Green Key signs collaboration agreement with TripDoodler

Green Key International and the green-tech platform TripDoodler are joining synergies to empower conscious and curious tourists to make more sustainable travel decisions.

Credits: Magical Pond - https://www.magicalpond.com/en/

TripDoodler and Green Key recognise the increasing global interest of consumers in environmental certifications and how transparent and accessible information plays a crucial role in shaping the tourism and hospitality sector. That being so, there exists a need to invite travellers to become an active part of the solution. 

As part of this collaboration, travellers can now locate the Green Key certified establishments through the visual presentation of the Green Key logo on the TripDoodler platform. This new feature allows all certified establishments, including hotels, restaurants, or smaller accommodations, to claim their business on the TripDoodler app and get acknowledged by the travellers for their sustainability practices.

The sustainability practices integrated on the TripDoodler platform go beyond carbon emissions and enable travellers to rate up to 40 easily visible parameters of environmental, social-cultural, and economic sustainable tourism. As part of the rating process, the tourists are asked different questions such as “Does the hotel provide recycling bins?”, “Is the establishment run by female-led management?” or “Does the restaurant use local produce?”. To find the full list of parameters, visit TripDoodler’s Beta App here.  
 
The Green Key International Director, Finn Bolding Thomsen, and the CEO of TripDoodler, Josephine Piplits, highlight the importance of this collaboration:  

“With Green Key being a leading standard for environmental and sustainable operations within the tourism industry, we are happy to enter a partnership with TripDoodler to help support consumers on their decisions about sustainability and travel. Through this collaboration, travellers can now easily find Green Key certified accommodations on the TripDoodler platform, and certified establishments can benefit from accessing data on how customers perceive their sustainable actions". 
                                                       - Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director 

“We are very excited to partner with Green Key and work closely together on translating all the great initiatives that are implemented throughout our industry into a language that every traveller can relate to and make new better decisions based on.”  

- Josephine Piplits, Founder & CEO, TripDoodler 

About TripDoodler 

TripDoodler is an online platform that empowers travellers to easily find, acknowledge, and share verified sustainable travel options, powered by a crowd-sourced certification. With a vision to make sustainable choices the easiest choice, TripDoodler aims to create the world’s largest searchable database of better travel choices, led by first-hand insights from globetrotters across the world. These insights further provide managerial comprehensions to the tourism establishments on how the travellers perceive their sustainable practices. Guided by the 2030 Agenda, TripDoodler offers an easy, independent, and trustworthy solution for travellers and businesses to assist them on their sustainability journeys.  

Sustainable journey of a Green Key certified restaurant featured on CNN

The Michelin awarded restaurant Grič in Slovenia has been a Green Key certified establishment since 2021.

Grič is the Slovenian word for hill. ©Suzan Gabrijan

Located in the green village of Šentjošt, a few kilometres away from Ljubljana, the Grič restaurant has made it on the Slovenian gastronomy map since becoming a Michelin star awarded restaurant in September of 2021. Young chef Luka Košir’s cuisine has been praised in the last couple of years due to his choice of local and seasonal products, some of which are produced by Grič’s team at their own farm.

Sustainability has been part of the Slovenian chef’s motto even before joining the Michelin starlight sky. In August 2021, one month before being featured in the restaurant’s prestigious red-coloured guide, Grič received its first Green Key certification, solidifying its commitment towards a greener and more sustainable hospitality industry. To become a Green Key certified establishment, Grič’s practices were assessed against a rigorous set of standards, requiring restaurants to increase the share of organic, eco or fair-trade labelled products yearly, for example. On the restaurant’s sustainable actions, Luka Košir said to the Michelin Guide: “We are 80% self-supporting with vegetables, 50% with fruits, and we also grow mushrooms. Foraging is an everyday task even in wintertime and is a big part of the restaurant's identity. We have a zero-waste policy when it comes to garden produce; we use the hard parts of the vegetables for compost and some vegetables and fruits as an extra treat for our animals. We have the first certified ecological duck farm”.

