Sofitel first Green Globe hotel on Palm Jumeirah

Sofitel first Green Globe hotel on Palm Jumeirah

(Forimmediaterelease.net) LOS ANGELES, California – With a score of 90%, the Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort&Spa has been awarded the prestigious Green Globe certification, following an extensive sustainability audit conducted by sustainability experts, Farnek Consultancy.

This five-star, 361 rooms and 182 serviced apartments , Polynesian island themed resort is the first to be Green Globe certified on Palm Jumeirah, and it is the first within the Accor group, which is one of the world`s leading hotel operators, with more than 3,500 hotels, 450,000 rooms and over 160,000 employees.

“We are very proud to receive Green Globe Certification, which is the result of many months of preparation and hard work by the management team and all members of staff, highlighting our true commitment towards sustainability. We will continue reducing our impact on the environment and creating a better workplace,” said Christophe Schnyder, General Manager, Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort&Spa.

Opened in July 2013, the hotel already had key energy efficient systems incorporated in its original design, clearly indicating a commitment to sustainability at very early stages. Solar panels are installed on the roof, covering 530 square meters, and providing 50% of the hotel`s hot water. Condensation from the air conditioning units is drained and recycled to irrigate the hotel`s 27,000 square meters of land. The irrigation system itself is monitored by a state-of-the-art weather control system, which allows the hotel to operate its sprinklers more efficiently. All public area taps are fitted with water aerators, saving the property 6,000 cubic meters of water. 80% of the resort`s 24 hour lighting is equipped with LED bulbs, which saved more than 290,000 kilowatt hours of energy in less than four months. Low energy lighting in guest rooms will be phased in this year.

The hotel also has a comprehensive waste separation program: paper, plastic, cardboard, and cooking oil is collected by a local waste management company for recycling. The indirect savings alone are remarkable, in just six months the hotel could save the equivalent of 759 trees, 187,446 kilowatt hours of energy, 25,505 liters of oil, more than 1.1 million liters of water and 2,678 pounds of air pollutants.

Creating awareness and implementing best practices is of paramount importance. Commenting on the hotel`s impressive staff activities, empowerment and recognition program, Sandrine Le Biavant, Divisional Director at Dubai based Farnek Consultancy said:

“All employees are passionate and creative about the property`s sustainability initiatives. Energy and water saving updates are provided on a daily basis, and the green team organizes monthly meetings, where the hotel management recognizes sustainable achievements and encourages staff members to submit their thoughts and ideas on improving the green measures implemented.”

Rohit Salunke, the hotel`s Director of Engineering, is very enthusiastic about the positive effect that the international recognition will have on the hotel`s sustainability strategy. “The certification process provided us with a perfect framework to create awareness about sustainability throughout the resort. This will support our plans for further investment in energy efficiency,” said Salunke.

As a permanent “green” reminder to guests and staff alike, the hotel has covered parts of the interior with a unique collection of 24 vertical gardens with 170 different types of plants. The “green wall” was designed by renowned French botanical expert Patrick Blanc, and covers 600 square meters.

“It seems very appropriate that a French luxury hotel brand should embrace sustainability with such a chic display,” added Schnyder.

ABOUT FARNEK MIDDLE EAST
Farnek is one of the region`s foremost facilities management outsource companies. With a skilled workforce of more than 1,500 people, Farnek Middle East has offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and maintains over 1,000 properties alone on behalf of many international and regional companies. Farnek has also signed a commitment to support myclimate, an international organization that helps companies around the world manage their carbon emissions through a range of offset programs.

