COMMENTARY: Does it really matter what an Aalborg hotel does to make the world a greener place? You bet it does.
By Bo Kikkenborg, Hotel Director, KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg
In Denmark, we consume a very large part of the world's resources. When we get to AprilDuring the first half of the year, we have already consumed our share and the rest of the year we consume someone else's share. I'll leave that for a moment...
We must and should work together to reduce resource consumption. It is both ethically and environmentally correct, and as a non-profit and sustainable hotel, we want to take our share of responsibility.
That's why we have chosen to become a Green Key certified hotel.
Pragmatic sustainability
Green Key is the international tourism ecolabel and is awarded to tourism businesses that go the extra mile to protect the environment. We have committed to meeting a wide range of requirements in areas such as water, waste, cleaning, energy, outdoor areas and indoor climate.
In this way, an abstract concept like "sustainability" becomes realistic and practical, because it is broken down into "edible" chunks that fit our routines and everyday life. There aren't that many Danish Green Key hotels yet, usually only the very large hotels, but that will come.
The bottom line is important
In Aalborg, we in the tourism industry are working to make the city a sustainable destinationand Green Key is KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg's contribution.
But nobody does anything for the sake of their black eyes.
It all has to make sense, also financially. Sustainability initiatives must be beneficial to both the environment and the bottom line. Something as simple as using less electricity and water means a smaller bill. In these cases, sustainability is just common sense, and that's how it should be.
Green buses and taxis
KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg has created an action plan for reducing resource consumption, which will be reviewed and improved every year to ensure that sustainability remains a dynamic influence in the hotel.
If I - as a hotel manager and private individual - were to look beyond our own property and make a concrete wish for improvements in the city, it would be that all buses and taxis only run on electricity.
It's good and environmentally friendly when our guests walk into town or rent our bikes, but if they need to go further out, they often have to use diesel buses, which are noisy, noisy and polluting. The same goes for taxis.
That's why I look forward to the day when I can send our guests on adventures in our beautiful city in sustainable transport.