Slovenian Luka Košir is the current chef of the restaurant. ©Suzan Gabrijan

Grič has its own duck farm. ©Suzan Gabrijan

More recently, Grič’s sustainable efforts have also caught the attention of CNN, which featured the Green Key certified restaurant on their website. In the article, journalist Megan Alldrige describes the chef’s work as “blazing a trail for a more sustainable restaurant industry”. Moreover, the CNN story highlights how the surrounding forests and hills of Slovenia inspire the process of creating a dish, from the gardens to Grič’s table.

Read more about this Green Key’s certified restaurant here.

First Hilton Hotel in England to receive Green Key certificate

The Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow has become one of the three hotels in the airport vicinity to hold the Green Key certification.

Representatives from Keep Britain Tidy presented Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow General Manager Richard Lee with the international Green Key Award last week.

Located near the Heathrow airport in London, the Hilton Garden Inn is joining the list of over 3,000 establishments across more than 60 countries that have the leading sustainability certification. Furthermore, the hotel is the first one from the Hilton chain in England to become a Green Key certified establishment.

To receive the certification, the Hilton Garden Inn was submitted to a rigorous assessment to verify that the establishment was complying with the Green Key standards. These standards, set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, cover areas such as staff involvement, guest information and sustainable management of energy, waste, water, cleaning and food and drinks.

On the choice of the Green Key certification for the Hilton Garden Inn, the General Manager of the hotel Richard Lee has said:

“Sustainability is a core part of our purpose, so Green Key fits perfectly alongside the Hilton Travel with Purpose programme and our owner’s commitment to operating sustainable buildings & businesses. Sustainable and purposeful travel are becoming ever more important to our guests so having a Green Key Award demonstrates our commitment and will give our guests the assurance that they are making a sustainable choice when they stay with us”.

As part of its sustainability strategy, the Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow has recently implemented several initiatives to reduce the ecological footprint of operations. According to the environmental organisation Keep Britain Tidy, responsible for managing the Green Key programme in England, some of the initiatives from the Hilton hotel focused on:

• Installing solar panels which generate approximately 3% of the hotels’ annual energy use;

• Making use of cutting edge technologies such as the Granuldisk Dishwasher, which uses small pellets and UV light to clean pots, thereby lowering the overall water consumption in the pot wash area by on average 70%, compared to manual pot washing;

• Using EnozoPRO Spray Bottles which utilise tap water, diamond plates, and a small electrical charge to create Ozone Water, a safe and effective multipurpose cleaner, which replaces the need for synthetic chemicals that contribute to chemical pollution.

To learn more about the hotel, please visit their website

Green Key International congratulates the Hilton Garden Inn on its certification and is pleased to see the hotel among its certified establishments.

Green Key certified cottage goes green on fleet transportation

The 8-hectare Étangs du Francbois holiday estate, where the Green Key certified Le Chalet les Mélèzes is located, offers now two green transportation options to its guests.

The Étangs du Francbois holiday estate

Located in the beautiful valley of river Yves, in the region of Wallonia, Belgium, the Étangs du Francbois is a holiday home perfect for those searching for a peaceful vacation. With nature surrounding the 8-hectare property, there are plenty of outdoor activities to try at Étangs du Francbois, including following the hiking trails, swimming in the Yves River, fishing, wildlife watching or even boat rowing.

Owned by the couple Ann De Vlaminck and Patrick Meirlaen, the holiday site has several accommodation options, including a Green key certified cottage, Le Chalet les Mélèzes, since 2019. As part of their sustainability commitment, the Étangs du Francbois owners have recently upgraded their transportation fleet used in the property for more eco-friendly vehicles.

My wife and I are running a 20-acre [8-hectare] holiday estate with 3-holiday cottages and two unique camping spots. Transport on the estate is one of our concerns as a ‘green key’ certified company. In the past years, we realised it is not a good idea to have our customers parking their cars at their holiday cottage”, explains Patrick Meirlaen. According to the owner, the decision to remove guests’ cars from the central area of the property was motivated by two main factors: “First of all, it is not secure because they could block the road for firefighters. Moreover, it is not very nice for the superb views on the estate to have cars parked in several places in the gardens”.

