Green Key awarded Sheraton Tel Aviv in the forefront of water and energy savings

The Green Key awarded Sheraton Tel Aviv has been working in the last few years with the latest technologies available of environmental and sustainable development that are environment friendly and cost effective.

The Phoebus system is a groundbreaking technology company that combines new innovation of high-tech technology with old cooling technology. This technology is called Hydra Balance, and is a hybrid water system managed by smart cloud software.

The system is composed of Hydra Balance units, Hydra Monitoring & Control Module, and Hydra Monitoring & Control Cloud Software. The Hydra Balance unit is a designated water source heat pump, which pumps the thermal energy from the cold water A/C loop, and uses it to heat the water in a hot sanitary water loop. The Hydra Balance reduces energy costs not only by producing heat energy, but also by reducing the Air Conditioning electricity consumption. The system’s performance since the installation 15 months ago has shown a saving of 61% in energy and a reduction of 90% in diesel fuel consumption. 

Another example is the SmarTap mixing valve. SmarTap E-Valve technology (patented digital shower system) enables online controlling and monitoring of shower water and inline pressure, that can save water usageand energy, while maintaining a luxurious shower experience.

Last but not least is the water treatment plant, where the hotel is able to control and monitor everything that goes into the sewage system with the help of bacteria and a strainer the separates the substance that goes to the sewage. 

How to Reduce a Hotel's Energy Consumption

BookGreener connected, Green Key partner, is launching a series of free webinars on practical solutions to help make hotel operations more green. The next webinar focuses on energy consumption.

For a hotel, energy bills can quickly become a nightmare, but there are many things you can do. In average, energy saving programs can yield more than a 30% cut in your energy bill for the first year of efforts. To help you better understand what’s at stake and how to react efficiently, BookGreener has invited both an expert and a successful hotel manager.

The webinar includes expert's experience on energy and energy conservation measures, tips, best practices and hacks to reduce your energy bill and a real-life testimony of people who actually applied these tips in real life.

You are thus cordially invited to attend the next Webinar entitled: How to Reduce a Hotel's Energy Consumption.

Taking place on your computer on:
Thursday 18th June 2015, 6 PM in UTC+07. Click here to register.

But if you cannot make it, don't worry! Contact info@bookgreener.com and they will send you all the great tips and ideas from the event!

Camp Kovačine in Croatia, a true Green Key ambassador

Camp Kovačine is truly an amazing ambassador for Green Key in Croatia. Situated in a natural environment in the central part of Cres Island, in the Northwest of the Croatian side of the Adriatic Sea, guests can enjoy the clear sea or relax under one of the many pine and olive trees surrounding the camp site.

The management together with all staff make it their mission to take care of the desires and comfort of guests with a special accent on preserving natural values and the purity of the environment. Maintaining and improving the biodiversity of the surroundings is one of their main focus points.

All Green Key criteria’s are fulfilled and neatly documented. The campsite excels in waste management with their great organized waste separation system and energy management with an incredible energy saving policy. Camp Kovačine only uses "green" electricity. A national certificate with the "green" mark ensures guests that the electricity used throughout the complete campsite comes from renewable sources.

Green Key Croatia is extremely proud of their Green Key ambassador and hopes they will continue to cherish their well known environmental policy! 

Radisson Blu launches Blu Planet – Re-Use to save Lives

Radisson Blu, part of the Radisson Hotel Group and a Green Key partner, is committed to Responsible Business with Blu Planet, an initiative with a specific focus on conserving and protecting the earth’s priceless water supply.

As part of the Blu Planet programme, Radisson Blu has partnered with Just a Drop to help give children around the world access to safe drinking water through the hotel brand’s towel re-use program. At Radisson Blu, choosing to re-use a towel means giving a vital donation to Just A Drop. For every 250 bath towels reused at Radisson Blu hotels, enough safe drinking water will be provided to a child for life. And each year, we estimate this will save 12,000 children. In addition, each set of towels reused saves 15 liters - or nearly four gallons - of water and reduces the use of laundry chemicals.

To help celebrate and launch the partnership, a number of Radisson Blu hotels around the globe held 'Walk for Water' events for three days, starting on Earth Day, Wed 22 April 2015. Funds raised through the partnership will support clean water and sanitation projects in Kenya, India & Peru.

Just A Drop was set up by the founder, Fiona Jeffery, after she learned it costs little more than a dollar to deliver clean water to a child for up to 10 years. Just A Drop operates with a tiny full-time staff and an army of volunteers. They work tirelessly to provide clean, safe water to some of the world’s poorest communities in more than 30 countries.

The Silken Berlaymont Brussels – Education as the basis for succesful environmental management

The Silken Berlaymont Brussels, a 4-star Green Key awarded hotel located in the European Parliament neighbourhood, in the heart of Brussels. The core of their environmental approach is the good collaboration they maintain with staff and suppliers.

This approach is based on the participation of all the employees and on the education of the people in the near context. The focus is mainly on: energy, recycling, sustainable development, transport and green spaces, always keeping in mind that the quality and comfort should never be altered. An impressive list of the accomplishments shows the amazing work that has been done by this hotel. A great Green Key Ambassador!

All the hotels suppliers were contacted to find out how packaging waste could be avoided, reduced or perfected. Products and services are bought locally as much as possible in order to save fuel for transporting the goods.  All supplier were sensitized about the concept.

Without affecting the comfort of the customer, the efforts have enabled the hotel to save 25% CO² over the past year.

Most office materials such as pens, pencils, paper, etc… are made out of recycled materials. Most of the plastic one-way items have been removed and replaced by glass. A container to gather batteries and other electronic devices has been installed at the hotel.

Most regular light bulbs have been replaced by other using 80% less energy.

