Monthly Updates From GREEN Hospitality

?GREEN Conference 2022 -?“Hospitality Agenda 2030”

Worldwide, 1 in 10 jobs is supported by the travel and tourism industry (WTTC, 2021), 12% of the food waste comes from the hospitality industry (Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020), and 8% of the global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by travel and tourism (Nature Climate Change, 2018). The issue of sustainability in the hospitality industry is too complex to be addressed by a single actor, especially after the devastating effects of the global pandemic. In order to drive the recovery of the sector while advancing sustainability programmes and practices across the entire industry, there needs to be collaboration, cooperation, and a shared commitment.?

And this is the underlying thought behind our flagship event of this year, "GREEN Conference 2022 - Hospitality Agenda 2030". Scheduled to take place from 5 to 8 July, the event will bring together key stakeholders in all related industries connected to the hospitality sector to work together and bring about innovative, sustainable, cross-border advancements to the global hospitality industry.?

From interactive panels, expert keynote speeches, to workshops interwoven throughout, the event will facilitate knowledge sharing, collaboration, and connections with key industry leaders, civil society organisations, innovators, start-ups, academics, and the government. So mark your calendars, join us and help create a roadmap for individual and collective actions needed to drive the changes in this industry - the "Hospitality Agenda 2030".?

Click here to learn more about the event and to sign up for our GREEN Conference newsletter.

???? Can Hong Kong Hotels Up Their Games in Energy Efficiency Through Design and Innovation?

In Hong Kong, approximately 42,000 private buildings and more than 8,000 government-owned buildings account for over 90% of electricity consumption and 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is evident that improving energy efficiency in buildings is urgent, if the city is to meet its 2030 carbon reduction target of 65-70%.?

So what is holding hotels back from adopting more innovative solutions to reduce negative environmental impact? Specifically, across hotel properties in Hong Kong, what are the roadblocks faced by hotel brands in adopting energy-efficiency solutions? We recently held a Think Tank? to understand this issue, and to facilitate constructive discussions between stakeholders from the hospitality industry, solution providers, and thought leaders, with the aim to identify the roadblocks and solutions. In case you missed this discussion, here’s a quick recap.

???? GREEN’s Project to Help Restaurants Reduce Waste by Raising Awareness on MSW Charging Scheme

With the municipal solid waste (MSW) charging scheme coming into effect soon, questions abound regarding compliance. This prompted us to launch the project, "Zero-waste to Landfill for the F&B Industry: Creating Circular Systems Through Education, Practice & Partnerships", funded by Environment and Conservation Fund*. . Our team is currently onboarding F&B outlets in Hong Kong’s SoHo area. In addition to offering training on waste monitoring to participating F&B outlets, we also hope to promote a culture of “use less, waste less and recycle”, and to encourage proper waste separation at source and clean recycling.

If you are keen to know more about this project, click here.

???? Water Wise Campaign Update

Our Water Wise Campaign was successfully conducted at Hysan Place, a shopping mall and office building, and at Babacio, an Italian restaurant. Babacio readily identified and prominently showcased three of its low water footprint dishes from the menu of salad, pastas, and pizzas, in an attempt to encourage guests to reduce their food waste. Our corporate training with Hysan Place, which coincided with Earth Day, was an interactive engagement interspersed with polls and quizzes on water conservation. To incentivise active involvement from its staff on this issue, the Training and Development department at Hysan Place gave out prizes for correct answers.??

To learn more about this project of ours with the Jockey Club Water Initiative on Sustainability and Engagement (JC-WISE),? read here.?

???? Introducing GREEN Membership Programme's Newest Member - TaKe Group

Meet our newest member, TaKe Group that is inspiring new ways of thinking about and using bamboo and helping to create a sustainable cycle from planting and harvesting, to innovative products, their usage and final biodegradation. They are a bamboo solutions company operating across a number of consumer durables categories through end-to-end verticals and licensing agreements. While tableware is their main business, they also see bamboo as a force for good, and through the TaKe Foundation they turn idle land into bamboo farms, providing local employment, CO2 offset opportunities for companies and individuals, and educational resources and research to support the broader usage of bamboo.?

Become a GREEN Member?

Building a community of changemakers is the cornerstone of our membership programme. We engage with our stakeholders and ensure that organisations as well as professionals stay abreast of the developments in the sustainability landscape of the hospitality industry, and find solutions to their sustainability challenges. Besides discounts and complimentary tickets to events, our members benefit from access to resources and other proprietary work of GREEN Hospitality. Read about our Membership Programme here. If you are interested in becoming a member, simply drop us a line at [email protected]

???? This Teenager Gets Vocal Against Plastic Waste in Quarantine Hotels

At GREEN we encourage young people to take steps towards solving pertinent global issues like plastic pollution. One such youth is Felix Dyckerhoff, who was the guest speaker at our first GREEN Talk of this year. The 16-year-old sustainability advocate was shocked by the amount of plastic waste produced during his hotel quarantine stay, and wanted to call out for a change with a lasting effect. To achieve this, he drafted a research paper suggesting concrete measures for hotels to reduce plastic waste, highlighting the solutions and benefits of moving away from plastic.

Listen to Felix’s discussion on this issue with Lucia Loposova, our Executive Director, here, and find out more about his research paper in our? blogpost. If you are interested in digging deeper into this topic, read our Plastic Reduction Guide for the Hospitality Industry.?

?? Upcoming Event

GREEN’s Think Tank on “Transition to a future of Sustainable Events in Hong Kong”

Is it possible for events to be sustainable? And really, what constitutes a sustainable event? If these thoughts are playing on your mind too, then don’t miss our upcoming Think Tank, "Transition to a Future of Sustainable Events in Hong Kong". This industry roundtable will include representatives from hotels, clubs, event organisers, and sports associations, who will delve into this pertinent topic and discuss the challenges and obstacles on the transition to a more sustainable event and recreation landscape in Hong Kong. It will also take a closer look at how the new waste management legislations will affect the tourism and hospitality industry in Hong Kong as well as discuss the increasing pressure from international corporations to reduce emissions linked to corporate travel and participation in international events.

Leading this conversation we will have Mrs. Anita Chau, Director of Marketing and Events, KPMG, who has recently launched a “Green Events Guideline” tailored to Hong Kong. If you are interested in participating, please register here.?

Thursday, 05 May 2022 I 9:30 am - 11:30 am (HKT) I ONLINE via Zoom

“There must be a better way to make the things we want, a way that doesn’t spoil the sky,?or the rain or the land”? Paul McCartney

~ Have a Marvelous Month of May!?~