The new green transportation options offered in Étangs du Francbois can be used during Le Chalet les Mélèzes guests’ arrival, departure, and stay. The first option is an electric all-purpose and all-terrain vehicle with a cargo container, ideal for transporting visitors’ luggage. Moreover, there are also wagon carts available to all guests during their entire stay. These carts have a load capacity of up to 300 kilograms, which can be ideal for transporting children inside the property, but also groceries.

The development of the hospitality industry in Slovenia

The hospitality industry in Slovenia has opposed various challenges and through determination and the support from Green Key has aided their development. Green Key National Operator for Slovenia; Boris Susmak shares his thoughts and experiences over the last three years.

Can you describe the development of the Green Key programme in Slovenia? It has been quite a development from the beginning, having challenges attracting establishments while today the programme has become popular in Slovenia. What kind of internal and external factors created this development?

In the last three years, the Green Key programme in Slovenia has had significant growth up to almost 90 facilities at this moment.

We did struggle for a few years before really starting the programme. However, we did many valuable things meanwhile such as translating application forms, preparing Green Key brochures, arranged some meetings with potentials candidates, but only the national Slovenian Green scheme with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology's financial initiatives for the potential candidates entering the Slovenian Green scheme made a real breakthrough and started the programme three years ago.

Within the last three years, the programme's growth was so intense that we had to employ one full-time person, and only volunteering was not possible. Today we do have three DOVES-FEE Slovenia members involved, one full-time, two on a volunteer basis. We also established an excellent partnership with an NGO, Institute ROS, that organises Sustainable Tourism Workshops and help the potential candidates that decide for such support gain the Green Key status.

We do have to stress that growth occurred even with solid sustainable labels alternatives on the market. Nowadays, we are proud to be N.1 sustainable label for tourism facilities in Slovenia. The success is probably connected with the methodology/framework Green Key uses because we are on competitive levels, price-wise.

Most Green Key awarded establishments in Slovenia are in the "small accommodations" category. Why is this category so popular in Slovenia? And has it impacted the interest for Green Key from other types of establishments (in different categories)?

The small accommodation category leads, mainly because the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology's financial initiatives suit them most.

We are confident that the Slovenia Green scheme national campaign made the most significant impact on other categories. For example, in 2021, the focus is on Green cuisine, so many top restaurants join the Green Key programme. For instance, JRE restaurants, many of them also awarded Michelin.

But we do have to stress that we do have all accommodations types present already. Unforgettably, we did have the world's first winery involved in Green Key (https://klet-brda.si/) as our first attraction. The hotels started joining the programme last year, and we now have more than ten hotels involved already. On the other hand, there is a demand for a Tourism agencies/offices category that we do not have in the Green Key programme.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected the Green Key programme in Slovenia and what is your vision for Green Key in Slovenia in the coming years? Do you see the development in Slovenia having a possible impact on attracting establishments to Green Key in the wider Balkan region?

We are cautious with the projections, especially due to the Covid-19 situation and because national green initiatives will not be present or will have a different focus.

On the other hand, we noticed a change in tourist behaviour that search for clean, not so crowded destinations where you can taste almost zero km food and more actively spend your holidays in nature. Green Key facilities are and can be a reference point for this category of travellers.

We hope that the number of Green Key establishments in Slovenia and the EU (where most tourists came in Slovenia) will still grow.

We are also very confident that sustainable tourism will be a part of all booking platforms. It will attract even more establishments worldwide to join one of the sustainable or eco-labels available on the market. We are very confident that Green key, as a world-leading label, will have the best success.

Luxury and sustainability go hand in hand at Radisson Blu Hotel, Upper Hill

Congratulations to Radisson Blu Hotel, Upper Hill in Nairobi, Kenya for receiving the Green Key award for the 5th year in a row! Since the beginning of its operations in 2015, the hotel has shown that luxury and sustainability go hand in hand through numerous efforts in environmentally and socially responsible operations.

