Arctic TreeHouse Hotel awarded the Green Key eco-label

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel from Rovaniemi has been awarded the Green Key eco-label as the first private hotel in Finnish Lapland.

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel is a family-owned hotel, located on the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland. The hotel provides a unique blend of luxury comfort in the heart of arctic nature, local traditions and modern Scandinavian design. In contrast to the meticulously designed accommodation and nest-like coziness, the panoramic views from the windows provide impressive spectacles of the surrounding forest and skies. Arctic TreeHouse Hotel has received a great deal of recognition and a number of awards since its opening in late 2016. and will host the upcoming World Luxury Hotel Awards in October 2019.

”We are committed to the values of sustainable tourism,” says Ilkka Länkinen, the CEO of the company. ”We want to ensure that the Rovaniemi area remains a great place to live in and visit in the future as well.”

Ecological values and the Green Key criteria have been kept in mind at the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel since the very beginning of its designing and building process. The company has also invested in remarkable renewable energy sources, such as geothermal heating and solar power. The latest investment is the newly installed OptiWatti system for smart energy management that sets the temperatures of the TreeHouses according to their capacity utilization.

”We monitor the strain caused on the environment and do our best to use our resources and energy as efficiently as possible,” Länkinen explains.

The hotel personnel has gotten together on various occasions to do some good for the environment. For example, they recently spent a day planting 10,000 pine tree seedling to the arctic forests.

”Our team has had a very positive and enthusiastic attitude about all of this. We have established an in-house Green Ambassador team that supports the environmental know-how of the rest of the staff and is responsible for executing internal sustainability-related audits, thus increasing our positive hand-print,” Länkinen says.

With its exemplary actions, the hotel is also responding to the growing demand for sustainable and ethically produced services.

”Today’s tourists are more and more aware of environmental issues and make decisions based on their own set of values. We want to develop our experiences with quality as the top priority. And naturally, our aim is also to communicate the principles of resposible travel to our guests,” Länkinen states.

From left to right: Katja Ikäheimo-Länkinen (owner, ATHH), Liisa Kokkarinen (manager, regional partnerships, Visit Finland), Ilkka Länkinen (owner, ATHH), Tina Kaikkonen (hotel manager, ATHH), Pirjo Pääkkönen (Green Key ambassador, ATHH)

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel wishes to encourage other local tourism operators to familiarize themselves with the the Green Key programme as well.

”The programme is very comprehensive and clear. It would be great to have even more Green Key certified businesses in Lapland. It would be a way for us all to work together for sustainable development,” Länkinen comments.

Apollo makes the charter holiday greener

Charter is not exactly known to be an environmental-friendly way of travelling, but Apollo Rejser, who offers charter holidays in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, tries their best to encourage all their collaborators and travellers to think green(-er).

Electrical cars, local produce and less disposable plastic are only a few of those initiatives that have been done by hotels and resorts in the Apollo catalogue over the past few years.

Apollo have been front-runners in the Nordics when it comes to more sustainable and environmental-friendly charter travels and, at the moment, they offer 84 Green Key hotels to their travellers.

Apollo are, in general, working towards being a more environmental-friendly travel option in the Nordics, and Green Key is only one of the certifications that they have as they believe in making a difference when it comes to an industry that is not very green in itself.

“Although only few guests ask for a greener and more environmental option when they are looking for a hotel for their holiday, we believe that it’s our duty to focus on sustainability and environmental friendly tourism when we can. The guests don’t even have to know that they booked a more sustainable hotel as long as we’re doing our best to make a difference,” says Glenn Bisgaard from Apollo Rejser in Denmark.

Green Key has entered an agreement with DER Touristik Nordic (Apollo Rejser) and Green Key is regularly sending the updated list of Green Key awarded establishments to Apollo Rejser.

Have your say on the future of the Green Key programme

Green Key launches the review revision of the Green Key criteria for 2021-2025 and all interested stakeholders and individuals are encouraged to give suggestions for the new criteria.

Green Key is launching a consultation for the development of the new Green Key criteria and explanatory notes to take effect from 1 January 2021. We have launched this review process internally among Green Key National Operators, awarded establishments and Green Key’s main partners. In order to continue to strengthen our programme, we would also welcome input from other stakeholders who have an interest in the Green Key programme.

Green Key has criteria and explanatory notes in six categories: hotels & hostels, campsites & holiday parks, small accommodations, conference centres, restaurants and attractions. On the Green Key website, you can download the current criteria and explanatory notes for the six categories: https://www.greenkey.global/criteria.

If you have any suggestions for the new criteria or changes to the current criteria, please do not hesitate to present your ideas to us. Please note: We will need to know your name, organisation/company, e-mail address, criteria category, criteria section, and suggestions for new/changed criteria, suggestions for explanatory notes and suggestions for whether the criterion should be imperative or a guideline.

