Taking part in Earth Hour isn’t only about addressing our impact for one hour on one day of the year. The hospitality industry relies on our natural world, and there are simple actions that all hotels can be doing every day to ensure we protect it.
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Reduce energy and carbon
Turning lights off for an hour is a first step in reducing energy consumption. There are other ways hotels can improve their energy efficiency such as installing LED lighting and sensors, insulation and draught excluders, and improving kitchen layouts so that ovens and heaters are not next to fridges or freezers. You can use our free Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative tool to track your electricity, and other energy, consumption to better understand your carbon footprint and set yourself reduction targets.
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Involve your colleagues
Everyone in the company can play a role in improving sustainability. This includes engaging with the senior staff to secure top-level buy in, and setting up working groups so the relevant departments are involved. Employees are motivated by corporate responsibility, so it’s important to share your environment activities with your staff and offer ways they can get involved.
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Work with your suppliers and partners
Collaboration is often required with other parts of the hotel value chain to maximise environmental improvements – for example, working with building owners to install more energy-efficient appliances or on-site renewables such as solar panels. Hotel operators can also include energy efficiency in their procurement considerations and select low-carbon options such as locally sourced produce.
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Look at other environmental impacts
Hotels are complex businesses which impact the environment in a variety of ways, including through the energy and resources needed to build and run a hotel, the food and drinks served to guests and their interactions with the local environment. Climate change is already having a negative effect on the industry, but there are other environmental issues that hotels should address. These include water risks, waste, and biodiversity loss. We offer a range of free factsheets to support the industry to find out more and get started on these issues.
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Become net positive
Taking part in sustainability initiatives like Earth Hour are the first step in a journey towards net positive hospitality. Our Planet Pathway enables all hotels to take a strategic approach to improving their environmental impact and provides practical advice and simple steps for those just getting started on sustainability, to those that are leading the way.