Picture ©: Kenyan Organisation for Environmental Education (KOEE)

Water is conserved through the installation of low water flow showers and taps; dual-flush toilets and water-saving sensors in urinals, as well as collecting and using rainwater for cleaning and watering the garden. Radisson Blu has been partnering with Just a Drop – an international water aid charity- to ensure the hotel brand provides a lifetime’s supply of fresh drinking water to 12,000 children per year. Hotel guests are asked to consider re-using their towels during their stay in exchange for a donation to Just a Drop.

The hotel has solar panels in place for heating water and its lighting is 98% LED, resulting in significant savings on energy bills. A beautiful garden and live green walls create an exquisite ambience in a bustling city location. Maintaining an ethical and sustainable supply chain is key to the hotel, with an extensive code of conduct and onsite inspections for suppliers to ensure that they meet high environmental and social standards. More than 90% of the hotel’s waste is recycled - by City Fresh, a Nairobi-based waste collection company – and organic waste is composted and turned into animal feed for local supply.

The hotel is committed to supporting impactful community activities such as improving hygiene in collaboration with Diversey’s “Soap for Hope” program, which reprocesses unfinished soap bars locally into new soap bars, that are donated to local communities with limited access to hygiene and sanitation. There are also long-term sponsorship activities with SOS Children’s Village Nairobi, schools in the neighbourhood around the hotel, and clean ups with Kibondeni College. Participation in the Women for Growth programme supported by Swedfund, has resulted in the development of progressive policies that enable talent growth and increase the representation of women in decision making. Rigorous staff training on Living and Leading Responsible Business has also inculcated a healthy attitude towards environment and sustainability.

Green Key Kenya is proud to be working with a pioneer like Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi, Upper Hill! Learn more about the hotel here.

Green Key promoted in Finland’s new ‘Sustainable Travel Finland’ programme

It is currently essential to include sustainable development in the growth of the tourism industry, to ensure the well-being of present but also future generations. This is why Visit Finland has developed a national programme consisting of a 7-step sustainable tourism development path designed to help establishments and destinations in Finland achieving their sustainable transition.

Photo: Visit Finland

The goal is to help companies and destinations to adopt sustainable practices and make more sustainable choices in their everyday business. The programme adapts the international sustainable tourism programmes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the characteristics of the national territory and to the regional needs. It is a government-funded programme that is free of charge for destinations and companies.

The Sustainable Travel Finland label has been created to gather all the sustainable establishments and destinations in Finland, making it easier for travel trade and travellers to recognise tourism companies and destinations that are highly involved in sustainable development. The label is only awarded to the establishments and destinations that have undergone the entire Sustainable Travel Finland programme and fulfilled the criteria. Once the label has been awarded, regular audits ensure that the establishments and destinations keep working towards the improvement of sustainable standards and confirm the renewal of the label.

As part of the process, companies are required to get certified by one of the 20 Sustainable Travel Finland approved standards and Green Key is proud to be one of them to ensure that tourism accommodations, attractions, restaurants and campsites & holiday parks follow strict environmental criteria. There are currently 118 Green Key awarded sites in Finland and it is an amazing opportunity for Green Key to grow its influence as the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry.

You can access the full article about Sustainable Travel Finland label here.

ACT.Global helps restoring confidence in the hospitality industry following COVID-19

Green Key’s partner ACT.Global provides the hospitality industry with a long-term and sustainable disinfection solution that helps combat COVID-19 by significantly reducing the risk of contamination on surfaces while also decomposing common pollutants from the air.

Premium Purity™ ATP sampling, source: ACT.global

It is well established that the COVID-19 crisis has had a dramatic effect on the hospitality industry. Several countries are starting to lift the bans and trying to return to normal. Yet the question remains: Will guests and staff feel comfortable re-inhabiting hotels shared by others who could potentially be sick?

To restore confidence among their guests and staff, hotels have to be proactive and document that they are taking all necessary measures to give their guests a comfortable and safe experience. 

ACT.Global offers a way of providing protection that does not involve the use of toxic bleach or other potentially harmful chemicals. They call this solution Premium Purity™.

Real-life cases from the cruise industry show a 50% reduction in gastrointestinal and respiratory outbreaks as well as a significant reduction in the use of toxic chemicals, water, and plastic related to the cleaning process. 

