First Radisson RED Hotel in Africa with the Green Key award

The Radisson RED hotel in the Silo District of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront (South Africa) has been awarded Green Key status.

An exciting partnership between the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) and the Radisson Hotel Group has resulted in the Radisson RED hotel in Cape Town being awarded with Green Key status. The Green Key award is a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operations in the tourism industry.

The Radisson RED brand has been described as one that represents “a new hotel philosophy that connects with an ageless millennial mindset through art, music and fashion.” WESSA, with its continual focus on youth development, is proud to be associated with this vibrant and dynamic hospitality brand. The Radisson RED in Cape Town is one of only five of its kind in the world, with the other four hotels located in Brussels, Campinas, Glasgow and Minneapolis.

Commenting on the Green Key award, Vince Shacks, General Manager of Ecotourism at WESSA said “Green Key is not only one of the most reputable and established sustainable tourism awards on the globe, but is also an excellent platform to align the work of responsible hospitality brands and NGO’s”. The Radisson Hotel Group recently highlighted in their 2017 Responsible Business Report that with 220 awarded hotels around the globe, Green Key is the main eco-label partner of the company.

On receiving the award, Dale Simpson, Curator of the Radisson RED in Cape Town said “We are very proud to have achieved the Green key accreditation here at Radisson RED within our first year of operation. It has been a wonderful learning journey driven by the team, and it was humble to see the passion, drive and continuous commitment from the team here to achieve something we really believe in and work with every day.”

Green Key currently has 2900 awarded properties in 57 countries around the world. This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment by businesses that their premises adhere to the strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), the same organization that oversees the popular Blue Flag beach eco-label.

It is WESSA’s vision to grow the Green Key label throughout South Africa, and together with other reputable eco-labels, ensure that South Africa becomes one of the most recognised sustainable tourism destinations in the world.

Join us in the celebration of the World Vegetarian Day

1 October is World Vegetarian Day and Green Key establishments offer vegetarian options as well as organic, eco-labelled and/or locally produced food and beverage.

Vegetarian food is healthy, tasty and climate friendly. It is a criterion in Green Key that awarded establishments have a vegetarian option on their menu, as well as serving plenty of organic, eco-labelled and/or locally produced goods.

Vegetarian food is a climate friendly choice. A new study published in the journal Science details the largest-ever analysis of the impact that food production has on the planet. The study concluded that ditching or reducing animal products in the diet and in commodities is the single most effective way to reduce one’s environmental impact.

Did you also you know that the different colours of vegetables mean different health and nutrition benefits? Therefore you should eat a rainbow of colours every day, not just today!

The restaurant A Cozinha por António Loureiro wins Best Practice Competition 2018!

Each year, Green Key runs a best practice competition to encourage its awarded sites to present their most inspiring sustainability stories. And today on World Tourism Day we announce our winner: A Cozinha por António Loureiro restaurant (Portugal). Finishing second and third were Sinatur Storebælt (Denmark) and STF Lugnåsbergets vandrarhem (Sweden).

This year, Green Key’s best practice competition focused on how to inform and involve guests in sustainability. The theme relates to SDG 12 “responsible consumption and production” to ensure “sustainable consumption and production patterns". Not only does Green Key help consumers to identify responsible tourism establishments, but awarded establishments also have to inform their guests about sustainable practices during their stay. Furthermore, Green Key awarded establishments are encouraged to engage their guests in their sustainability actions through activities, events, rewards etc.

At ‘A Cozinha’ , Chef António Loureiro and his team are totally committed to sustainable eating and also strive to pursue a policy of near-zero waste. An integrated approach considering several practices was implemented since the opening day. António, awarded Portuguese Chef of the Year in 2014, is well-known for his high quality gastronomy that combines tradition and innovation. He mainly uses regional or local products and the motto “cooking what Mother Nature is offering” has become an integral part of every menu he creates. To prevent food waste, António uses the entire product that is bought, cooked and combined in different ways.

As a part of the restaurant’s mission towards sustainability, António opens his kitchen for several initiatives to inform the local community and children about food waste. For example, in the activity “be a chef for a day”, or "team building with a cooking experience" guests have the chance to have a hands-on high level experience where they learn how to respect the products, how to promote the local economy with their choices and how to plan a week menu without creating a big amount of food waste.

In addition, António has adopted the ‘Eco-Cooks’ initiative which is part of the Eco-Schools programme in Portugal promoting healthy and sustainable food in schools.

Sinatur Gl. Avernæs offers its customers a sustainable, gastronomic delight

Green Key awarded Sinatur Gl. Avernæs Hotel offers an idyllic and sustainable dining experience with carefully chosen local and organic ingredients.

