After reducing their energy consumption by almost a third and the amount of waste going to landfill by over 60 percent, two County Clare hotels have received the highest accreditation available under the Green Hospitality Awards (GHA) program.
The Armada in Spanish Point and Hotel Doolin join a group of seven Irish hotels with platinum accreditation under the hospitality sector’s only environmental accreditation program, which is supported by the EPA through the National Waste Prevention initiative. In awarding the Clare hotels, the program inspectors noted the properties’ combined efforts to reduce water consumption by 38 percent per guest, cut the amount of waste going to landfill by 62 percent, and reduce electricity per guest by 28 percent.
“The green program has led to a consequential reduction in operating costs at both hotels and in doing so has enabled us to offer the best possible value to locals and tourists, which is critical in order to compete in the current marketplace,” says hotelier John Burke, who operates the properties. “This program has a rigorous way of inspecting our approach to greater environmental issues such as reducing our carbon footprint and landfill waste levels, to our social responsibility approach to more local issues like how we contribute to local charitable and voluntary causes, and the support we show for local food suppliers.”
Clare now is the leading county for the Green Hospitality Awards program, home to three of the seven Irish hotels that received GHA Platinum status. Dromoland was awarded the honor in 2011.