For media information, please contact: Jack Dulka, Account Executive, Shamal Marketing Communications, Dubai Media City, UAE, Tel: +9714 365 2711, Mobile: +971 50 552 9104, E-mail: jack@smc-pr.com , Web: http://www.smc-pr.com

ABOUT GREEN GLOBE CERTIFICATION
Green Globe Certification is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally-accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe Certification is based in California, USA, and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe Certification is a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, supported by the United Nations Foundation. For information, visit http://www.greenglobe.com

MEDIA CONTACT: Brad Cox, Director Communications, Green Globe Certification, 5959 W. Century Blvd., Suite 610, Los Angeles, California 90045 U.S.A., Tel +1-310-337-3000 , Fax +1-310-626-9982, skype bradleygcox, email bcox@greenglobe.com , http://www.greenglobe.com

GIBTM 2014 KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED

GIBTM 2014 KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED
For full details visit http://www.gibtm.com/knowledge

GIBTM, the leading Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition in the Middle East, has recently announced the full outline for their 2014 GIBTM Knowledge programme which will be delivered at the show, set to take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 24-26 March, 2014.

Erica Keogan, Associations and Education Manager, IBTM Global Events Portfolio, Reed Travel Exhibitions commented, “GIBTM Knowledge has been rebranded for this year and is set to offer professional education opportunities for MICE and Business Travel professionals at all levels. The programme, which will be delivered by industry experts, has been designed to cover key market trends and issues in the Meetings, Incentives and Business Travel sectors.”

Sponsored by Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), the GIBTM 2014 Knowledge programme will be supported by SITE, MPI, ICCA and Green Globe and will include Business Travel, Industry Knowledge, Association and Sustainability sessions, which will deliver cutting edge professional education opportunities for MICE and Business Travel professionals.

The GIBTM Knowledge programme will incorporate the following sessions and full details can be found via http://www.gibtm.com/knowledge

The GIBTM 20×20 Challenge – Powered by PechaKucha (26 March 2014, 10:30 – 11:30 Knowledge Hub). This session invites attendees to present in a PechaKucha™ competition (PechaKucha™ is a style of presentation: 20 slides shown for precisely 20 seconds per slide). The audience will vote for their favourite presentation and pick the winner. Those interested in presenting should email abi.cannons@reedexpo.co.uk with a brief overview of their intended topic.
Habits of Middle East Business Travellers (25 March 2014, 16:00 – 17:00 Knowledge Hub) – Sunil Malhotra, Director, Aviation Sector – Middle East & North Africa, Ernst and Young, will be discussing the travel habits of business travellers in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and will be addressing their travel needs and trends. This is a must-attend session for all those interested in discovering future Business Travel trends in the Middle East.
Using Content Marketing to Promote Your Event or Venue (25 March 2014, 13:00 – 14:00, Knowledge Hub) – This session, delivered by Jordan Boshers, Chief Digital Strategist and Founder, IstiZada, and Farah Isam Batarneh, Online Project Manager, IstiZada, will analyse how content marketing can be used to drive new business through utilising the creation and distribution of relevant and useful content.

To find out more about GIBTM please visit http://www.gibtm.com

Join GIBTM on Linked in, Twitter and Facebook.

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Maritim setzt auf Nachhaltigkeit im Veranstaltungsbereich

Maritim setzt auf Nachhaltigkeit im Veranstaltungsbereich
Als einziges deutsches Hotelunternehmen hat Maritim in allen deutschen Hotels Mitarbeiter zu Nachhaltigkeitsberatern ausgebildet.

Bad Salzuflen, September 2012 – Unter dem Namen “ProUmwelt” hat Maritim eine Initiative ins Leben gerufen, die sich Umweltschutz und nachhaltiges Wirtschaften zum Ziel gemacht hat. So ist für alle Hotels eine Bestandsaufnahme in den Bereichen Energie, Abfall, Wasser, Einkauf, Mobilität und Mitarbeiter gemacht worden. Darüber hinaus hat Maritim deutschlandweit Mitarbeiter zu Nachhaltigkeitsberatern ausbilden lassen, die das Projekt federführend leiten. Neben der Projektsteuerung gehört es auch zu ihren Aufgaben, Veranstaltungspartner in allen Fragen der Nachhaltigkeit zu beraten.

“Weiterbildung zum Nachhaltigkeitsberater in der Veranstaltungsbranche” heißt das Seminar, das das German Convention Bureau e.V. (GCB) seit Mai 2012 in Zusammenarbeit mit der Deutschen Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) anbietet und das die Maritim-Mitarbeiter durchlaufen haben. Innerhalb der intensiven Schulungen mit ausgeprägtem Praxisbezug ging es beispielsweise um Fragen wie “Was ist eine energieeffiziente Tagung?” oder “Ist klimafreundlich das Gleiche wie klimaneutral?”

