Green Key certified Hägern Bed & Nature is taking various initiatives to support biological diversity

Hägern Bed & Nature shares examples of amazing best practices, which help to reinforce biodiversity by preserving existing natural areas and combating pollinator and insect loss. The biggest outcome is the abundance of insects, butterflies, wild bees, and bumblebees.

© Hägern Bed & Nature

Hägern Bed & Nature is a bed & breakfast, situated on the island Bolmsö in the Swedish region Småland. The name of this establishment was inspired by the beautiful nature that surrounds the establishment and by outdoor experiences that are available nearby, such as hiking, fishing, and bird watching.

Being located so close to nature, Hägern Bed & Nature decided to contribute to biological diversity by designing a flower garden full of pollinator-friendly flowers and herbs by the entrance to their establishment. The flower garden was designed with the help of a gardener student, Stina Gustafsson, and in addition to several birdhouses, wild bee hotels, and bird and bee baths it attracted a lot of bees, butterflies, and other insects into the area.

Karl Sandrock, the environmental manager and owner of Hägern Bed & Nature shared his thoughts on the importance of the Green Key certificate and sustainable development for the establishment:

“As Hägern Bed & Nature is located on an island of extraordinary natural beauty in the south of Sweden, surrounded by forests and lakes, it was an easy decision to want to have the Green Key certification. Sustainability is essential for us and of course also for our guests who want their impact to be as minimal as possible. Despite being a very small accommodation, we have taken all the initiatives within our reach to leave a footprint.  An especially significant one that also fills us with joy is our new garden which welcomes our guests with many flowers, butterflies, and insects.”

© Hägern Bed & Nature

To support the flower lifecycle, the establishment leaves parts of their lawn unmown, which apart from other benefits also allows meadow flowers to bloom and spread. By leaving dead wood and branches untouched, they preserve existing natural areas and combat insect loss.

Moreover, to fight diseases such as fungi, Hägern Bed & Nature uses beneficial fungi instead of pesticides. The beneficial fungi are biological products based on naturally occurring root fungi in the ground, the fungi then strengthen the plants and keep them healthier.

In addition to all these actions that help with the protection and support of biodiversity, the establishment also focuses on energy-consumption savings and managed to reduce electricity consumption by over 40%, from January to August 2021, in comparison to the same period in 2022. The reduction of electricity consumption was achieved by simply improving the manual routines for heating and lowering the temperature in rooms.

To learn more about the Hägern Bed & Nature, click here.

Green Key International Director to Speak at 2nd F.I.C.C. World Congress in France

The Fédération Internationale de Camping, Caravanning et Autocaravaning F.I.C.C. AISBL, was founded in 1933, with 16 clubs from 7 countries. Today, it is constituted by 72 Federations and Clubs from 36 countries representing about 8 million consumers. It is an unique force that, through its technical commissions, represents, protects and promotes Camping, Caravanning and motor-caravanning at national and international level.

Organised for the second time by the Fédération Internationale de Camping, Caravanning et Autocaravaning (F.I.C.C.), together with an organising committee comprising members from all over the world, the 2nd edition of the World Congress will take place in the surroundings of the beautiful city of Paris, from 27th to 28th October 2022.

The World Congress with its topic “The Impact of Digitalisation and Sustainability on Camping Tourism” will unite experts from all over the world and will include presentations, discussions, workshops and reflections on three main themes: consumers, campsites and the camping industry, caravanning and motor-caravanning.

Green Key International Director, Mr. Finn Bolding Thomsen, will be attending the 2nd F.I.C.C. World Congress and will speak about implementing sustainability practices in campsites through the Green Key programme.

The opening ceremony takes place on October 27 at 9:00 am and will be the beginning of the interesting and most diverse program items.

