The Doolin Hotel in Co Clare has become the first Irish hotel to be awarded carbon neutral certification by the Green Hospitality Programme.
The certification is to Carbon Neutral12 GREENMark level, and is operated in Ireland by Green Hospitality, recognised by entities such as Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Discover Ireland and the Sustainable Energy Authority.
The hotel gained the recognition after implementing a comprehensive carbon and energy reduction programme over a period of years. This focused on minimising energy consumption, creating an active energy management and reduction plan, a substantial investment in green electricity and a long-term solution to offset carbon emissions by planting native Irish woodland trees near the premises.
The hotel created a ‘green team’ to oversee the transition, which included measures such as transforming its oil-based heating system to an ambient air to water system and the replacement of an events marquee with a passive Eco-Barn for weddings and events.
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Green team manager Áine Martin (pictured above) explained: “All the electricity used in the hotel comes from green sources and we continuously monitor and reduce our energy consumption. Our consumption in 2017 was 465 tonnes of carbon compared with a projected 110 tonnes by end of this year.
“2019 has been a significant year for Hotel Doolin, seeing our investments in sustainability come to life. Not only have we been recognised as the only carbon neutral hotel in Ireland, we were also crowned winner of Chambers Ireland's CSR Awards in the Excellence Environment Category for our project Green Team Work.”
Green Hospitality managing director Maurice Bergin highlighted the cost savings generated by resource efficiency. “Many of the hospitality businesses that engage with us saved up to €100,000 per annum in costs across energy, water, landfill and food waste,” he said.
“Costs aside, the Irish hospitality industry is learning that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their own individual footprints and so are choosing hotels and restaurants that are aligned to their eco-consciousness.”
Hotel general manager Dónal Minihane added: “We’re only a small hotel in the west of Ireland, but we do feel a responsibility to lead the way in providing sustainable hospitality. Not only has our investment ensured we can follow through on our ethical beliefs, we have also seen our business grow by 30% since we began sharing our story of commitment to sustainable practices."
The hotel staff plant ten native trees locally in partnership with Hometree for every wedding held at the hotel, with more than 1,700 trees planted in the past two years. Plastic bottles and single-use items are completely banned in the hotel, while napkins are reusable, toilet paper is made from recycled materials and rainwater is harvested. In addition, 75% of food consumed in the hotel is supplied from within 50 kilometres.