Bereits im Juli 2010 ist das Maritim Hotel Bonn als erstes deutsches Hotel mit dem Nachhaltigkeitszertifikat von “Green Globe” ausgezeichnet worden. “Nachhaltigkeit ist ein großes Thema, das sich heutzutage jedes Unternehmen gerne auf die Fahnen schreiben möchte. Dennoch gibt es auf diesem Gebiet noch immer viel Verwirrung. Mit unserer Initiative wollen wir den Umweltgedanken weiter vorantreiben, wir sind uns jedoch auch bewusst, dass es für den Verbraucher klar definierte, überschaubare und vereinheitlichte Zertifizierungen geben muss. Daran muss die Branche noch arbeiten”, schätzt Gerd Prochaska, Geschäftsführer der Maritim Hotelgesellschaft, den Nachhaltigkeitsgedanken ein und führt weiter fort: “In dieser Hinsicht besteht in der Hotellerie durchaus noch Nachholbedarf, aber wenn es soweit ist, werden wir schon unsere Hausaufgaben gemacht haben.”

Parallel zur “ProUmwelt” Initiative bringt Maritim ab dem 15. September 2012 die neue Tagungspauschale “Maritim Green Meeting” auf den Markt. Das Besondere an diesem nachhaltigen Angebot sind beispielsweise der Kaffee aus fairem Handel, die Verwendung von Produkten aus der Region sowie auch die Bereitstellung von FSC zertifizierten Tagungsblöcken, Recycling-Flipchart-Papier und ökologisch abbaubaren Stiften. Die Green Meeting Pauschale beinhaltet neben Raummiete, technischer Ausstattung und Tagungsverpflegung auch ein 3-Gang-Menü oder Lunchbuffet und kostet ab 53 Euro pro Person und Tag. Wie auch bei den schon existierenden Tagungspauschalen “Maritim Exklusiv” ab 65 Euro pro Person und Tag und “Maritim à-la-carte” ab 42 Euro pro Person und Tag, können je nach Gusto auch beim “Green Meeting” Angebot zahlreiche Zusatzleistungen hinzugebucht werden.

Die Maritim Hotelgesellschaft ist die führende deutsche Hotelkette und in sieben Ländern im Ausland vertreten: Mauritius, Ägypten, Türkei, Malta, Spanien, China und Lettland. Die starke Position des Unternehmens in der First-Class-Hotellerie soll durch kontinuierliches Wachstum weiter gefestigt werden. Mehr Informationen unter http://www.maritim.de

Weitere Informationen zum Weiterbildungsangebot “Nachhaltigkeitsberater in der Veranstaltungsbranche” vom GCB unter www.gcb.de/gruene-seminare

Green Globe – The International Standard for Sustainability

The International Standard for Sustainability | Tourism can play key role in tracking climate change

A UN report warns that emissions from the global tourism industry will double in the next 25 years unless new sustainable practices are developed. The report, which was co-authored by United National Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) cites that most of the energy for tourism comes from fossil fuels, with the industry contributing as much as five per cent to global green house gases. Aviation currently accounts for 40 per cent of tourism’s carbon emissions, car transport for 32 per cent and accommodation for 21 per cent.

Countries need to not only mitigate the impact of climate change but also need to take action to adapt to its effects—an aspect which has been largely overlooked until now.

Policies taken by countries such as Austria, Germany, Ireland and South Africa show that it is possible to identify the future impact of climate change effects, but these policies are still in the initial stages in virtually all the countries and need to be developed further.

The report in particular highlights the impact that water scarcity will have in the industry as many tourism assets such as lakes, rivers, snow and fresh water will be affected by climate change, resulting in a disruption of the socio-economic environment.

“Countries should strengthen their incentives for the tourism sector to help reduce their green house gas emissions and adopt

environmentally-friendly practices as it has the potential to play a pivotal role in combating climate change.” UNEP

Go to Green Globe!