There is no greater luxury than sustainability. It has to be a way of life to be a way of business. When one talks about sustainable and eco-friendly hotels, the presumption strikes out as a compromise with the designing and looks of the property. But it is just a myth. A hotel can be eco-friendly and stylish at the same time. We all are aware of the environmental damage that has happened over these years. Many industries have adopted sustainable practices to save the environment, and the hospitality industry is not behind in this eco-friendly drive.
Sustainable and eco-friendly hotels are the need of the hour. In this rapidly changing world, if we won’t change our choices wisely, we might end up in a catastrophic situation. Eco-friendly hotels are those that use sustainable ways and products to protect the environment. They practice green-living with organic products and clean energy.
Here are 10 ways to create an eco-friendly and sustainable hotel.
1. Save water
The most common way in which hotels waste resources is by wasting water. It can easily be controlled by switching from high-flowing faucets, toilets, and showerheads to a sustainable one. Placing environmentally friendly, low-flow showerheads not only has the ability to save a lot of water from being wasted but can also add a new look to the bathrooms. Many people will run bathroom faucets while they shave and brush their teeth even if it’s not being used. when they do this, water literally goes down the drain. One of the most effective ways to avoid that is to switch from normal faucets with modern motion-sensing faucets. Motion sensing faucets only run if water is needed and this virtually eliminates wasted water from bathroom faucets.
2. Using natural materials
Glass, metal, bamboo, cork, and porcelain are some of the sustainable materials that cannot only add a stunning as well as unique look to the property but also help in making the hotel eco-friendly. Using sustainable material will clearly add-up to the brand value.
3. Avoiding usage of plastic
Plastic is a non-degradable material, which makes it difficult to decompose. You can either recycle, reuse, or avoid using it completely. You can opt for alternatives to plastic. For instance, you can use cotton or jute bags instead of polythene, or terracotta containers instead of plastic boxes. Substituting plastic with sustainable and eco-friendly materials will act as an important step in placing the property as an eco-friendly brand.
4. Going paper-less
There are thousands of trees being axed to make paper. Deforestation is an active player in environment degradation. We live in a digital era, where every kind of data can be stored on cloud servers. Thus, switching from papers to digital can be a strong move in the idea of being an eco-friendly property. Going ‘digital’ should be the motto of the hospitality industry in order to pave its way towards a sustainable and eco-friendly infrastructure.
5. Invest in green energy
Industries are adopting renewable sources of energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. Solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear power have already made their way into major industries. The hospitality industry is also paving its way into using clean energy. Hotels should switch to into solar heaters, bio fuels, CHP (Combined Heating and Power), wind farms, and geothermal energy.
6. Introducing rain-water harvesting
Every year, many countries face drought and famines during summer due to scarcity of rainfall. Additionally, because of deforestation, the situation has worsened. To combat the situation, rainwater harvesting is one of the most efficient and easy way out. The hotel should cater to rainwater harvesting and use it for various purposes.
7. Implementing the policy of 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle)
One of the important ways to create an eco-friendly environment is using 3 R’s – Reduce, reuse and recycle. Hotels need to reduce the amount of waste generated. Recycling also plays a very important role in the process. It’s not only limited to plastic or glass. One can recycle various things such as fused bulbs, cans, cartons, and cartridges. Waste treatment is another alternative for materials that cannot be recycled. Reusing the resources processed through reducing and recycling sums up the entire process of giving an eco-friendly and sustainable environment to the property.
8. Reducing the use of plastic
Plastic proves to be one of the most harmful materials for environment. Reducing its usage will automatically curate an eco-friendly and sustainable path for the hotels to lead on. Evicting the usage of plastic keys, straws, etc, will help in making the property safer for the environment.
9. Opting for organic products
In this pandemic era, opting for organic products is the safest alternative possible. From food to organic items, this is the most conventional way towards being sustainable and eco-friendly.
10. Conducting environmental audit
Environmental audits are a way to keep in check the infrastructure keeping the sustainability parameter in mind. Once you start using sustainable hotel practices for being eco-friendly, you need to invest in environmental audits. It’s a necessary step for every hotel. If the hotel passes every point in the audit, they are given LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. It is a proof that the particular hotel practices methods which are beneficial to the environment at certain levels.
Above are the ways in which a hotel can achieve the status of a sustainable and eco-friendly status because sustainability is the future.
