CO2 compensation: paths to a climate-neutral hotel stay
Climate-neutral, environmentally friendly and sustainable - how we should travel in the future in order to help reduce the effects of climate change.
While many tourism businesses continue to operate as they have in the past and struggle to make significant changes to their offerings, there are an increasing number of hoteliers who are already operating in a sustainable and climate-neutral way. Read on to learn more about the ways Green Pearls® partners have found to offset their emissions and where guests have opportunities to compensate their own CO2 footprint.
The many possibilities for CO2 compensation
If desired, guests can ensure their time spent at the Schwarzwald Panorama is completely climate-neutral. The CO₂ emissions during their stay are reported and offset by contributing to recognised climate protection projects. For this, the hotel works with Climate Partner. The projects supported include a mountain forest project for biodiversity on the Schauinsland near Freiburg, a forest conservation project on Papua New Guinea and support for environmentally friendly production processes in a Colombian brickworks. On its own initiative, the hotel is also doing everything it can to greatly reduce its own CO₂ emissions. To this end, the company's total environmental impact, including annual CO₂ emissions, is recorded and analyzed, and residual emissions that cannot be avoided are offset in cooperation with Climate Partner.
Strengthen guest engagement through transparency and incentives
CERVO Mountain Resort Zermatt cooperates with myClimate for CO2 compensation. The carbon dioxide emissions generated by the production of its own beer and meat dishes in the restaurants are offset, and guests can also make their stay CO₂-neutral via myClimate. For only CHF 3 per night, guests can offset the CO2 emissions of their stay and support the hotel's sustainability initiatives. As an added incentive, CERVO then doubles each offset franc. With part of the total, the hotel supports a myClimate foundation carbon offset project in Brazil. The remaining amount is invested in sustainability measures on site or in operational sustainability such as the conversion to renewable energies or the sustainable planting of the outdoor area.
Become a climate hero at the click of a mouse
The Schlosshotel Blankenburg also likes to encourage its guests to make their contribution to sustainable travel. With its certification partner GreenSign and the organisation Klimapatenschaft, the hotel has selected two climate protection projects through which guests can compensate for their stay. Alternatively, they can also get involved by donating a tree or adopting a bee. Simply online, and all at the click of a mouse. As proof of their climate-neutral hotel stay, guests receive a personal certificate - the Klimaheld Certificate.
Support projects in the region
On its path to carbon neutrality, Kasbah du Toubkal in Morocco's Atlas Mountains is cooperating with the High Altas Foundation (HAF). The organization helps people in rural communities plant trees such as walnut, olive, and fig trees which also provide economic benefits. HAF operates 11 fruit nurseries in Morocco with nine tree species and plants 1.3 million seeds annually. This also includes plantings in the Azzaden Valley, where Kasbah's trekking lodge is located. "We can't personally offset the carbon footprint of a flight full of vacationers, but we can do our best to link a guest's stay to that offset and physically show how that relates to supporting the economic activities of the entire region," says Mike Mc Hugo, Co-Founder and Manager Kasbah du Toubkal.
Longstanding commitment to sustainable development projects
Back in 2019, the Biohotel Sturm was awarded as a climate-neutral hotel. It is one of the first in the hotel industry to voluntarily compensate its emissions according to the Kyoto Protocol and since 2019 has offered climate-neutral stays at all of its accommodations and guesthouses at no extra charge. In addition to a steady reduction in CO2 emissions generated, the hotel offsets all remaining emissions through compensation projects in Uruguay and Rwanda. The projects supported are VCS Forest Uruguay, which now operates eucalyptus plantations on former pasture land. Along with the GS Cooking Stove Project in Rwanda, which issues cooking stoves to the rural population in particular so that they no longer have to cook inefficiently with wood or charcoal. This reduces the annual rate of deforestation in the areas and promotes health by reducing the risk of respiratory diseases.
Mandatory climate impact assessment for organic hotels
As a member of the Biohotels Association, the Gut Nisdorf is also obliged to report on their CO2 footprint. This is assessed using a questionnaire and evaluated by the company Fokus Zukunft. The special thing about this assement is that not only the heating costs and electricity consumption are determined, but the consumption of goods as a whole. Detailed for each product, the working routes of the employees and other items. This produces a reliable figure for the actual CO2 emissions of the company, which are then offset by reforestation projects in Uruguay and Peru. Through various sustainability measures, the Gut Nisdorf has managed to reduce its emissions per day to about 1/6 of the hotel average in Germany.
The partners mentioned here, as well as all other Green Pearls® partners, are on a constant mission to continue reducing their carbon footprint while developing and implementing innovative sustainable measures.