[FESTIVAL] 5 easy things you can do to promote sustainable tourism

[Delphine348]

As a Host, I attach importance to the environmental impact of my business. I live in a small village in a regional nature park, in a Natura 2000 protected area, and many of my guests come to enjoy the surrounding nature. 

I know that many of us take this aspect into account as we welcome and host guests. Each small gesture adopted is an additional step in the sustainable tourism approach and, therefore, a small victory!

To get you started, I wanted to share 5 easy actions you can take to reduce your carbon impact:

1- replace paper towels with washable cloths and multiple rags

2- use refillable bottles for bathroom and dishwashing products and fill them with biodegradable products purchased wholesale or in bulk

3- propose a list of alternatives to traveling by car: bicycle rental, public transport, carpooling, etc.

4- choose an electricity subscription that comes from renewable energy sources. An electricity supply plan is referred to as “green” if the supplier can guarantee that an amount of renewable-origin electricity equivalent to the level of consumer demand for that supply plan has been delivered into the grid. 

5- offer garbage cans for sorting waste from recycling, and, if possible, a composter.

How about you? What small steps are you taking to promote sustainable tourism?

This topic is part of our Festival of Hospitality 2022. You can find the full line-up here.

[Solveig0]

Great question @Delphine348 . Our county has an obligatory recycling scheme, so all our guests have to follow the recycling guidelines - paper, cartons, plastics (hard & soft), metal, compostables, glass... so we have separate bins.  Up to 10! 

Besides that, we have lots of organic grown vegetables in the garden that our guests are welcome to use, fresh eggs, local meat etc. We normally go for short-travelled food when we can. 

[Daniel1651]

I like your post @Delphine348 

In my case, I always provide reusable shopping bags to avoid single-use carrier ones.

I also send them a small flier where I share some tips to create a more green experience, such as buying local or 'zero-kilometer products': Farmers' markets are always a great recommendation!

More small steps which really make a difference are replacing existing light bulbs with lower-consumption ones, installing timers for outdoor lamps, using dual-flush toilets, and taps and showerheads designed to save water consumption.

All these are small things that really help!

[Clara116]

@Delphine348 well thought out plan of ideas!💥 Here in the USA seems we have so much over use of everything.... especially water. With little regard I've been shocked when guest message me "I had only a 30 minute shower and my boyfriend hasn't showered yet and no hot water." I am glad we have a tank that is not unlimited....and I suggest staggering and less time. There are also these very cool new showerheads that limit the consumption of water output. It's an ongoing effort to education people the world over....that we must pay attention....now or later will be very ugly. Thanks for all you do Delphine.

Blessings, Clara 

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[Laurelle3]

@Delphine348 Yes I support the save the environment. we can all do a little bit to save it for the next generation. We have put solar on our roofs and as @Clara116 has mentioned water tanks, we have 2 small tanks which I use on the garden. We also recycle and encourage our guest to do the same but we benefit from their soft drink and alcohol  bottles and cans, s we get 10cents back when we return them to a recycling outlet.

We compost our green waste and encourage our guests to save it for my worm farm, which they do. It all eventually goes on the garden.

All of us @Solveig0 @Daniel1651 @Clara116 and yourself seem to be doing our little bit to save the planet and I am sure there are other hosts doing the same as there has been many topics on this subject. 

Unfortunately, our small village doesn't have public transport but our guests tend to walk to the beach and shops and if they bring their bikes they can cycle along the shared pathway along the bay.

[Daniel1651]

Hello, @Laurelle3 
I am wondering how is being your experience with solar panels in your roof.

We installed it a few months ago and are delighted with it!

Even without battery we are producing the 70% of the consume and our guests are more and more involved with a responsable use of domestic appliances, such as dish, wash or dryer machines 😉

[Laurelle3]

@Daniel1651 we originally had 3kw solar panals on our house which reduced our electry usage by 1/4 in winter then 1/2 in summer. We then installed a battery which at the same time a spa which then maintained it at the same level.

After six months of Airbnb and covid we decided to add another 3 kw solar now 6kw and we have added reverse cycle airconditioning to our Airbnb. The electricity reduction now has  not  been a true reading as it has been winter overcast days and rain for most of it. We will not be able to assess this until after the summer. However, the airconditioning will be used for cooling but our days of sunlight are longer. Another factor will  be the weather forcast is for a further 3 months rain.

But we have tried for the environment and it will reduce our overhead costs for the Airbnb..

[Michael-O-Reilly0]

Hi @Delphine348 Great Post and some fantastic tips on sustainability, and great sustainable tips in the reply threads,  I have started promoting activities to my guests that promote healthy and sustainable tourism, ie Kayaking, cycling, hiking etc. My region in Ireland, Donegal has seen a huge market increase in hiking, this extra traffic of visitors both local and Foreign was causing erosion at the base of the Mountains as the increase in foot traffic took its toll. The local community along with the local agencies came together to set in motion a scheme that would allow continued growth in this type of tourism, the solution was to build a sustainable path from the base of the mountain up to the solid rock of the mountain, our part as local hosts is to encourage our  guests to follow this route,  which will protect the mountain for our and future generations .

https://www.donegaldaily.com/2022/08/31/high-praise-for-mountain-men-building-new-errigal-path/

[Una13]

I have recycling bins in place, along with in my guidebook that about shower times from 07:30am to 20:30pm. I have a timer on the water tank & from past experience with Spanish & South American's  guests I have had to inform them the longer & hotter the shower there is less warm water for the next person.

[Vinod49]

Hi..Thanks for the information.

[Cajetan-And--Mercy0]

Hi,

Thanks for the information.  I appreciate!

[Ayxan0]

@Delphine348 Hey Thank you gor information

[Virginia669]

Hi. Thank you for this post. I offer Bokashi composting lessons, both in person to my guests and on YouTube videos that can be found on my website, www.waterisalive.org. To-date, my guests have not participated, always more than doubling my trash-for-the-landfill output,  but my last guests have volunteered for my non-profit organization! We teach businesses, municipalities and students of all ages how to ferment our organic wastes in closed buckets  for fast and supercharged soil and a healthier watershed. Thank you for the support, this community could help hosts and world travelers understand what sustainability is, and that it means sustained on earth.

[Delphine348]

Hi @Virginia669 ,

What a useful action you do! I love it! In France I have seen a non profit organization in the South West doing the same action. I share your thought about helping the hosts and guests to build a more sustainable tourism. Thank you very much for your contribution!

[Yolande53]

@Yolande Ottawa Canada Thank you so much for all that you do.  It's a pleasure to meet everyone here. I have been recycling for quite a few years now myself.  Providing compost containers for foods and other biodegradables, such as cans and paper.  I too provide re-useable bags for shopping.  I purchased second hand bikes so guests were able to have free transportation back and forth to their work at the Ottawa General Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.  All upgrades are thought about carefully before each decision is made. There is nothing in my place that drains energy unnecessarily.  Environment Canada recently introduced a program to assist homeowners of old homes.  They came to my place, inspected my appliances, and provided me with a new fridge and a new thermostat.  My utility bills have always been very low.  I do expect that these two new additions, (especially the thermostat) will continue to improve my already low energy costs.   As Canada is a cold country every single one of us should always be on high alert with our heating, cooling and water utilities.