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Sustainable Hotel Website Offers Advice & Resources Ian Buckle, a sustainability consultant working for project partners NIMTECH, has launched Sustainable Hotel, a new website that provides advice and support for companies working in the hospitality industry. Ian is currently working on the Resource Efficiency Centre project led by Blackpool Council, and on the North West Centre for Waste Management project, which is led by UCLan. Details of the two EU funded programmes can be found in the article below. With his energy efficiency work on the REC project, Ian is focusing on building partnerships with large lighting manufacturers, providing energy efficient lighting solutions to companies interested in reducing their carbon footprint. In addition to an extensive list of hints and tips for improving energy efficiency, water use and waste management, the Sustainable Hotel website also provides information about free environmental reviews, developing environmental policy statements, business benchmarking and many other valuable resources. New Services to Replace Sustourex & Blue Sky Resort Network March 2007 saw the end of the two EU funded projects under which the Green Tourism Awards have been organised. The Blue Sky Resort Network in Blackpool and the Sustourex programme in North and West Lancashire have both now come to an end, after a run of approximately three years. During that time, the two projects have helped more than 200 local businesses to improve their environmental performance, enabling them to make savings valued at more than £2.5 million.
Blackpool Council, for example, is continuing with the EMPRISE Blackpool project, which offers a low cost trade waste recycling service for materials including card, paper, glass and metal. More details can be found on the EMPRISE website. The Council has also recently launched the Resource Efficiency Centre, which will operate from the Solaris Centre on the New South Promenade. This ERDF funded scheme operates throughout North and West Lancashire and can help many different kinds of company - not just tourism businesses. It focuses on resource use and helps businesses to improve their energy efficiency, their use of water, and to take advantage of advances in micro-generation technologies, including photo-voltaics, wind turbines and ground heat source pumps. The project will also examine energy conservation and can provide free insulation surveys for qualifying businesses. More details, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the Resource Efficiency Centre website. Another project that offers useful environmental advice to the region's SMEs is the University of Central Lancashire's North West Centre for Waste Management. Based in Preston and supported by other leading regional universities, the programme helps companies to address a range of waste management issues, including the minimisation and disposal of solid and liquid waste, energy efficiency, legislation and recycling. The project can also help companies to make use of state of the art research and development facilities within the universities to devise new solutions to significant waste management problems. Details can be found on the Centre for Waste Management website. These three European funded programmes will collectively be continuing the environmental award scheme that was initiated by Sustourex and the Blue Sky Resort Network, so companies wishing to apply for the familiar aluminium plaques and award certificates may still do so. Please contact us or visit the relevant websites for further details. Finally, the University of Central Lancashire, Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council and the not-for-profit business support consultancy NIMTECH have also announced the launch of a new programme designed to promote business security and to help local firms to mitigate the risks associated with crime. Like the others, it is EU funded and is available free of charge to companies in certain qualifying areas of the North West region. The programme is so new that there is no website as yet, but further details can be obtained from June Armstrong at UClan. (jarmstrong@uclan.ac.uk). Lancashire Hoteliers Opt to 'Buy Local'
On display were products from many of the region’s leading producers. Drinks included beers, liqueurs, cordials and locally bottled mineral water, and there was a veritable cornucopia of foods laid out for visitors, ranging from black puddings and locally reared organic meats to chocolate, chutneys and fruit pies. Supported by the area’s leading food producers’ associations - North West Fine Food and Made in Lancashire - the day long event was also backed by Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board, North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and the business support organisation, Nimtech. While the samples of local fine foods undoubtedly provided one of its main attractions, the event also featured a series of presentations aimed at local businesses. These examined issues such as group purchasing, publicly funded business support services, energy efficiency and the Tourist Board’s new ‘Taste Lancashire’ quality initiative. Central to the event was the message that buying locally produced food and drink makes sound commercial sense as well as being more environmentally sustainable, as Nimtech’s managing director, David Bowker explains: “Buying local has many important advantages,” he said. “Removing the need for goods to travel great distances between the point of origin and the dining table helps to maximise the taste, quality and freshness of the food while also keeping transportation and storage costs to a minimum. In addition, local purchasing helps to keep the regional economy buoyant and means working with known suppliers who have a keen interest in keeping their customers happy. Most importantly, perhaps, buying direct from the producer cuts out profit-making ‘middle-men’, so substantial costs savings can be made.” This is a sentiment shared by Karen Lamb of North West Fine Food. “Experience has shown that local procurement really works for hotels, restaurants and guest houses,” she said. “Buying local food provides a point of differentiation - a way for forward looking venues to set themselves apart from the competition – and, of course, the food itself tastes better!” While buying local can be a useful money saving approach in its own right, the event also examined other ways of minimising costs. Representatives of the Blackpool EMPRISE programme demonstrated the savings that could be achieved by making use of its trade waste recycling service, and group purchasing specialist Matthew Thomas of Value Works gave a presentation that looked at the potential savings that could be achieved by hotels and restaurants by making use of their collective buying power. The event was held to be such a success that the partners have agreed to hold another event at the same time next year. More details can be found on the Buy Local website. Awards for Twenty Blackpool Hoteliers
