have been replaced by LED or alternative energy-saving light bulbs.

-          All toilets have a dual flush system to save water.

-          A water cleaning system has been installed in the parking area to drain and clean all the             rain water instead of leading it to the sewage system.

-          A new energy-saving dishwasher was purchased with special trays to let soap and water             run off.

-          Organic products are widely used in the restaurant of the hotel.

-          A waste plan has been put in place to optimize the waste separation and reuse

-          All taps in public toilets have sensors.

-          Electricity is put into the tap water to reduce the amount of calcium in the water.  This              way pipes and electric installations don’t have to be cleaned or replaced that often.

A great list of achievements which will most certainly impress the 40 Green Key experts who will be staying in the hotel.

Landal Marina Lipno is the first holiday park in Czech Republic with Green Key

 Located by the Lake Lipno in the forests of South Bohemia, Landal Marina Lipno is now the first holiday park ever in the Czech Republic to be awarded with the Green Key.

From Left: Robert Lorenz (German Green Key national operator), Václav Hobora (General Manager of Landal Marina Lipno), Alena Alova (Front Office Manager of Landal Marina Lipno), Anne Glas (Sustainability and CSR officer of Landal GreenParks) and Finn Bolding Thomsen (International Director of Green Key)

Václav Hobora, general manager of Landal Marina Lipno: "We have carefully prepared for the audit of Green Key. We already met most of the criteria by our current ways of working. We are communicating to our guests on how they can contribute without sacrificing the holiday experience. When it comes to waste, we see guests can make a major contribution to this by separating their waste. In addition to paper, glass and residual waste, we collect a lot of plastic. Recently, we have installed two charging stations where our guests can recharge the electric cars. It is a great step towards a more sustainable business."

Václav Hobora added: "It was an honor that the Director of Green Key International was present at the inspection. This indicates to us that the organisation gives great importance to the growth of Green Key and thus the growth of the number of establishments committed to a sustainable world. "

Landal Marina Lipno is part of the Dutch organisation Landal GreenParks, which has made it their mission that all 75 holiday parks in 7 countries hold the Green Key certificate by the end of 2016. Currently, more than 40 parks of Landal GreenParks are already awarded with the Green Key. The results of Landal GreenParks' achievements in the field of sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship is explained in their sustainability report . A German version is available on http://www.landal.de/Nachhaltigkeitsbericht.

Clean the World and Green Key announce a collaboration agreement

Green Key has entered a collaboration agreement with Clean the World, an organisation combining humanitarian help to the community with corporate social responsibility.

Clean the World is a non-profit organisation with its focus on a recycling and donation programme. Many hospitality establishments generate large volumes of solid waste, and Clean the World has therefore established a waste reduction programme with soap and bottled amenities (shampoo, shower gel, etc.) being recycled in order to protect the environment and preserve natural resources.

Clean the World gives a second life to the recycled products received from hospitality partners through the programme aiming at donating the collected soap and other donated hygiene products to humanitarian organisations. Clean the World is committed to maintaining an environmentally and hygienically safe recycling process.

Pierre Daigneault, Chief Sustainability Officer at Clean the World, says: “Through our initiative, we have managed to distribute more than 30 million bars of soap to people in need in 100 countries. By recycling soap and other discarded hygiene products, Clean the World saves lives with items that traditionally end up in landfill.”

Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Green Key Director, adds: “We are very pleased with the initiative of Clean the World which gives those Green Key awarded establishments that are not using dispensers an opportunity to contribute with unused soap and bottled amenities for the benefit of people in need.”

Welsh holiday provider achieves Green Key accreditation across all properties.

Experience Môr, a Welsh holiday cottage provider, has set the environmental standard for others to follow by gaining an environmental accreditation for every holiday cottage in their portfolio. 

Based in Pembrokeshire Wales, Experience Môr is the first holiday provider in Wales to gain Green Key environmental accreditation for all of their cottages, ensuring that environmental excellence is at the heart of what they offer.

Each luxury Experience Môr property has a 5* Visit Wales rating and been led by the principles of sustainable living since they launched in 2012. And with 57% of staying visitors to Wales believing it is ‘very important’ that the destinations they choose to visit are managed sustainably*, Experience Môr are appealing to a growing market.

Experience Môr have installed solar panels to help provide electricity for many of their properties, as well as year round hot water at two of their cottages.  The newest property within the Experience Môr portfolio has solar water panels on 3 different elevations to capture the most solar energy throughout the day.

Throughout all properties Experience Môr have installed double glazing, led lighting and source sustainable wood for their log burners. They use eco-friendly cleaning products and also harvest rainwater for toilets and irrigation. Founder of Experience Môr, Jonathan Heron Said:

‘Environmental sustainability is incredibly important to us here at Experience Môr and gaining an accreditation for the work we do means that we can give our guests an independent verification of our work. Green Key accreditation appealed to us because it is recognised in 50 countries worldwide and will allow us to communicate to an international market. The fact that Green Key is run in Wales by the environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, made a lot of sense to us.’

Sustainability is good business

The Green Key awarded conference center, Bella Center Copenhagen, strive to ensure sustainability at all times and in every aspect of the business. Their approach is called “Responsible Hospitality”.

For Bella Center Copenhagen, hospitality is more than providing the best possible service and delivering the highest possible quality to guests and customers, it is about taking responsibility for the relationships with others, for the impacts of the business on society and the environment and proactively contributing to positive change wherever possible. All of this makes their Responsible Hospitality a competitive advantage, while also contributing to the formation of common values for everyone involved.

Their Responsible Hospitality policy include support to the UN Global Compact principles; promote and strengthen sustainable development in own business practice and value chain; provide a healthy and safe environment for staff, guests and business partners; protect the natural resources; and ensure that suppliers meet the standards set out in ethical code of conduct for suppliers.

