A local Dublin 4 hotel has recently been awarded an Eco-label Certificate from the Green Hospitality Programme in recognition of its eco-friendly approach in hospitality.
Sandymount Hotel, located within walking distance of the Aviva Stadium, joined the Green Hospitality Programme in May 2013 in an effort to implement better environmental procedures and to reduce energy costs. The hotel has now adopted the Programme’s charter, which promotes responsible practice within the Irish tourism and hospitality sector.
The hotel’s Green Ambassador and main driving force in their association with the GHP is Ruth Cooper, Green Policy Coordinator and Accounts Clerk.
Sandymount Hotel received their new-found eco-status in late July. In accordance with the charter, Sandymount Hotel now has a progressive eco-plan in place. The overall project takes in many pivotal changes including the installation of over 400 bulbs in the hotel to reduce their consumption of fossil fuels, done with the intention of retaining the hotel’s Victorian architecture. The hotel also has a new water conservation plan, as well as promoting green transport by installing an on-site electric vehicle charger and deploying a bicycle hire scheme in association with local suppliers.
Other criteria passed involves supporting Irish producers by sourcing locally to reduce carbon footprint, and protecting the environment by monitoring waste and recycling more.
“All the staff have really got involved and on average more than 93% of our waste is now being diverted from landfill,” Cooper told NewsFour. “The next level then is silver, so we’ll be looking to try to achieve that as well. What we can do to try to achieve that is produce a lot more of our own materials on recyclable paper. We’re looking at trying to make our menus more Irish and more local.”
NewsFour also spoke to Susan O’Driscoll, Digital Media and Marketing Manager at Sandymount Hotel, who told us that educating the staff and ensuring their adherence to the GHP guidelines has gone by smoothly but insists that it is important to provide guests with the opportunity to join in.
The hotel will soon be starting an initiative whereby door cards will be provided to each bedroom where guests will be given an option to get involved should they choose to do so. She also spoke of how the staff in the hotel manage to stick to the eco-friendly script despite the unwieldy nature of the workforce.
“There’s 90 staff here; you can’t be with everyone at all times,” O’Driscoll stated. “We have set up Green Teams, with a representative from each department and we meet regularly and discuss what’s happening and what we can do to improve.”
The Green Hospitality Programme is an internationally recognised Irish organisation that is supported by the Environmental Protection Agency. It seeks to promote eco-friendly tourism and provide assistance in the hospitality industry with regards to environmental awareness through staff education and certification programmes. Businesses can apply for certification programmes online at ghaward.ie
Above, left to right: Gerard Loughran, John Loughran, Maurice Bergin, Ruth Cooper and Conor Dolan.
Image supplied by Sandymount Hotel.
By Craig Kinsella
