It is the start of a new decade! And 2020 will become the starting point of a change within our industries, towards a future that, hopefully, will have less impact in the Environment. The Hospitality & Tourism industry shall be not left behind, it is time that we, as Managers of the industry, strive to start implementing small changes that will result on a reduction of our utilities, our Carbon Footprint and our bills.

Contrary to the general perception out there, running a Green business CAN SAVE YOU MONEY. To me, greening your business means taking control and reducing your use of water & energy and production of waste, which in turn, reduces your Carbon and saves you money, it is a win-win situation for a tourism business.

One of the questions most of my potential customers ask on our first discovery call is “How do I get started?”. The answer is simple, it starts by choosing a winning Green Team.

Choose the right Green Manager

This might be yourself, or someone of authority wit...

The phone has not stopped ringing this past two months, with more and more Hotels interested in sustainability. I love seeing the mind-set of our industry managers changing, and becoming interested on running greener Hotels.

What Is Sustainability? 

Undoubtedly, there are misconceptions out there as to what “sustainability” means, in fact, the word itself does not really explain its concept. Many experts have different definitions, but to me and the Fifty Shades Greener team, sustainability for a Hotel should involve three clear pillars:

Water Conservation

Waste Reduction

Energy Reduction

The overall vision or goal for any Hotel wishing to become a Green property, should be a reduction of Carbon Footprint, and at its best, Carbon Neutrality. After Hotel Doolin’s announcement last month of becoming the first Carbon Neutral Hotel in Ireland, many hotel managers are looking to achieve the same - but Carbon Neutrality is not  a quick fix or something that can be achieved in a s...

Running an Eco friendly business is becoming more and more important in current times. Society is asking for change. Our customers of tomorrow, are the children of today, and they have been striking for Climate Action every week for the past year.

A huge opportunity lies for those businesses ahead of the curve, implementing Green Actions on their daily activities, to attract a large % of the market by setting themselves ahead of the rest.

Yet, the Hospitality industry is reluctant to embrace the necessary changes to create a Greener industry.

Environmentally Friendly Business Ideas For Your Hotel

Change is actually easier than most people think. It should not be viewed as an “extra task” to perform, it should consist on a change of mind set across all departments of your business and your team. It should be just the new way of running your business.

Many business owners still do not understand the concept of running a Greener business. The general perception out there, is that it ...

Are you looking to ‘green’ your business? There are many different components to running a Green business successfully. For us, at the Fifty Shades Greener Office, it all starts by learning how to control and reduce your use of Energy & Water and production of Waste.

How Can You Make Your Business Green?

Many people think that buying composable take away cups, containers, and other biodegradable materials means “Being Green”, but this is just a really small part of it. In fact, I am predicting that in the next 12 months we are going to see a backlash against these composable items. Currently, their life cycle is not working, and they are still creating a huge amount of waste. If a composable material is not disposed off correctly, and it ends up in landfill, it will not biodegrade as quick as we think.

Focus On Reducing Business Wastage

The reality is, the only way to sort out the huge Waste problem we have in the world is Waste Minimization. And that starts with single use items, ...

You have heard that Greening your hotel or restaurant can bring you more exposure, more clients and more profits. This much is true.

You also know that the Green Wave is real, and your customers will soon demand sustainable practices from your business. I firmly believe this will happen.

You would like to run a green business, but the learning curve seems so steep, you are busy as it is and you think it is going to cost you a fortune to get there. You are wrong in this one.

An issue of time

Greening your Hotel or Restaurant is easier than you think, and it does not have to cost you a fortune, in fact, I can prove to you that it is the opposite, it might end up saving you money. As for the amount of time you have in your hands? Well yes, the Hospitality industry is a fast paced industry, but ask yourself something:

If your accountant told you in the morning someone is stealing money from your till, would you prioritize finding out who it is so you can stop it over other items in yo...

Yesterday I saw and add on telly for Mout Cider. The add simply highlighted three things: A fully recyclable glass bottle, a cider that is vegan, and that the company are allied to the World Wildlife Fund that protects endangered species.  I was sitting on the couch and I instantly thought “Well that is a nice cider”, the add did not speak about it’s taste, or how refreshing it might be, or what fruit is made with, but the three things they highlighted, are three things I felt aligned too instantly.

Align your business values to your customer values

In a world where society is changing and demanding for companies to change their own mind-sets, a huge opportunity lies for those that are whiling to make that change, to highlight what is seen now as a positive effort towards climate change and protection of the planet.

The add resonated so much with me that this morning I had to get up and find this cider’s website. Unfortunately, the same message does not carry to their website, but I...