How we care for the environment has become one of the major news stories of recent years. With vocal activists such as Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough pushing the impact of climate change to the forefront and news headlines revealing the impact of carbon emissions on the planet, and awareness of the world we live in and the ways we can protect it have become a major theme, especially as there’s a sense that time is running out.
While there is a lot of pressure put on huge organizations to take responsibility for their role in climate change, there are things that smaller businesses can do to make a difference, too. As someone who runs a hospitality business, you may be looking for ways to make day-to-day operations more environmentally friendly. Read on to find out how you can do that.
Know the basics
The idea of creating a sustainable business can seem daunting, especially if you’ve been running the same hotel or restaurant for years. However, with some simple updates, you can make a real difference.
First, it’s good to know the essentials. Being a green business is no longer a nice thing to include on your website. When it comes to the world of hospitality, being sustainable is a must.
There are several reasons to consider the environment. As well as being good for the planet, being an eco-focused business is likely to attract talented individuals to job roles within your business as this is something that’s important to many prospective employees. Additionally, it’s good for your reputation as clients are more likely to be looking at how your business offsets carbon emissions as part of the corporate responsibility you offer.
So, how to introduce green methods to your business?
Look at the current output
How much electricity do you use? How much water is wasted annually? Do you have good waste management and recycling system in place? Assessing where you are as a business will give you a chance to establish how much energy you’re using and where savings can be made.
Also, read how to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Food Transportation
Create a plan
Now you know your output, you can come up with ways to make some changes. Have you made the switch to LED lighting yet, for instance? When you switch from halogen to LED bulbs, you save around 5kg of CO? emissions.
Also, how does the plumbing look? Leaks can cause millions of liters of water to be wasted each day, so it’s worth taking the time to check for leaks, especially if you run a hotel and have several en-suites and bathrooms to check. Many of these leaks can be resolved with a quick adjustment using a screwdriver set. If you or a member of your team has decent DIY skills, it’s worth taking the time to make some simple repairs.
Look at waste
Take the time to check the recycling system in your hospitality business. Have designated bins for bottles, paper, and other materials that can be recycled so that you can ensure everything isn’t ending up in one bin.
How about your kitchen? How much food are you ordering in? If there’s a lot of food waste at the end of every day, it may be that you need to talk to your chef about portion sizes so that when you come to order ingredients, you order enough to reduce the risk of food waste.
Train staff
It’s crucial that you talk to your team about your intention to make your business greener. Host training sessions so that they are aware of the procedures in place and let them know how to flag any issues that they see to you.
