Sustainable tourism has long been a growing trend, with consumers becoming more conscious of reducing their carbon emissions. By incorporating sustainable practices into your accommodation, you can contribute to the development of your destination and be a part of the growing market for sustainable tourism.
Here are a few ways in which you can implement sustainable practices into your accommodation:
Energy
One of the biggest contributors to the cost of running your accommodation is energy consumption; with a few simple changes, you could be saving on costs and carbon emissions.
Implementing the use of LED lighting throughout your accommodation can save you in costs and is also better for the environment. LED lights have a lower carbon footprint and they last longer than traditional light bulbs. Using motion-activated lights in certain areas will also be beneficial in conserving energy, especially during the off-season. Finally, make sure all your appliances are energy star rated.
Water
Decreasing your energy and water consumption has the added benefit of reducing the cost of utilities.
You can easily reduce your water consumption by adding flow restrictors to your shower heads and taps. Another widely used practice is implementing the use of linen cards, where guests are given the option to use their linen and towels more than once. This saves water by doing less laundry.
Waste
Another area in which you can implement sustainable practices is in reducing waste. Recycling paper, plastic, glass and cans is one of the easiest ways of reducing waste. This is easily implemented in common areas and guest rooms, where you can have two bins available, one for recycling and the other for general waste. The Hilton group of hotels has this practice implemented in their rooms.
Having a compost or worm farm is another method in which you can reduce waste by recycling your food scraps. Worm farms reduce your contribution to landfill sites, is a natural fertiliser, and doesn’t require a lot of space.
Local sourcing
Local sourcing can provide many benefits for your accommodation and the environment. Sourcing your products locally means shorter supply lines, saving you in transportation costs and reducing carbon emissions. In addition, you can check the environmental policies of your local supplier, and invest in the local community by supporting their business.
Purchasing environmentally friendly cleaning products and amenities will reduce the chemicals put out into the environment. Many of these companies that create environmentally friendly products also package their goods in biodegradable packaging.
Your Environment
You can take the initiative to keep bees on your roof, which contributes positively to sustaining our food supply chain and pollination of crops. With the help of bees, nearby gardens can flourish and you can have access to local honey.
In addition to the beehive, having a edible garden would be beneficial for growing your own herbs or vegetables and both will be a wonderful, unique feature for your accommodation.
Future technology
Integrating sustainable practices into your accommodation promotes innovation in developing future technology for sustainable practices. During this exciting time where new technology is being researched, implementing these new strategies will not only get your hotel noticed but will save you money in the long run.
Should you want to invest in technology that will help reduce environmental impact, you could implement an energy management system or air conditioning and lighting control system throughout your accommodation. The control system will allow you to remotely monitor energy consumption from heating and lighting and adjust it accordingly whilst maintaining a comfortable environment for guests.
Other up and coming investments include Energy Floors, where movement produces energy, a system the Marriott group of hotels are investing in, and Solar windows, where window panes act as solar panels to produce energy.
Promote your eco-friendliness
Finally, promote the environmentally friendly aspects of your accommodation. Talk about the sustainable practices you use in your marketing material, and you can even partake in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeader’s program. With many travellers becoming more conscious of the environment and conservational efforts, they will appreciate the sustainable practices in place at your accommodation. Implementing these sustainable practices will save money, strengthen your brand and attract more eco-conscious customers.
