Green Key's achievements are proudly featured in the FEE Annual Report 2015

The FEE Annual Report 2015 informing about the activities of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) includes a summary of the achievements in Green Key programme.

The FEE Annual Report 2015 summarises the highlights in the Green Key programme during last year:

• New Green Key criteria and explanatory notes for hotels and hostels, campsites and holiday parks, small accommodations, conference centres, restaurants and attractions were developed to take effect from July 2016
• Recognition by Global Sustainable Tourism Council of the new criteria and explanatory notes for hotels and hostels
• Growth in the programme to 2,350 establishments in 52 countries (with five new countries having their first Green Key establishments in 2015)
• New cooperation agreements with SGS, Lucart Group and various online booking and travel companies and a renewed cooperation agreement with the Starwood Hotel Chain
• Managers from Green Key awarded establishments expressing satisfaction with the participation in the programme in a large survey

In the FEE Annual Report 2015, there is as well information about the activities in Green Key Key’s sister programmes: Blue Flag (eco-label for beaches, marinas and boats) and FEE’s three school-based programmes: Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment and Learning about Forests.

You can download the FEE Annual Report 2015 here: http://www.fee.global/our-annual-reports/.

Green Key awarded hotel in Greenland takes environmental and social responsibility

Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat in Greenland, having had the Green Key award since 2000, is very committed towards reducing its environmental footprint using new technologies, raising the environmental awareness among staff and using locally produced food in the kitchen. The hotel is also deeply engaged in social responsibility by supporting employment of local people.

At Hotel Arctic, the commitment to the environment is wired into the DNA – as the hotel is located surrounded by the powerful forces of nature and with the front row seat to some of the most fantastic scenery on Earth.

Hotel Arctic is reducing its environmental impact through education of staff and by using new technology. Twice a year, all employees at the hotel take part in an environmental theme day focusing on daily routines across the hotel to find green solutions to the challenges. Everywhere in the hotel, there are sensors and thermostats together with energy-efficient solutions ensuring that no more electricity, water and heating than necessary are used. In 2013, the hotel became 100% carbon neutral in 2013, and in 2014, solar panels were installed producing around 20% of the electricity. It is calculated that the investment in solar panels will break even in less than seven years. The hotel has its electricity and also hot water for heating and for tap water based on hydropower.

In the kitchen at Hotel Arctic, the chiefs are working hard to serve as much local food as possible. Ingredients such as musk ox, reindeer, Greenland halibut, Arctic hare, wolfish, mussels, sea urchins, redfish and much more are on the menu daily. The hotel kitchen staff also collects own herbs in the area, and they use seasonal vegetables grown in the fields south of the capital, Nuuk. A few years ago, Hotel Arctic won the prestigious New Nordic food award.

The hotel is employing 60-70 staff members making it an important working place in the town of Ilulissat with around 5,000 inhabitants. The hotel is taking social responsibility through training of around ten young local people. The training takes place in different positions, e.g. in the kitchen, restaurant and in the reception. The training typically takes 3-4 years combining the practical work at the hotel with periods at tourism management schools in Greenland or Denmark. The Greenlandic trade union movement has recognised the work of “having contributed to inspiring and encouraging the people of Greenland to educate and better themselves, not just for their own benefit but also for the benefit of progress in Greenland.”

Green Key Event on solar energy and sustainable renewable energy in Finland

Green Key Finland aims to provide Green Key sites, excursions and workshops to highlight the latest developments and new opportunities in environmentally friendly practices.

Solar energy and sustainable renewable energy are one of the most important topics being discussed in energy right now.Therefore Green Key’s first event focused on these topics and a natural venue for the event was Restaurant Faro, which itself is a forerunner in using solar power. The audience had the opportunity to hear the latest news from the Finnish Solar Technical Association. Solnet Green Energy presented the the innovative solution for solar energy that they have provided for Faro. The panels on the roof-top have been installed in an optimal position for producing electricity for the restaurant. The solution feeds solar generated electricity directly into the restaurant for their use, and currently produces 15% of their electricity.

Another big topic was sustainably produced renewable energy. Especially after the Paris climate negotiations, many business sectors have started to take into account the rapid growth of renewables. Consequently, the huge variety of renewable energy sources and their environmental impacts have made it into the public debate. As all electricity production impacts nature, strict sustainability criteria ensures that renewable power plants do as little damage as possible to the local biodiversity. For example, with hydropower plants it might be necessary to construct fish passes and spawning areas to protect the local wildlife.

EKOenergy presented the easiest way for hotels to pick the right type of power, which is to search for an ecolabel that guarantees the sustainability of electricity production by an independent third party. The additional cost of ecolabelled electricity typically varies between only 1-2 %, but the impact for both the climate and the local environment is significant.

EKOenergy is an NGO and part of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, and they do not sell electricity, but help hotels to switch to renewable electricity with sustainability criteria. They also provide support to communicate the hotel’s choice for sustainable energy and it’s impact for the environment. This is extremely important, as the maximal publicity they help to create is a simple and highly effective way to communicate about the user’s environmental values, and additionally increases public awareness of the importance of making sustainable energy choices. EKOenergy is the only pan-European ecolabel for electricity, supported by 40 environmental NGOs from over 30 countries and widely available for Green Key Hotels.

If you want to find out more on the subjects:

www.ekoenergy.org 
www.solnet.fi/en/

Green hospitality event in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

On 11 May 2016, Emirates Green Building Council and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Authority (SCTA) joined hands to raise awareness for green hospitality in Sharjah.

His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTA, opened the event by sharing the Authority’s commitment to position Sharjah in the forefront of family and eco- friendly tourism.