Last but not least, a lot of water saving procedures were installed. For example flow showerheads and filters in order to reduce the water consumption. This is not only saving water but also salt from the softener and gas as less water has to be heated. Very shortly after the installation, the difference was clear. To give you an idea, by the end of this year, the hotel save a total amount of water that equals to 55 .000.000 liters of water or … 4 Olympic swimming pools!

The Stanhope Hotel in Brussels leads the way to sustainability in Belgium

The Stanhope Hotel, a 5-star boutique Hotel and awarded with the Green Key label since 3 years, continually works to be a Green symbol in Brussels. This year will not be an exception on this rule. The Green Team still has lots of ideas to reduce waste, water & energy and improve green communication.

Throughout the seasons, the Hotel always remains connected with ecologic initiatives by offering Green experiences to their visitors. During the winter, home made recycled heart-shaped candles are offered as a special attention during the Valentine’s dinner. In spring, guests enjoy a Happy Hour at recycled candle light to celebrate the ‘Earth Hour’. Summer is a great time to taste the bio menu during the Bio Week. Autumn is synonym of discovering recycled objects exposed at the Recycling Expo as the major action during the European week of waste reduction.

The Hotel offers permanent green visibility in the Green corner, an original recycled cardboard design; in the showcase with seasonal silhouettes of ‘Les Petits Riens’ (a social economy enterprise organizing second hand fashion shows and selling second hand equipment, for the benefit of homeless and unemployed persons); in the rooms with tips for a green stay; in the recently created biologic herbs garden and through a green guiding tour when booking a Green Package.

Green vouchers now accepted in Green Key sites in Belgium

The “green vouchers” system in Belgium, introduced to promote environmentally friendly products and services, has now included Green Key as one of their services where the vouchers can be used. A great way to introduce Green Key to a wide range of people.

These vouchers (called “ecochèques”) are given by employers to near 1.5 million workers in the country, as fringe benefits, and can be spent for products such as energy efficient light bulbs, organic food, more sustainable transportation, second hand items, etc.

Due to a specific request introduced by the Green Key national operators in Belgium, people will now be allowed to spend their green vouchers in Green Key establishments from the 1st June 2015 on. Green Key establishments have been accepted into this voucher system amongst others because the label is recognized by UN organisations and because it caters for an independent auditing system.

Green Key establishments willing to be eligible have to register with at least one of the two enterprises issuing the vouchers. By introducing the label into this well-known and popular scheme, the Green Key national operators in Belgium believe that they are making it more famous and therefore encouraging its promotion. 

5 year celebration and award ceremony for Green Key Ukraine

On 30 March 2015, Ekologitschna Initsiativa, celebrated 5 years of Green Key in Ukraine. For the first time the Vice-Head of Kyiv Municipal Tourism Dept. attended the ceremony. Even in these difficult times there was a good atmosphere and a positive glance at the future.

During the ceremony the Green Key programme as well as the Blue Flag programme were discussed. There was an interesting discussion about a cooperation with companies producing LED lights and drones for the army. Minds were put together on how to use these products to make the tourism industry in Ukraine more sustainable. Military drones, for example, carry thermo-sensors (as well as many others types of sensors). So they have huge spectrum of applications – for example imaging thermal leaks from buildings. Hotels were very happy to see how this technology works and a first cooperation with one of the hotels was discussed to be launched.

At the ceremony Green Key certificates were granted to the Radisson-Kyiv and 3 Maison-Blanche eco-hotels as the traditional leaders.

The event was fully financed by Baccara Art hotel, another Green Key site in Ukraine.

Halting the loss of biodiversity – how sustainable tourism can contribute to the millennium goal

ECOTRANS provides a set of recommendations which highlight in detail how responsible tourism companies, destinations and tour operators can make a difference on their standards concerning biodiversity and thereby boosting their contribution to the promotion of species diversity. Green Key welcomes this initiative.

The indicator report 2014 of the Federal Statistical Office on “Sustainable Development in Germany” reveals that the topic of species diversity lags far behind targets, with an increase in recreational activities e.g. along coastal regions, aggravating the threat to ecosystems. The tourism sector in Germany has a range of opportunities to mitigate such threats and to contribute to the strengthening of biodiversity in coastal regions and mountainous areas, in the countryside as well as in urban environments. In this regard, standards on biodiversity in the more than 20 national and international certificates and awards for environmental responsible and sustainable tourism in Germany could make a difference.

The initiatives on biodiversity could include:

- clearly defined actions with regards to biodiversity
- strive to cover all fundamental aspects of biodiversity with the criteria
- follow the no-net-loss target
- determine their impacts on biodiversity
- offer training on biodiversity for certifiers and certified establishments

International Green Key director Finn Bolding Thomsen welcomes this initiative: “We will have new Green Key hotel criteria taking effect by mid-2016 and we will seek to include some CSR and biodiversity related criteria, add specifications in the explanatory notes to the new criteria and share best practice examples also related to biodiversity issues”. 

“Some of these best practice examples like the Areias do Seixo with their nature based offer in the central Oeste region in Portugal, the Hoeve De Schapenkop with their biodiversity teaching of children or the Botel Ophoven with their regional and organic food purchase in the Flanders region in Belgium, and also several hotels in Morocco with their staff training and local community activities show how well the Green Key programme and biodiversity go together”, says Herbert Hamele, director of Ecotrans. “We are looking forward to include such best practice examples from Green Key in our global Atlas of Excellence and in our Travel Green Germany Map on DestiNet.eu as valuable information sources for the growing list of committed tour operators, booking platforms and marketing organisations.  

Download PDF (700 KB): Biodiversity criteria in Tourism: Recommendations for standards,certificates and awards