The Sinatur Gl. Avernæs hotel is located on a picturesque peninsula in the island of Fyn in Denmark. Surrounded by nature as well as the beach and the ocean, the restaurant at the hotel has the ideal point of departure and such an idyllic scenery deserves an extraordinary culinary experience.

Focusing on production and organic ingredients
Head Chef Martin Riber and the rest of the kitchen staff are highly focused on the ingredients they use which preferably are organic, local and seasonal. The restaurant has recently installed a green house as well as a raised garden bed where the kitchen staff is able to produce their own herbs and vegetables. The restaurant has also established their own fruit orchard so that the hotel guests in the future are able to enjoy their in- house produced fruits and pickled products.

 The Sinatur hotels were the first hotel chain to receive the organic cuisine label in bronze, which means that 30 - 60 % of their ingredients are organic. The Sinatur hotels were also the first hotel chain to receive the Green Key certification.

Source: Green Key Denmark

First four hotels in Macau achieve Green Key status

Four establishments in Macau, China have qualified for the prestigious Green Key award through the achievement of high environmental and sustainability standards

Morpheus, The Countdown and Nüwa at City of Dreams, Macau

The four establishments, owned and operated by Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, are Morpheus, Nüwa and The Countdown at City of Dreams and Studio City.

To achieve their Green Key status, each of the four establishments optimised sustainability efforts to meet the global environmental management standard ISO 14001. The hotels comply with high energy and water saving standards, and have pledged to meet additional water and waste reduction targets for the coming year, with particular focus on plastic and paper materials.

Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, said “It is a true honour to become Macau’s first and only recipient of the prestigious Green Key award, with four of our hotels concurrently achieving this exceptional accolade in recognition of our dedication towards sustainability. Our existing green initiatives have benefitted strongly from the requirements and recommendations set by the Green Key programme.”

The four hotels engage employees, guests and third party operating businesses in their sustainability efforts. Employees participate in various activities, such as Earth Hour, tree planting and beach cleaning activities, and are also involved in the hotels’ local community projects where materials that can be reused are donated to charitable organisations and to local events on environment and education.

Guests are informed about the hotel’s environmental efforts via TV monitors in the lobby and guest rooms and are encouraged to reuse towels and bed sheets, and to travel via public transportation, etc. In the hotels’ restaurants, green choices are available from the menus which offer over 25 organic food ingredients.

Studio City

Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Green Key Director, says: “We are very happy to introduce the Green Key to establishments in Macau through the four hotels operated by Melco Resorts & Entertainment. It is our hope that it will inspire other hotels in the region to reduce their resources and promote sustainable development through the Green Key programme.”

Successful annual Green Key National Operator Meeting in Estonia

As happens every year, Green Key’s National Operators and partners gathered to share best practices and discuss the future of the programme. This year, the meeting was held on 10-11 September, hosted by Green Key’s National Operator in Estonia.

Monday morning, 11 September: The lobby of the Nordic Forum Hotel in Tallinn is slowly filling with the 31 Green Key National Operators from all over the world as they prepare to take the bus to the first meeting location.

The first meeting day of the meeting takes place at the Green Key awarded Vihula Manor, a 16th-century estate with two main manor house buildings, 25 other historical buildings and 50 hectares of beautiful parkland set alongside the Mustoja River in the Lahemaa National Park only one hour drive from Tallinn. In this special location, the National Operators share best practices and ideas and discuss the development of Green Key. During the day, the delegates also visit the Green Key awarded Sagadi Manor.

The next day of the NOM takes place at the Green Key awarded Nordic Hotel Forum, which also kindly hosts the National Operators during their stay in Estonia. Earlier this year, their beehives on the rooftop were highligted, an initiative that not only benefit the local environment, but also the hotel’s guests who can taste the “urban honey” during breakfast.

The second day focuses on the growth strategy of Green Key and is also dedicated to presentations by our partners Radisson Hotel Group, Drinkable Air and the University of Surrey.

Green Key would like to thank the organisers Enterprise Estonia for kindly hosting the 2018 Green Key National Operator Meeting.

Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche Hotel in Morocco is one green step ahead

Green Key Awarded Hotel, Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche, is a large five-star establishment in the centre of Casablanca in Morocco. From this tall building, there is a good view over the busy city and to the Grand Mosque. The hotel is focusing on ensuring a luxury feeling for its guests, while at the same time incorporating a range of sustainable initiatives.

The building has been constructed in such a way that various resource saving facilities are already incorporated. On the roof of the hotel, an extensive solar panel system has been built covering around 60% of the hotel’s energy consumption.