Marie-Helene Westholm-Knebel, Senior Technical Officer and Green Key national operator from Emirates Green Building Council, then conducted a workshop with more than 40 hoteliers to identify the first steps to start their green journey, using Green Key as a base to identify and implement best practices.

Radisson awarded "World's Most Ethical Company" for the 7th consequtive year in 2016

The Radisson Hotel Group, one of the most dynamic hotel companies in the world, member of the Radisson Hotel Group and Green Key partner, has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as a 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company® for the 7th consecutive year. Additionally, since four years it is the only Belgium company who has achieved this status.  

 This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ethisphere and the World’s Most Ethical Companies designation, which recognizes those companies who align principle with action, work tirelessly to make trust part of their corporate DNA, and in doing so, they shape future industry standards by introducing tomorrow’s best practices today.

Being a seven consecutive year honoree underscores Radisson’s commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices, ensuring long-term value to key stakeholders including customers, employees, suppliers, regulators and investors.

“The Ethisphere award is a great recognition of our efforts in creating and maintaining strong corporate compliance standards, governance procedures and an inspiring work environment for our people to thrive in. It salutes our robust responsible business program built around three key focus: Think Planet, Think People, Think Together. Receiving the World’s Most Ethical Hotel Company award for the 7th consecutive year is an honor for all 40,000 Radissonians.”– said Wolfgang M. Neumann, President and CEO of the Radisson Hotel Group.

"Companies rely on Ethisphere to continually raise and measure the standards of corporate behavior. Those that demonstrate leadership in areas like citizenship, integrity and transparency create more value for their investors, communities, customers and employees, thus solidifying a sustainable business advantage," explained Ethisphere’s Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "Congratulations to everyone at the Radisson Hotel Group for being recognized as a World's Most Ethical Company."

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company’s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.

The full list of the 2016 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/ .

TiCATi and Green Key entering a collaboration agreement

The hotel and resort search engine TiCATi highlights Green Key awarded establishments at its website.

TiCATi offers an advanced interactive map for travellers who are concerned about environment or their health to easily compare and book green hotels and resorts that suit their preferences.

TiCATi also serves as an online eco-friendly platform for restaurants and shops to provide information about their actions in environmental protection and social development.

Green Key welcomes the cooperation with TiCATi enabling Green Key awarded establishments to be highlighted on TiCATi’s website.

Club Sun Heaven Turkey – Committed to the environment and their guests

As one of the newest Green Key awarded hotels in Turkey, Club Sun Heaven in Turkey is already implementing some very impressive innovating practices to reduce their carbon footprint. 

At the moment there are 72 Green Key awarded hotels in Turkey of which 16 new hotels applied Green Key this year. Among these new hotels Club Sun Heaven Hotel located in Antalya already is already a leader when it comes to water management. The hotel installed a comprehensive rain water system. Rain water coming from roof of the hotel is collected and stored in big tanks on the premises. There are 3 water storage tanks with a capacity of 5000 m3. The collected rain water is used for irrigation of the green areas of the establishment.  This prevents useful water to be lost in the sewage system and saves water for gardening which is crucial in a dry area.

 In addition to this good practice, the staff has planned out another action for the coming summer. In this season staff will sort disposable cups or bottles from the beach and will use them as pots to plant a flower. These will be offered to the guests when they check-out. A fun way of recycling that make the guests feel special. 

Electric cycling at ‘Domaine de Briange’

Green Key awarded Holiday Park and camping ‘Domaine de Briange’ in the Ardèche region in France has invested in electric bicycles for their employees. 

The staff came up with the idea as the propriety that they have to maintain is quite large. They often have to cross large distances to prepare the cabins for new guests. The establishment had already invested in a golf cart but they wanted to do more.

‘Besides the obvious environmental impact, the other main reason to choose electric bikes is the comfort of our guests. We like to limit the circulation of vehicles at the camping as much as possible. ‘

The staff prefers this new way of transportation above going on foot or normal bicycle as the grounds are quite hilly. The bikes are used to guide guests who are arriving, to prepare the facilities and even to do grocery shopping in the village.

Domaine de Briange has invested in 2 bicycles but will buy to more by the end of the year due to the big success. 

Brobacka guest house working hard to receive their Green Key award

Brobacka guest house opened its doors last summer and tourists haven’t stopped coming since. With a bike path just outside and a beautiful view of a bay, the newly renovated guesthouse Brobacka guesthouse has found its place on the map of places that you just have to visit on Åland. The owners of the guesthouse, Ove and Katja, are very keen on getting Green Key awarded. 

Get support in everyday environmental work
Katja and Ove do not as see themselves as environmental people. ”But the interest has been there somewhere since the teens,” says Katja. And when it comes to Ove, he likes to create things and find smart solutions. Working with Green Key is something that they see as given.
”For us as a new accommodation it is very helpful to get clear criterias and suggestions on how to think and what to do. Working with Green Key provides support in what is right and wrong, and helps us to constantly evolve so that we dont get too stuck in everyday life that otherwise just goes on”, says Ove.

A lot to gain
Brobacka hopes to be Green Key-labeled by the fall. So far they have not encountered any problems or obstacles in the work. ”As long as the intention is there I think you should go for it”, says Katja as a recommendation to other accommodations.
”I think everyone has much to gain from an environmental label, that you just don´t say that something is environmentally friendly, but you also have a label that proves what you do. It also helps me when I inform our guests about our efforts,” Katja states.

A local way of thinking
To think about the environment is also to think locally. The café bakes bread with organic flour from local Överängs mill and when they changed windows the glass was made in the same village as Brobacka, Björsby. Many of the guests are also local.
”When we opened we thought that we would get mostly bicycle tourists here, but it has actually been mostly Ålanders who visited us. I think many were curious about the house, Katja says smiling”.