You can find the link to present your suggestions here: https://podio.com/webforms/22982796/1633630.

We look forward to hearing from you before our deadline of 1 September 2019.

Green Key presented at an international hospitality conference

The FORO international hospitality conference took place on 7 June 2019 in Bucharest (the capital of Romania) with the active participation of Green Key.

The international tourism event, FORO (International Forum for Reputation in Hospitality), was created and organised by a well-known communication agency in Romania, and it took place at Radisson Blu Hotel Bucharest, a Green Key awarded establishment.

Around 300 people attended the one-day event. After the opening ceremony, FORO was split into two parallel sessions: one regarding restaurants and the other about the hotel industry. The Green Key programme was represented in the hotel industry session by Razvan Dinca, the Romanian National Operator of the programme and Mihai Iliescu, the Green Key auditor in Romania. Razvan Dinca gave a presentation about the history, the characteristics, the criteria, the international and national development of Green Key and, together with other speakers that were present on the stage, formulated an opinion about how the reputation of the hotels on international level can be empowered or improved, e.g. through the work with sustainability.

The event, now at the second edition, was a real success and was well featured in the Romanian media.

Radisson Hotel Group’s 2018 sustainability achievements

Radisson Hotel Group has released its 2018 sustainability report outlining its sustainability efforts with a page allocated to the work with Green Key and other eco-labels.

In March 2018, Radisson Hotel Group changed to Radisson Hotel Group with a new brand architecture. As part of that transformation, Radisson outlined their common vision, the beliefs and the behaviours that they are committed to. Radisson has decided on its 2022 targets that define how they care for their people, the communities and the planet.

“By the end of 2018, 80% of the Radisson hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa have an eco-label with Green Key being the biggest eco-label partner of Radisson Hotel Group. ”

Once again, the hotels in the Radisson Hotel Group were engaged in the annual Community Action Month in June, this time dedicated to SOS Children’s Villages (an organisation that provides food, shelter and a brighter future for at-risk children). Throughout 2018, the hotel teams have engaged passionately with their communities and contributed a total of €1 million in cash and in-kind, as well as dedicating more than 29,000 hours of volunteering time to local people and organisations.

In response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UK Modern Slavery Act, Radisson Hotel Group continues to support human rights, business ethics, and diversity in all their hotels globally.

In addition to the internal company-wide initiatives, Radisson Hotel Group work together with the wider travel and hospitality industry, participating in significant collaborative initiatives, such as the UN Global Compact and the UN CEO Water Mandate. Furthermore, as a member of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), Radisson has built on its global commitment to focus on carbon, water, youth employment and human rights.

Radisson Hotel Group has created an overview of its Radisson’s Responsible Business programme outlining their main achievements:

The partnership between Green Key and Radisson Hotel Group is again this year highlighted in the Responsible Business Report, where a page is allocated to the hotel chain’s cooperation with eco-labels. By the end of 2018, 80% of the Radisson hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa have an eco-label with Green Key being the biggest eco-label partner of Radisson Hotel Group.

The full Responsible Business Report 2018 of the Radisson Hotel Group can be downloaded HERE.

Villa Thomas - a bike-friendly Italian guesthouse

Villa Thomas is the first Italian guesthouse to have received Green Key award for its focus on being a “bike-friendly” establishment and other environmental and awareness activities

Villa Thomas is a family-managed guesthouse located in the town of Imperia by the Ligurian coast in Italy. Villa Thomas has been awarded with the Green Key due to its care and protection of the environment (including its energy efficient standards) as well as the promotion of sustainable transportation and local products.

Guests are informed of environmental procedures upon arrival (check-in) and through communications placed in the rooms. The separate waste collection manual is for instance available in four different languages to facilitate the understanding of all guests​: Italian, English, French, German. The high level of energy performance is evident from the latest technology appliances usage that guarantees both minimum environmental impact and reduction of wasted water.

Tourists who are choosing the bicycling holiday experience are constantly increasing, and, in order to satisfy this trend, Villa Thomas has decided to be a "bike friendly" establishment. Each guest can use bicycles - basic models or professional ones - made available by property. It is the most environmentally friendly way to visit the city.

Thomas, the young entrepreneur managing the guesthouse, has happily decided to accept the sustainability challenge and embrace the Green Key programme for the guesthouse.

For more information about Villa Thomas, please visit https://villathomas.eu.

Penzion Mirjam in Slovenia with proximity to nature and culture

Green Key awarded Penzion Mirjam is located in the idyllic village of Razdrto by the foothills of the Nanos mountain creating a natural starting point for hiking trips and visits to famous nearby caves.