Sofitel Tour Blanche is encouraging both guests and staff to participate in the hotel’s sustainability efforts. Guests staying additional nights at the hotel have the option to choose not to use the room cleaning service and in return, the hotel will ensure that a donation is given to plant olive trees in the north of Morocco.

In addition, the hotel's permanent staff receives training that includes education about sustainable performance within the hotel, and to go one step further, guidance is provided to the whole staff about how to save resources (water, energy, etc.) and thereby save money in their own homes.

Jérôme Lobier, General Manager of Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche, says: "Nowadays, we all seem concerned about the environment but, as I see it, it is a global action that needs to be done. At AccorHotels we contribute with our 'Planet 21 program' but we will not be able to achieve it alone. We think that communication and education is a fundamental pillar of the cause so we have implemented a workshop to explain the personal benefits of an environmental friendly behaviour. It is our small contribution to the planet."

For more information, please visit https://sofitel.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6811-sofitel-casablanca-tour-blanche/index.shtml. 

Green Key continues to be the main eco-label partner of Radisson Hotel Group

The 2017 Responsible Business Report of the Radisson Hotel Group highlights that with more than 220 Green Key awarded hotels, Green Key is the main eco-labelling partner of the company

Radisson highlights Green Key as one of the largest hospitality certifiers in the world, and Green Key enjoys a global reputation with more than 2,700 hotels and accommodation venues in 56 countries in 2017. Hotels with the Green Key eco-label comply with more than 100 sustainability criteria covering energy management, waste control, water usage, and social responsibility, which includes reducing of energy and water consumption, installation of eco-friendly lighting in at least 75% of the property, treating of wastewater, and separating waste and recycling a maximum amount of waste.

At the end of 2017, a total of 294 Radisson hotels (or 80%) across Europe, Middle East and Africa have received eco-labels, but the target is to have 100% of the hotels eco-labelled.

Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice-President – Responsible Business and Safety & Security, says: “For Radisson Hotel Group, external confirmation of their hotels’ environmental performance is a real opportunity. Eco-labels provide an independent third-party onsite audit of each hotel’s practices and actions to protect the environment. We are happy that more than 220 Radisson hotels achieved the Green Key eco-label in 2017.”

The Responsible Business Report of Radisson Hotel Group highlights the three sustainability pillars of the company:

Think people: Radisson highlights their Balanced Leadership initiative that continues to build momentum towards gender equality and development of female talent and that the company continue to lead on fighting modern slavery.

Think community: More than 32,000 volunteer hours were donated by Radisson employees and €1.0 million were donated to charity. The towel reuse program at Radisson Blu hotels helped to provide safe drinking water for life to more than 17,500 children.

Think planet: Radisson hotels have per m2 saved 8% in energy and 3% in water since 2016. For the period 2018-2022, Radisson aims for an additional 10% reduction in carbon, energy and water. By the end of 2017, 40 hotels use 100% renewable energy.

The full 2017 Responsible Business Report of the Radisson Hotel Group can be downloaded HERE. Radisson’s cooperation with Green Key is mentioned on page 54 and the list of eco-labelled hotels can be found on page 61-62.

Riad Soleil d’Orient – a small hotel with a big green vision

The Green Key awarded Riad Soleil d’Orient in the city of El Jadida is a traditional Moroccan house with a green ‘look and feel’.  

A 'riad' is a Moroccan traditional house. It is often not very prominent from the outside, but when you enter you will see a beautiful old house with two or more floors surrounded by a central courtyard. 

Riad Soleil d’Orient is a small accommodation located in the centre of El Jadida with eight bedrooms in traditional Moroccan style all facing the beautiful green patio with trees and herbs and a beautiful fountain in the middle. In the courtyard, there is a small restaurant, where guests can eat their dinner in the shadow of the trees. Most food served, such as e.g. fish, meat and vegetables, are locally sourced.

Besides, its green image through the vegetation in the patio and roof garden, Riad Soleil d’Orient has also focused a lot of attention on green features through its actions. The hotel has installed an advanced solar panel system that can heat water for the showers to a temperature that it is not necessary to mix it with cold water enabling the hotel to save money on water and energy. The various water and energy saving initiatives have enabled the hotel to save 20-25% on resources.

Olivier Revelut, General Manager of Riad Soleil d’Orient says: “Riad Soleil d’Orient is proud to have achieved the Green Key award, and we have experienced an increasing demand through various German booking sites. Our plans for the future include an ambition to expand our solar panel system." 

On the coffee table in each room, you can find a detailed Green Key information folder describing the work of the hotel with the programme, and each guest is encouraged to comment on the performance of the establishment through an environmental questionnaire.

For more information about Riad Soleil d'Orient, please visit: https://www.riadsoleildorient.net/