The annual Green Key seminar in the Netherlands took place on 9 February 2017 at the Green Key awarded conference facility, Slot Loevestein, an medieval castle in central Netherlands
Annually, Green Key Netherlands organises an event with many issues on the agenda: discussion about the status of the programme, handing out the award certificates, interesting topics for discussion in break-out groups, the annual Green Team award competition, the possibility for corporate partners to showcase their products and the possibility for all participants to network and share experiences.
This year the event was held at Loevestein Castle, a beautiful conference centre as well as accommodation and attraction facility located by the rivers Maas and Waal in the central part of Netherlands.
The participants at the Green Key seminar received a status update from Green Key in the Netherlands and at the International level. As 2017 is declared by UN as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (YT2017), the seminar was allocated as one of the many Green Key activities in YT2017.
An exciting Green Team Award competition was organised with questions related to Green Key related topics (e.g. waste), and the winner of the Green Team Award 2017 was NH Leeuwenhorst.
Education about natural areas near Green Key establishments, education and training of staff at Green Key establishments, information and education of guests at Green Key establishments, and communication about sustainability and Green Key were among the issues discussed in the break-out groups.
The seminar finished by handing out the 2017 certificates to the many Green Key establishments in the Netherlands. There are now 670 Green Key awarded establishments, and about 90 establishments were present at the conference to Green Key certificate, handed out by Ms. Stientje van Velthoven, member of the Dutch Parliament.
Winners of the Green Team Award 2017: NH Leeuwenhorst congratulated by Mr. Erik van Dijk (Dutch Green Key coordinator) and Ms. Stientje van Velthoven (member of the Dutch Parliament)