Earth Overshoot Day - Let's #movethedate

Since 1971, Earth Overshoot Day is measuring how humanity is using more resources than the Planet can provide. This means we overshoot resource consumption and rapidly deplete resources such as water or land biodiversity for future generations.

Today is Earth Overshoot Day 2022 – the day when humanity has depleted all the biological resources that the Earth is expected to generate during the entire year. For the remainder of the year, we are depleting our reserves.

Earth Overshoot Day is bad news in itself, and in addition the date falls earlier every year highlighting the increasing rate by which we are stripping the earth of its valuable resources and the urgent need for collective drastic changes to move the dial towards Net Positive.

The United Nations Environment Program's (UNEP's) Emissions Gap Report 2021?warned that despite renewed climate pledges from many countries, the world may still see a global temperature rise of 2.7°C by the end of the century. ?

At Radisson Hotel Group, innovation and responsible business are part of who we are, so we are undertaking concrete measures to decarbonize our business and move us one step closer to Net Zero by 2050. ?

But we cannot do this alone. Together with partners and competitors in the industry, we need to work to #movethedate and not shy away from the challenges ahead. We are witnessing first-hand our impact on the planet and the urgent need to protect and replenish our precious resources. ?

This is why I believe so strongly in the Hotel Sustainability Basics, a?globally recognized set of sustainability indicators that all hotels should implement as a minimum. Hotel Sustainability Basics create impact at scale and are accessible to any type of hotel or accommodation.?

Basics include many actions that can help #MoveThedate including how to reduce resource use, water – energy -waste and carbon, and the shift to a plant based and local food supply chain model. ?

Radisson Hotel Group played a key role working with the WTTC to develop these indicators, which represent 12 actions that are fundamental to hotel sustainability and are the first crucial steps that all properties should take, irrespective of their size, resources and progress made so far toward raising the level of sustainability across the entire Travel & Tourism sector. ?

Our hotels such as Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek lead the way and set an example. At this hotel we have installed a unique setup of solar boilers, with 80 thermodynamic solar panels on just 20m2, combined with heat exchange for the cooling load of the hotel, reducing the hotel’s footprint by 22%. In addition, we have partnered with GreenTech to install an on-site hydroponic farm to cultivate vegetables, including lettuce and radishes for the hotel’s 15 award-winning restaurants and bars.

Local, Plant-Based, Vegetarian Food At Radisson Hotel Group, we are shifting our entire Food & Beverage operations to focus on local and regional products, away from transporting products across long distances, and opening the doors to a sustainable food supply chain. Today, our Radisson Breakfasts are 43% plant-based, 49% gluten-free and 59% vegetarian, and we are aiming to remove all single use plastics at our buffets as a Group brand standard. Our all-day dining and room service includes 35-40% vegetarian options, with at least one vegetarian meal option each serving period as a brand standard, to help combat the unsustainable projected 50% increase in global demand for meat between 2013 and 2050.?

Certified Sustainable Sourcing Likewise, it is crucial to look at the food supply chain itself. We can all play a key role in securing the future of our seas and marine wildlife by making more environmentally responsible choices and looking for globally certified, sustainably sourced, seafood and meat.?Here at Radisson Hotel Group, 44% of our global seafood supply chain is sustainably sourced.?

Food Waste Today, food waste is a major global issue. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 1.3 billion tons of food is thrown away every year, representing almost 40% of the total food produced globally. This is a huge misuse of natural resources and contributes significantly to the world’s carbon footprint because of the energy needed to grow and transport food.?

At Radisson Hotel Group, we are aiming to reduce food waste. We recognize that over-ordering, over- preparation, and over-trimming in restaurants can lead to significant volumes of waste and have implemented many new measures to help prevent food wastage. Our partnership with Too Good To Go helps our European properties reduce food waste by allowing them to sell excess meals left over at the end of the shift or day at a set, reduced price. Currently, 49 Radisson hotels in Europe participate in the program. Since the project launched, they have saved 18,724 meals from being wasted, which is a CO2 reduction of 45.8 tons.?

Increasing Recycling Radisson Hotel Group works with suppliers to develop circular models, increase recycling, and reduce the volume of waste that goes to landfill by actively managing food waste, eliminating single-use plastics, and replacing products with more durable solutions. 60% of the Group’s hotels have comprehensive recycling programs in place.?

Earth Overshoot Day reminds us that we have a long way to go. As a sustainable tourism leader, we can pioneer, push for action in our global network of hotels and cooperate in our industry to do the same. Together with you the traveler, and our millions of guests, we can effectuate positive change in the aim to #movethedate and push it backwards. ?