The awards were presented by David Bowker, a project adviser and managing director of NIMTECH. He congratulated all the hoteliers and guest house owners who had implemented new measures to reduce waste and improve energy efficiency, and said that they were part of a sector that had set a world class standard for environmental awareness. He said: “I recently attended an environmental conference in Italy where there were presentations being given by organisations from across Europe. There were reports of all kinds of interesting projects, but there was nothing on the scale that is being achieved here in Blackpool. People were talking about projects involving up to fifty companies, which is certainly a positive step, but in Blackpool alone, we are working with well over 200 tourism businesses, every one of which has shown an admirable commitment to environmental sustainability. “Through programmes like the Blue Sky Resorts Network and the EMPRISE trade waste recycling project, a sustained effort has been, and continues to be made to help Blackpool’s tourism businesses to lead the way when it comes to resource efficiency and competitiveness. These awards prove that real progress has been made and that the town can justifiably feel proud of its achievements.” During the event, hoteliers heard about progress with the EMPRISE trade waste recycling project, which is now collecting glass and metal waste from well over 100 businesses and, in the process, creating new jobs for local people. David Bowker also announced the launch of two new European funded projects: The Resource Efficiency Centre (REC), which
will provide advice about new technologies and techniques for reducing
energy and water costs; and He illustrated how these projects are part of an ongoing programme to support and promote Blackpool’s tourism industry in its quest to become more environmentally and socially responsible whilst also remaining highly competitive. A list of the award winners can be found here. Hornby Village Institute Wins Award
A grade 2 listed building, the Village Institute was built in 1915 and was extended in the 1950s to create a large dance hall. Over time, however, the building services began to deteriorate and the internal layout made it difficult to provide access to people with limited mobility, so the Hornby Village Trust devised a comprehensive refurbishment plan. The £1.3 million programme was duly approved and received funding support from a variety of sources including the National Lottery and the Lancashire Environment Fund. The purpose of the redevelopment project was to develop a fully equipped community resource centre and, accordingly, it has created many new facilities including a gymnasium, training rooms, a refreshments bar and a publicly accessible computer suite with broadband access. It also breathed new life into the existing parts of the building, which were repaired, re-wired, re-decorated and engineered to make every room fully accessible to people using wheelchairs. A key requirement of the project was that the refurbished structure should perform to the highest environmental standards, which meant installing energy efficient lighting, roof and wall insulation, double glazing and thermostatically controlled heating. The redevelopment also afforded an opportunity to fit modern passive infra-red detection lighting control systems, which ensure that lights in unoccupied rooms could not accidentally be left switched on. Water in conserved on site through the use of push-button taps - which cannot inadvertently be left running - and the purchase of new, efficient kitchen appliances including a commercial dishwasher. Heating is controlled in four independent zones, which are only activated as required, and the use of new condenser boilers ensures that the system runs efficiently. “This is a very impressive example of a popular community centre that is being run according to environmentally sustainable practices,” said Ian Buckle. “The refurbishment work has obviously given the Village Trust the opportunity to make some very substantial improvements, and I’m pleased to see that it is paying dividends. Not only is the centre being very well used by local people and businesses, but its waste and energy costs are down and this has undoubtedly contributed to its moving into profit only eight months after re-opening. In addition to structural and technical issues, the Institute’s management team has also addressed a number of purchasing and waste management policies as a means of enhancing social and environmental responsibility. It buys local foods, recycled goods and fair-trade products wherever possible, and recycles all glass, paper, cardboard, plastic and metal tins. In recognition of the team’s efforts, Ian presented Jim Calvert and Roger Carter with an award plaque made from recycled aluminium, which will inform customers and local residents of the Institute’s environmental credentials. Business Support Event for North Lancashire Tourism Businesses On Wednesday 28th June, the Holiday Inn Lancaster hosted and sponsored a free business support event for tourism businesses in northern Lancashire. The purpose of the gathering was to explain the range of business support services available to companies through the EU funded Sustourex programme, and to provide information about other important issues such as time management and legal compliance.