The Environment and Climate Policy of Bella Center Copenhagen include implementation of environmentally friendly solutions; efficient use of energy, water and other natural resources; incorporate environmental considerations, including biodiversity and animal welfare, into their actions and procurement decisions; raise awareness of environmental matters among employees and stakeholders and optimize waste reduction through recycling and limiting use of hazardous materials.

The full information about the Responsible Hospitality approach of Bella Center Copenhagen can be read here.

Bella Center Copenhagen received the first Green Key Award ahead of hosting the climate conference, COP15, in 2009.

Carbon footprint tool available on Green Key website

Green Key International is proud to present their new carbon footprint tool for hotels on the Green Key website. 

The tool allows hotels or other types of accommodation to calculate their carbon footprint.  The carbon calculation follows the “Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative” (HMCI) tool developed by the International Tourism Partnership (ITP). Currently, more than 21,000 hotels have already been calculating their carbon calculation footprint using the HCMI tool.

By comparing your results with those of other similar establishments you can assess how you’re doing relative to your peers and competitors. Those insights will enable you to identify areas of strength within your establishment so you can take steps to maintain your advantages, as well as spot areas of opportunity where you can make improvements. That is why the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) has developed a bench-marking system where you can compare your results with the average carbon footprint (per room, per occupied room or per m2) of similar establishments in your area. The link is available on the Green Key website.  

Check out the new tool here. 

Radisson Hotel Group Poland – A Responsible Business leader

The Radisson Hotel Group in Poland pride themselves in delivering world class hospitality and exceptional service. But they don’t only think about their guests. They also care about others. 

Staff of Radisson Blu Sobieski Hotel, Warsaw donates old electrical equipment to school for blind children in Warsaw.

As part of their Responsible Business programme, Radisson hotels in Poland organise an impressive set of nation-wide activities.

• On 3 April a team of 50 runners from all Radisson Hotels within Poland will participate in a Charity HalfMarathon. They will be running for a foundation that raises awareness for people with autism in Poland.
  

• On 2 April 2016 – the Day of Autism – the façade of the hotels will be lit up with blue lights to show solidarity with persons suffering from autism and raise awareness about the topic. There will also be a money collection that day.
  

• On 19 March 2016 both Warsaw Hotels are participating in WWF Earth Hour. This year local WWF is trying to protect the wolves living in wild in Poland and change the perception of this beautiful and charismatic animal among the society.
  

• In the coming week the Radisson Hotel Group from Warsaw will be visiting one of Orphanages in Warsaw together with the District Manager for Poland – Olof Karlsson – to discuss a possible sponsorship for children from the orphanage to support their vacation.
  

• All old electronic equipment, home appliances, etc. are donated to the school of blind children close to Warsaw.

Green Key highly commends these amazing initiatives and hope to see more in the future. 

Green Key contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030

In September 2015, the United Nations approved the Sustainable Development Goals to frame the global development agenda for the coming 15 years. Green Key has just agreed on new criteria that will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

When approving the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations nominated 2015 as a landmark year for sustainability. The new agenda is transformative, people-centred and with bold and ambitious targets. 17 goals and 169 targets are set to frame the global development agenda for the coming 15 years. The economic, social and environmental dimensions of the goals seek to address poverty, hunger, disease, fear and violence, education, healthcare, social protection, sanitation, safety, sustainable habitats and energy.

Green Key has just agreed on new criteria for its six categories that will be in force from 1 July 2016. Through the new criteria, Green Key has the potential to contribute directly or indirectly to the achievement of all the 17 goals. Goal 4 – Quality Education, relates to Green Key’s criteria on information, education and training of staff, guests and suppliers. Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, and Goal 13 – Climate Action, relate to the reduction of carbon emissions and lowering environmental footprint through a high level of environmental management of especially water, energy and waste, and are also central requirements in the Green Key programme.

The new Green Key criteria also focus on CSR related issues, such as job creation, local community engagement, equal opportunities for all (including vulnerable groups) etc. and many of these issues are included in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The full document describing Green Key’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals can be downloaded here.

Zaton Holiday Resort in Croatia involves guests in their sustainable actions

Zaton Holiday Resort in Croatia has been a Green Key awarded hotel for less than two years and already has a very impressive list of educational projects to raise environmental awareness among their guests. One of these initiatives got awarded with a 3rd place in the Green Key Best Practice competition. 

One of their actions focused on raising awareness about energy saving. Zaton Holiday Resort organised a one-day program called " ZATON ECO ElectriCoFEE. They invited guests to win free coffee by providing electricity to produce the coffee. On the promenade "Kalelarga" in front of the coffee bar, they set up a stationary bike which was connected to a dynamo. The dynamo was directly connected to the coffee machine. Pedaling on a bicycle provided electricity until the coffee was cooked. Each of the participants was able to leave his views on the project in the book of impressions separately prepared for this opportunity. During the evening activities guests were able to see pictures and videos about the activity.

 In connection with the Best Practice Competition which focused on Water, Zaton Holiday Resort organised a one-day action called "ECO ACCOUNT 2015" with the motto "WATER IS NOT FREE, LET'S THINK ABOUT FEE".

Many of us don’t want to listen when it comes to water saving. That's why staff from Zaton Holiday Resort decided to do something drastic. During the day in the beach bar they brought to guests an additional bill for the glass of tap water. The price was under 2€ per deciliter. Guests were surprised, unhappy and ready to protest. They noticed that tap water has a price, but staff immediately made it clear that this is an awareness raising campaign for water saving. Results from the action were presented to the guests at the beginning of the evening programme.

As an educational programme Green Key highly commends action which involve environmental education.