Best Practices for Sustainable Operations for Hotels, Guesthouses and Community Lodges

General

Ensure that your property does to impede access to, disrupt water supplies or cause any form of damage or inconvenience to neighbouring communities.

Create a 'green team' at your property with the goal of continual improvement and scheduled re-evaluation and reporting.
Create an incentive program to encourage your staff to participate in and improve upon environmentally-friendly practices.
Put your sustainability policy and practices into writing and display in public and staff areas.
Provide yearly staff training on green practices throughout the buildings and grounds and put informational posters in break rooms and guest areas.
Under no circumstances employ children to complete work which is normally undertaken by adults and never under the age of 14.
Ensure that children are protected against sexual exploitation at any time or place and that the Supplier and its employees follow the Child-Protection Code against sexual exploitation of children. Any suspicious behaviour from persons on the premises or on tour shall be reported to the local authorities.
Educate your staff to:
Turn off lights and turn down heating/air conditioning in unoccupied rooms and staff areas
Continually check for and respond to leaking taps and toilets
Close curtains to reduce the need air conditioning
Continually check for and electrical equipment left on but not in use.
Report opportunities to reduce resource consumption
Make sure all rooms have linen reuse cards for both towels and sheets

Start a linen (both towels and sheets) reuse program in all guest rooms.
To reduce water use, consider using rainwater or grey water for purposes such as watering the gardens, toilet flushing or fire suppression systems.
Switch to drought resistant native plants in garden areas. Replace lawns with native ground cover.
Install low-flow showerheads and aerators on all taps.
Switch to low flow or dual flush toilets/urinals and check regularly for leaks. Add a sign in all bathrooms letting people know how to report leaks.
Switch to LED regular and/or florescent lights in guest rooms, lobbies, and hallways.
Install keycard master switches or occupancy sensors in guest rooms that control lights, electronics, blinds and temperature settings.
Set the indoor temperature to 25° C or higher
Purchase energy saving appliances install and insulated windows in all areas of the property.
Make sure all waste-water is being properly treated either through an onsite or municipal sewage system.

Provide guest room recycler baskets for newspaper, paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard, metal and plastic.
Provide recycling bins in public areas, in the kitchen and in the back office to make recycling as easy as possible.
Ensure that all hazardous waste (i.e., paint, coating, printer cartridges, mercury CFL bulbs, electronic equipment, batteries, etc.) is stored and disposed of safely.

Buy organic, locally-grown food and/or plant an organic garden to provide fresh produce for your guests. Look for foods certified as organic and Fair Trade Certified.
Take steps to reduce food waste by reducing overly-generous portion sizes and not over shopping.
Donate leftover food to a local nonprofit organization and/or compost. Also compost garden waste and biodegradable products.
Provide reusable items such as cloth napkins, glass cups, silver wear, ceramic dishes, etc. with all food and beverage services.

Purchase plants that are native to your area.
Consider adding a composting or worm composting bin to create important nutrients for your garden and an eco-friendly way to dispose of food waste.

If your property has a gift shop, sell only sustainable, fair trade products. Promote particularly locally produced souvenirs

Create a green purchasing policy for cleaners, sanitizers, paints, pesticides, office supplies, etc. throughout the property.
Buy environmentally-friendly paper (copier paper, toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels, etc.).
Minimize the amount of paper used for each guest and in the office.
Buy locally produced furniture.
Buy office and guest amenity products that contain recycled material.
If offering dry cleaning services, use nontoxic, biodegradable dry-cleaning solvent substitutes.
Buy nontoxic, biodegradable cleaning, laundry and dishwashing products, preferably locally produced.
Buy organic, biodegradable, fair trade, locally-produced, cruelty-free guest amenity products (hair and body care, coffee and tea, etc.) with minimal or recycled, plastic-free packaging whenever possible.

Stock a central library with local green guides, hiking and biking guides and information about the local environment and conservation efforts. Include a book swap section.
Provide your guests with bicycles, walking maps, and information on public transportation.
Donate leftover guest amenities, old furniture and appliances to charities.
Donate used soap and shampoo to people in need through local shelters or charities.
Provide glass cups and ceramic mugs (instead of plastic) for in-room beverages. Place cups and mugs upside down on paper doilies (instead of covering opening with a plastic wrapping).
Whenever possible, buy food and guest amenities in bulk (i.e., use refillable hair and skin care dispensers).

December 2022