The next speaker was Claire Pople from Rosebud Training in Blackpool, who discussed a broad spectrum of legal compliance issues. She explained, using illustrations and real life case histories, that there are many different forms of legislation with which hoteliers and similar businesses must comply. Rosebud Training hosts regular one-day workshops that cover these subjects in detail, but in the time available at this workshop, Claire provided a useful overview of the key areas to be considered. These include health & safety, food safety, fire safety, licensing, trading standards, discipline & dismissals and age discrimination. There have been numerous changes in the law with respect to many of these issues and there are potentially severe penalties for non-compliance, so Claire emphasised the commercial importance of keeping abreast of one's responsibilities.
PQF Training regularly organises sessions for people who wish to study such topics in detail, and its next Time Management course will take place on 16th August. At the end of her presentation, Rita led a short question and answer session, in which delegates suggested their own time-saving techniques, such as not allowing one's daily schedule to be dictated by incoming e-mails and attending meetings only when they are absolutely essential. After lunch, David Bowker of Nimtech explained the purpose of the Sustourex programme and the various support services that it offers. Its environmental reviews had, he pointed out, helped local businesses to save many thousands of pounds in reduced waste and energy costs over the last two years, and these savings made an immediate contribution to the bottom line. He also emphasised the benefits to participating companies in terms of positive publicity: achieving Green Tourism Awards had enabled companies to gain valuable press coverage at both the local and national levels, while the awards themselves, which are designed to be fixed externally, near the front door of hotels, have helped many establishments to gain passing trade. This was a fact to which Chris Parry of Patty's Farm Barn was happy to testify; as a previous award winner, he said it had helped him to gain considerable publicity which, in turn, had encouraged additional bookings. David concluded the event by reiterating that the Sustourex project is still able to provide free environmental and business support to companies in eligible areas of the county. (Eligibility can be checked here.) Anyone requiring assistance should get in touch as soon as possible. Hotel 365 Wins Blackpool's Latest Award
Hotel 365 – so called because it is open every day of the year - has undergone a thorough refurbishment programme over the course of the last 12 months. This process is aimed primarily at improving guest facilities but it has also created many opportunities to install energy and waste-reducing measures that will yield substantial long term savings. For example, the loft and wall cavities are well insulated, while the use of fibreboard, underlay and quality carpeting ensure that sound and heat insulation between floors is excellent. “Often, when we visit a hotel or guest house for the first time, we can quickly identify several obvious opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs,” said Ian Buckle. “However, on my first visit here, Philip was already doing a great deal to improve the hotel’s environmental performance, so he was, in a sense, already a worthy winner of the award. “Aside from the new insulation work, the hotel also has modern, energy-efficient appliances and a zoned power system, which enables individual rooms to be powered off when they are unoccupied, so there is no waste of energy due to lights being left on or televisions being kept on stand-by. In the rooms and corridors, different kinds of low energy lighting are used, doors are draught-proofed and there are various water saving devices including self-closing taps and dual flush WCs. “Really, the list goes on and on, and it’s something that Philip should be proud of. It is very clear that he has put a lot of thought and investment into the way the hotel is run, right down to his policy of buying local produce wherever possible so as to minimise the distance the food has to travel between the plate and its point of origin. It’s all very commendable and certainly deserves to be recognised in the form of this Green Tourism Award.” As a result of the project’s recommendations, Philip has introduced a customer awareness scheme, using information sheets in the bedrooms to explain the hotel’s environmental policies (such as its ‘wash on request’ towel laundry service). Similarly, the waste-conscious hotelier has ensured that all bathrooms now feature refillable soap- and shampoo-dispensers rather than bars of soap and other toiletries which previously had to be discarded when guests vacated their rooms. Blackpool Hoteliers Consider New Trade Waste Recycling Scheme
In the earliest phase of the project, Emprise workers will collect glass and metal for recycling, but in the longer term, it is hoped that Emprise will be able to handle other materials including paper, card, plastic and cooking oil. More details about the project can be found on the Emprise website - www.emprise.org.uk. The site also has an enquiry form, which hoteliers and other local business people can use to register their interest in the collection scheme. At the first event, which was held at the Blackpool Hilton, the hotel's chief engineer Brian Jones, provided an informative overview of various waste minimisation and energy efficiency techniques that have yielded thousands of pounds worth of savings in recent years. An article by Brian can be found on our Case Studies page. The second event was held the following day at the Solaris Centre. At both events, the visiting hoteliers were asked for their views about the best ways of collecting waste materials, the optimum frequency of collections and many other issues. Their responses will help Emprise staff to develop an appropriate and cost effective service that will enable local businesses to recycle a large proportion of their waste. Four More Awards for Blackpool Hoteliers