Family owned Penzion Mirjam is placed in Razdrto at the crossroads of the route towards Ljubljana, Koper, Trieste, and Gorica, which can all be reached within half an hour drive. In the immediate vicinity of Razdrto, there are many natural and cultural sights of Slovenia, such as the Postojna Cave (13 km), the Škocjan Caves, the Vilenica Cave, Lipica, and Karst. The lovers of hiking will find Penzion Mirjam as amazing starting point in order to for instance ascend the Nanos mountain with views to the Venetian Bay, if weather permits.

Life in the middle of nature also requires a respectful and friendly attitude towards it. Penzion Mirjam, therefore, in 2018 carried out the energy rehabilitation of the building, and the establishment also strives for other reductions in the environmental impact, such as, for example, use of heat pump, use of water from own fountain, waste separation, composting, raising awareness of guests regarding nature protection, etc.

Penzion Mirjam says: “By acquiring the Green Key, we also received official confirmation that our work is good. Managing the company in a spirit of sustainable development offers both a better quality of life for the local population and a better experience of tourists.”

Penzion Mirjam has its own source of drinking water, an outdoor pool, a sauna, a snack bar, rooms with bathrooms and free WiFi access, and some rooms also include a kitchenette. For a limited number of guests they are offering also a camp site located in a natural setting, under the old trees of walnuts.

Radisson Blu Es. Hotel Rome wants to make a difference at the environmental level

The Radisson Blu Es. Hotel Rome, in Italy, is embracing sustainability and has obtained the Green Key award through its business management respecting the environment, including optimizing energy, joining international solidarity initiatives as well as soon making the hotel plastic free.

The work at Radisson Blu Es. Hotel Rome includes the appliance of a series of procedures aimed at reducing the waste and paying attention to the possible impacts deriving from air emissions.

A significant difference has been made in the energy management of the establishment. The energy use is reduced to a minimum thanks to the particular architectural structure of the hotel with large windows positioned around the entire hotel which favors the introduction of solar rays in all internal areas and throughout the day, the so-called daylighting phenomenon.

Strategic actions have also been added in the action plan of the establishment with the aim to lower the environmental footprint and cut the costs. This includes staff training and various awareness programmes to change the environmental behaviour in line with sustainable goals already set.

The international solidarity initiatives of Radisson Blu Es. Hotel Rome include support to the conservation and protection of water supply in Kenya.

Finally, the hotel management has announced its intention to minimise its environmental footprint by committing to eliminate the use of the plastic starting from the ban on disposable products and cocktail straws.

Two of Cardiff’s favourite cafés gain international environmental award

The Green Key programme in Wales goes from strength to strength as two of Cardiff’s favourite foodie hotspots are recognised for operating is a sustainable way.

Penylan Pantry and the Secret Garden café have been recognised for their sustainability efforts and have become the latest businesses in Wales to achieve the Green Key award.

Penylan Pantry is at the heart of the community in Penylan and so much more than an average café. They are also a corner shop and deli that promotes local producers, the community and the environment. They are passionate about the wonderful produce available in Wales and are proud to support their local producers, bakers, makers, farmers and dairies.

The team at the Pantry are also responsible for another of Cardiff’s iconic cafés. Last year they took on a lease to run the Secret Garden Café in Bute Park’s walled garden as well. They operate this establishment in the same responsible way.

Owner Mellissa Boothman says:

As a business owner and employer, it’s my responsibility to run my business as sustainabily as I can for the future of our planet, and the next generation. Receiving a Green Key award is a huge achievement for us all at the Pantry, and we are super super pleased. This award is an acknowledgement that sustainability is at the heart of Penylan Pantry, and to be recognised as a sustainable business means a lot to us. 

She adds:

The future of our natural world is in our hands, sustainable practice needs to become the norm. Businesses can play a vital part in this, they are perfect for setting a good example, leading the way in sustainability, inspiring, sharing ideas and promoting sustainable tips on social media platforms, with customers, and in advertisement 

Businesses throughout the sector in Wales are eligible to apply for Green Key. This includes bed and breakfasts, hotels, self-catering accommodation, camp sites, conference centres, restaurants and attractions.

Nick Ashby, Green Key Coordinator at Keep Wales Tidy says:

We’d like to congratulate Penylan Pantry and the Secret Garden Cafe on their success. We’ve seen mounting concern about the damage that’s being caused to our natural environment, so it’s important to recognise and celebrate Welsh businesses that are taking the lead on sustainability.

An important part of Green Key is education of both customers and staff and it’s great to see the Pantry staff taking this to heart by organising trips to help improve their knowledge of green issues, they recently visited a local recycling centre to better understand how their waste is handled and what they can do to prevent waste going to landfill.

 For more information, visit the Green Key website www.greenkey.cymru.