By implementing Premium Purity™, hotels can welcome back staff and guest to a low-microbial establishment where all surfaces treated are transformed from being passive to active players in the fight against COVID-19. In fact, with Premium Purity™ establishments can in full certainty claim that they are healthier and safer than most private homes. 

Premium Purity™ consists of ACT CleanCoat™ and the ACT ECA System™ combined with ACT Consulting and Monitoring.

Evaluated effective against COVID-19

ACT CleanCoat™ is a surface treatment based on an advanced technology that decomposes harmful microbes such as bacteria, viruses, airborne mold spores, and chemical compounds such as VOCs and NOx. 

The coating is transparent, odorless, and can be applied to all types of surfaces. When exposed to normal light, a photocatalytic reaction decomposes microbes and purifies the air. 

The recognised German lab, Dr Brill + Partner GmbH have tested ACT CleanCoat™ and conclude: 

Therefore, after successful experiments with three non-enveloped viruses, ACT CleanCoat™ is also effective against the so-called blood-borne viruses including HBV, HCV and HIV as well as against members of other virus families such as orthomyxoviridae (incl. all human and animal influenza viruses like H5N1 and H1N1), coronaviridae (MERS-CoV) and filoviridae, including Ebola virus.

ACT CleanCoat™ is effective for up to one year and continually disinfects all surfaces and cleans the air - all it takes is normal light.

Contamination

The coronavirus causes fever and respiratory symptoms. According to WHO, the virus can spread in the following ways: 

People can catch Covid-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with Covid-19 who coughs, sneezes or otherwise exhales droplets. 

People can also catch Covid-19 by touching objects or surfaces contaminated with the virus, then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Tests show the coronavirus can remain active on surfaces for several days. https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

ACT CleanCoat™ increases the decomposition of the virus on coated surfaces; In other words, ACT CleanCoat™ protects against cross-contamination of the infection via surfaces. 

ACT ECA System - for daily cleaning

The ACT ECA System™ is the sustainable alternative to conventional cleaning with harsh detergents.

ECA means electro-chemically activated. It is a process in which water and salt are run through a cell and create a mild cleaning liquid. With an ACT ECA Pro Generator, you can produce pH-neutral and environmentally friendly ACT ECA Water on site.

ACT ECA Water replaces all conventional cleaning detergents - and by doing so helps to significantly reduce the use of toxic chemicals, water, and plastic. 

Reaching your targets

An essential part of Premium Purity™  includes collecting, tracking, and supplying clients with relevant hygiene data and reports to ensure the established targets are achieved.

A feature story from ACT.Global

Sustainable Cooling Lagoon at The Sheraton Grand Hotel, Doha

Since almost 40 years, the Sheraton Grand Hotel is saving water and energy with the help of a cooling lagoon.

Copyright: The Sheraton Grand Hotel Doha

The Sheraton Grand Hotel in Doha is a truly iconic establishment. Opened in 1982, it was the first internationally branded hotel in Qatar. Due to its unique architecture, it has become a true landmark of the city.

But the hotel does not only impress with its long history and inimitable design, but also with its early commitment to the environment. Already during its construction it was decided to replace cooling towers for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning with a cooling lagoon right next to the establishment.

But the hotel does not only impress with its long history and inimitable design but also with its early commitment to the environment. Already during its construction, it was decided to replace cooling towers for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning with a cooling lagoon right next to the establishment.

Usually, cooling towers are needed to extract heat from water that has been used for cooling in chillers. To do so, water and air are brought into contact to lower the temperature of the hot water. During this process, water is lost as humidity while performing the cooling synthesis. This water needs to be replaced by an external water source which increases the water consumption of the establishment. Especially in dry climates, this can put pressure on the water supply.

By replacing the cooling tower with a lagoon, the external water quantity necessitate to complete condensation process in the chillers get replace with seawater.

According to the hotel, this method saves approximately 600,000 kWh of electricity and 100,000 cubic metres of water per year. In addition, there is no need for chemical treatment of the seawater.