The number of hotels and self-catering accommodation providers who are achieving Green Tourism Awards in Blackpool is continuing to grow. Free environmental reviews can still be provided to eligible tourism businesses in Blackpool under the Blue Sky Resorts Network project. Please contact us for more details. Award for Cobble Hey Farm & Gardens On 27th March, Lancaster University environmental adviser, Alex Southall, presented a Green Tourism Award to Edwina Miller, the owner of Cobble Hey Farm and Gardens, a popular country garden based in Claughton near Garstang.
In addition to making the visitor facilities as energy efficient as possible through the use of low energy lighting, effective insulation and modern glazing, the owners also manage the site very actively to enhance its value to wildlife. “We have been a working farm for many years,” said Edwina, “so it has been very important for us to maintain a rural, preserved farming area. Consequently, although we have now opened to the public, we still have a very strong policy on conservation. Our land has been a haven for wildlife for many years and by building up links with the RSPB, we have been able to improve its value as a habitat for lapwings, curlews, oyster catchers and red shanks. The land is protected and monitored, and to help visitors to appreciate what is going on, we have recently created a lapwing walk in partnership with the Countryside Rangers.” “The work at Cobble Hey has been very impressive,” said Alex Southall. “Clearly, environmental concerns are very close to the owners’ hearts and they have done a creditable job in establishing a site that is simultaneously attractive to tourists and local wildlife. That can often be a very difficult balancing act, but Edwina and her team have carried it off very successfully indeed. “There are similar examples of sustainability in action throughout the site. The wooden way-markers for the lapwing walk are made from oak that has been felled within the garden itself, and every summer, the farm hosts a wood carving course that enables traditional skills to be passed down for future generations. Locally sourced timber is also used as a renewable fuel source in the dining area, while there is also a re-use and recycling policy in place to ensure that all resources are used responsibly.” In addition to the Green Tourism Award, Cobble Hey has also recently won a Wyre Heritage Trust award for sustainability. A case study can be found here, which provides more details about the environmentally sustainable practices that Edwina and her team have implemented. Award for Historic Holiday Cottage
Mr and Mrs Herd bought the property six years ago, living in Mill Farm cottage while they decided how best to develop the adjoining Easter Cottage. With Tom preparing for an early retirement, the couple decided to run it as a small business and, in 2001, they made a start on converting the 18th century stone-built cottage into high quality self catering accommodation. The project took longer than expected, but eventually, the refurbishment was complete and, in 2001, Easter Cottage opened its doors to its first paying guests. Part of the reason for the delay was the sheer scale of the restoration work and the need to find specialist contractors for certain elements of the construction programme, but another factor was the owners’ insistence on using traditional materials and maximising the environmental sustainability of the building wherever possible. “When working on an historic building, there were obviously certain things that simply couldn’t be done,” said Alex Southall. “It would have been totally inappropriate to use modern window designs, for example, but, like so many other issues, Tom and Jenny have dealt with this very effectively. They have installed unobtrusive secondary glazing inside, which helps to conserve heat without spoiling the original character of the building. “Elsewhere, they have installed plenty of insulation, low energy lighting and a log fire that makes it possible to heat the living area using locally sourced wood, which is obviously a completely sustainable fuel source. They also encourage sustainable practices inside the cottage – providing segregated recycling and composting bins, so even the guests can make a positive contribution.” The restoration of Easter Cottage has enabled Tom and Jenny to establish a very successful small business, helped no doubt by their commitment to quality and sustainability. Their high standards were not lost on the English Tourism Council, which awarded the cottage a four star rating immediately following its first visit – a status which it has retained ever since. For their efforts, Tom and Jenny were presented with an attractive award plaque, made from recycled aluminium, which will inform passing customers of their environmental achievements. Handing over the award, Alex Southall said: “It is always a pleasure to recognise and promote businesses that are making genuine efforts to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. Here, at Easter Cottage, we have an excellent example of how careful design and simple awareness can combine to produce exceptional results. With this in mind, we very much hope that that visitors will see this Green Tourism Award plaque and appreciate the valuable work that has been done.” See the Easter Cottage website here. Green Tourism Awards Logos - Available for Award Winners Any hotel or other tourism business that has received an environmental review and a successful audit through either the Blue Sky Resorts Network or the Sustourex programmes, is entitled to use the Green Tourism Award logo in its promotional literature and website. High resolution artwork of the Green Tourism Award logo can now be downloaded from the Members page.
