Blog

...

A circular economy preserves the value added in products for as long as possible and virtually eliminates waste. It retains the resources within the economy when a product has reached the end of its life, so that they remain in productive use and create further value. It may involve: Increasing the time products deliver their service before coming to the end of their useful life (durability); Reducing the use of materials that are hazardous or...

Water in Greece is drinkable in most places. Avoid platic bottles #greenhotels_gr — GreenHotels & green (@GreenHotels_gr) June 3, 2014...

Every hotel has them: notices in the bathroom informing guests that they can do their bit for the environment by reusing their towels, rather than expecting clean towels every day. Usually the notice contains a standard appeal, something like: Save our planet: every day millions of litres of water are used to wash towels that have been used only once. Researchers, however, have wondered if these appeals make any real difference. Studies comparing the effectiveness of...

Apr 16, 2014 The European Parliament has voted in favour of amendments to European accounting legislation in order to require certain large companies to provide additional information on social and environmental matters. These companies will have to disclose information on policies, risks and results as regards environmental matters, social and employee-related aspects, respect for human rights, anti-corruption and bribery issues, and diversity on the boards of directors. The amendments had been proposed by the European...

thaca, NY — An analysis of survival tactics for economic recession and a direct test of hotel guests’ responses to sustainability efforts are the winning reports in the 2014 Industry Relevance Award competition for the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR). The winning reports are “Successful Tactics for Surviving an Economic Downturn: Results from an International Study,” by Sheryl E. Kimes, and “Hotel Guests’ Reactions to Guest Room Sustainability Initiatives,” by Alex M. Susskind and...

Is your hotel following a sustainable strategy? Time to make your hotel healthier, and more sustainable in terms of environment, social and economic terms. Ask msolutions how to do it….   In the following video by tuitravelplc, Johan Lundgren, Deputy Chief Executive, explains why sustainability is important to the travel industry and how it is fundamentally embedded within TUI Travel’s strategy.   To view the video, go to http://www.tuitravelplc.com/news-views/viewpoint Source: http://www.tuitravelplc.com/news-views/viewpoint...

There are lots of things that will make a city and its particular holidaymaker destinations available to people with physical disabilities. First of all factor is really a barrier free airport and transport system that is certainly suitable for people who have movement disabilities. In pursuit of advertising accessible tourism, several major cities already went through a plenty of tweaks and changes. Spain is unquestionably one of the best examples, because government takes positive steps...

Essen, Ljubljana, Nijmegen, Oslo and Umeå have been shortlisted from 12 entries across Europe to proceed to the next stage of the European Green Capital 2016 Award, organised by the European Commission. View the press release here. The shortlisted cities will now proceed to present their vision, their potential to act as a role model to other cities, and their communication strategy to the Jury in Copenhagen on 23rd June 2014. The final result, the European Green Capital 2016, will...

The report says emissions are running at the high end of projections. Concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are likely to break the 450ppm threshold by 2030. It adds that current pledges by governments made at climate summits in Copenhagen and Cancun currently exceed this cautionary limit. The share of clean energy sources needs to triple or even quadruple by 2050, relative to 2010, the final draft explains. Delaying emissions reductions beyond 2030 will increase...

The United Nations scientific panel on climate change today presented its latest report on the impacts of climate change, society’s vulnerability to them, and the capacity and limits to adapt to the changing climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report finds clear evidence that climate change is already having substantial and widespread impacts today but says strong and urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can reduce the risk of such impacts in the...

by Isabelle Cabie Guardian Professional, Thursday 3 April 2014 07.00 BST @ http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-tourism-10-key-issues-investors   A socially responsible investment (SRI) investor is constantly balancing the potential profitability of an organisation against how sustainable and responsible its business model is. When it comes to the tourism sector, this makes for a complex investment strategy. The tourism sector is heterogeneous and segmented, encompassing catering, hotels and resorts, and travel services. However, there are common issues that affect the whole sector. Trends...

Article by McKinsey Quarterly The economics of solar power are improving. It is a far more cost-competitive power source today than it was in the mid-2000s, when installations and manufacturing were taking off, subsidies were generous, and investors were piling in. Consumption continued rising even as the MAC Global Solar Energy Index fell by 50 percent between 2011 and the end of 2013, a period when dozens of solar companies went bankrupt, shut down, or changed...

Yes – because it offers a way in which businesses confident in their green credentials can reach a broader consumer market. No for four important reasons: You need to be very confident as a business to make explicit statements about you green credentials if you are to risk claims for refunds by consumers who feel you’ve not delivered as promised. Being identified on TripAdvisor as having made claims which cannot be substantiated will be painful....

The eighth international Responsible Tourism in Destinations (RTD8) conference takes place in Manchester on April 3-5. Elise Allart, sustainable tourism manager at the Dutch tour operator TUI Nederland, is among the speakers at the event. She will be delivering a keynote speech on April 4 on the responsibilities of tour operators in ensuring child protection. She took time out of her busy schedule to speak with Blue & Green Tomorrow. What does TUI Nederland do? TUI Nederland is...

The global hospitality sector entered 2013 with a strong appetite for growth. Building on momentum gained in the prior year, renewed investor confidence and pent-up demand for trades propelled growth within the global lodging sector, fueling an increase in transaction activity and worldwide improvements in hotel operations. Opportunities After years of facing constrained capital budgets, hotel owners refocused investment in their portfolios to maximize growth in occupancy and rate. Across the globe, significant improvements in...

A recent survey of the environmental management system standard ISO 14001 covering its future content and its current benefits, which received over 5 000 responses, found that it is particularly useful in meeting legal requirements and improving environmental performance. However, a clearer focus on preventing pollution, eco-efficiency and life-cycle thinking should be provided in the next version of the standard. The survey had responses from organizations of various sizes in 110 countries – a majority...

What is coastal and maritime tourism? Coastal tourism includes beach-based tourism and recreation activities (e.g. swimming, surfing, etc.), and other recreation activities in coastal areas (e.g. aquariums). Maritime tourism covers water-based activities (e.g. boating, yachting, cruising, nautical sports) and includes operations of landside facilities (chartering, manufacturing of equipment and services). In geographical terms coastal areas are defined as those bordering the sea or having at least half of their territory within 10km of the coast.1 Coastal...