The congress website can be accessed at: https://ficc.org/en/ or directly at, https://congress.ficc.org/

The Alex Hotel, Dublin – Ireland’s only Green Key holder certified for the second year

The Alex Hotel Dublin, one of Ireland’s leading 4-star luxurious boutique hotels, has been certified with the prestigious Green Key for the second year.

© The Alex Hotel, Dublin

The Alex Hotel, located in the heart of Dublin’s city centre is the only hotel in Ireland to hold this certificate of commitment to sustainable practice. The hotel is part of the O’Callaghan Collection which includes a group of five high-end 4-star boutique hotels in Dublin and Gibraltar city centres.

Torsten Obermann, Group General Manager at the O’Callaghan Collection, shared his view on how the Green Key certification reflects the Alex Hotel’s commitment toward a more sustainable future:

“At O’Callaghan Collection, we understand that the hotel industry has a significant impact on the environment. With the vision to work towards carbon neutrality and fully sustainable practices across our entire hotel footprint, we are committed to playing our part in managing our business in the most environmentally friendly way possible. We work hard to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, by providing our employees with relevant training to achieve this with the products and services we procure. We work hand in hand with our suppliers to ensure we reduce our impact on the environment in a positive way.”

© The Secret Garden Venue at The Alex Hotel, Dublin

Over the last years, the Alex Hotel has implemented several sustainable practices and actions to reduce its environmental impact such as:

• Across the hotel collection, 100% recyclable materials are chosen.

• Energy efficient air conditioning (a/c), which is an alternative to a central heating water, as well as sensor-controlled lighting and heating systems have been implemented.

• All bathrooms are stocked with locally sourced and sustainable toiletries.

• All the O’Callaghan Collection hotels are cashless and QR codes are being phased in to replace paper.

• Food and coffee are locally sourced and fairtrade.

Moreover, Torsten added:

“The Alex Hotel is delighted to be the only Green Key certified hotel in Ireland for a second year running. This award is a testament to the dedication and passionate efforts the team at the Alex, including our suppliers, have made towards a more sustainable future.”

To read more about The Alex Hotel, click here.

Zero Emissions by 2050: Radisson Hotel Group Dedicates Itself Towards a Sustainable Future

Green Key’s partner, the Radisson Hotel Group, is now amongst the companies setting its carbon reduction targets based on scientific recommendations.

Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) defines its zero-emissions commitment by 2050. To reach this goal, RHG will join the UNFCCC global campaign called Race to Zero, supporting the global goal of reaching Net Zero emissions. RHG will also become part of the Business Ambition campaign, which aims to hold global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Among other activities that RHG does to reduce its carbon footprint is its transition to renewable energy solutions. This transition has shown its results in 30% gains in energy efficiency. Moreover, compared to 2019, the Group has reduced its carbon emissions by 22% and water footprint by 23%. Radisson Hotel Group expects these numbers to increase in the future even more, as their number of green building certified hotels is rising. All the new or rebuilt Radisson Hotel Group properties follow the framework for healthy, efficient, carbon, and cost-saving green buildings and are aligned with sustainable building certifications such as LEED, BREAM, and EDGE.

Additionally to the sustainable building certifications, RHG has specified its own guidelines for sustainable buildings named “Build Planet“. These guidelines are used as a framework that encourages the efficient use of resources and sustainable materials, both when building new hotels and when renovating buildings.

Here is what the CEO of Radisson Hotel Group, Federico J. González, stated on the importance of sustainable actions: 

“Radisson Hotel Group has a strong, long-standing history of pioneering sustainability initiatives in the hospitality industry. Our Responsible Business pillars of Think People, Think Community, and Think Planet play an important part not only in our transformation plan, but also of what we see as our duty as hoteliers to establish a better tomorrow. We are taking clear action and affirming our commitment to be net-zero by 2050, not for our commercial gain but to create concrete change and encourage others to join us on the journey to net-zero, and eventually net positive.”

To learn more about how Radisson Hotel Group commits to decarbonize its business by 2050, click here.