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The
good news for the region's tourism businesses is that new, publicly
funded programmes have been launched to take their place, so SMEs
can still take advantage of free environmental reviews, recommendations
and advice.
On
Thursday 1st February 2007, representatives of twenty Blackpool
hotels and guest houses came to the Solaris Centre on the South
Shore Promenade to receive Green Tourism Awards for environmental
sustainability. This latest group brings the total number of award
winners to more than 200, making Blackpool’s hospitality industry
one of the most environmentally conscious and progressive industry
clusters in the world.
The
recently restored Hornby Village Institute, which has been the focal
point of the local community for nearly a century, has received
a Green Tourism Award for outstanding achievement in environmental
sustainability. Jim Calvert, the Institute Manager and Secretary,
Roger Carter received a plaque and certificate at a special presentation
on Wednesday 6th December. The award was handed over by Ian Buckle,
an environmental consultant from the business support organisation
NIMTECH. 
The
session began before lunch with a case study presented by Corinne
Reynolds, Sales Manager for the Holiday Inn. She provided examples
of energy efficiency measures that have been trialled at Holiday
Inn Lancaster or by other hotels within the Intercontinental Hotels
Group, and which have produced substantial and ongoing cost savings.
She noted that certain measures had produced immediate savings,
such as replacing bulbs with low energy equivalents, and replacing
showerheads with modern units that produce a more diffuse spray
and thereby help to minimise water consumption. She explained that
awareness and commitment are encouraged at every level in the organisation,
and pointed out that even relatively modest savings - when multiplied
by the hundreds of hotels that exist within the Intercontinental
Hotels Group - yield substantial cost reductions and benefits for
the environment. She concluded by noting that the hotel is involved
in an ongoing efficiency programme that aims to achieve reductions
in waste and energy consumption every year. This has driven a number
of important and effective initiatives that have improved sustainability
and profitability without adversely affecting the customer's experience.
While
much of the event focused on waste and energy efficiency, Rita Yiannaki
of 
Hotel
365 on Lonsdale Road in Blackpool has become the town’s latest
winner of a Green Tourism Award for environmental sustainability.
Hotel proprietor, Philip Culliss received the award at the hotel
on Tuesday June 13th from sustainability consultant Ian Buckle.
On
3rd and 4th May, hoteliers from across Blackpool took part in two
consultation events concerning plans for a new trade waste collection
and recycling service in Blackpool. The new project - Emprise -
is supported by Blackpool Council in conjunction with a group of
local organisations from the private and voluntary sectors. The
aim of the project is to deliver environmentally and socially beneficial
services within the town and in so doing, to create employment and
training opportunities for local people. 
During
the Emprise consultation events (see above), four Blackpool hoteliers
received Green Tourism Awards. These included:
Cobble
Hey features a large dining area, built in a converted barn, and
ornamental gardens that attract many coach parties and smaller groups
every year between April and the end of September. The garden took
eight years to establish and now contains a wide range of natural
environments including a cottage garden, woodland, ponds and streams,
rockeries and lawns.
Easter
Cottage, a four-star self catering holiday cottage based in Wennington
near Lancaster, has received a Green Tourism Award for outstanding
achievement in environmental sustainability. The owners of the cottage,
Tom and Jenny Herd, received the award from Alex Southall, an environmental
consultant from Lancaster University. Site
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