Sustainability Stories: Balancing People, Planet and Profits

Etihad Airways has been pushing boundaries on sustainability initiatives, with a pledge to go carbon neutral by 2050. Carbon Neutral is balancing carbon emissions vs absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. The target for Eithad airlines is 2050; that's 28 years to balance the equation. They are developing Eithad green liner and working in partnership with Boeing and GE to constantly test new green technologies, such as sustainable alternative fuels (SAFs), sustainable operations and eco-friendly in-flight products. Whilst this is happening on the product and operational side, the loyalty team has been busy connecting consumers on this green journey. In the episode, we speak to Kim Hardaker, Vice President, Loyalty and Partnerships for Eithad Guest, to focus on the B2Bm B2C incentives; and how programs can positively influence customer behaviour. A few questions we discuss with Kim are: 1) Latest updates on the Conscious Choices Program for Individuals and Corporates 2) The Carbon Offsets and take-up rates 3) Partnership between Talabat and Etihad Airways to provide Carbon Offsets for ground delivery operations 4) Importance for program managers to take clear BOLD steps with the intent to avoid greenwashing Listen in and let us know what you think. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, as it helps to promote the show.

I hang on to every word Aradhana Khowala mentions here, as she is well informed and ferocious when it comes to Gender Equality and #BreaktheBias. I learned from her the appalling statistics that it will take an average of 136 years for women and men to reach parity worldwide instead of the 99 years; the gap to close increased by 36 years in the space of just 12 months! Look up the World Economic Forum 2021 Global Gender Gap article if you can't believe it. Yes, there is despair and actions required from CEOS, Corporations, and that's where Aradhana also shares in the episode messages of hope and inspiring examples where change is visible. Closer to my residence country, I learned how Dubai has shown bold thinking with visible commitments and leading from the front, leading by an example. Did you know in UAE there are: Nine women in the cabinet The average age is 38 The youngest minister is 22 years old Some of the topics we discuss in the episode are: 1) Despite the good intentions, we are yet to see results on the ground because of the lack of significant strides. The corporations are still taking baby steps which aren't translating to results 2) Gender Diversity and Tourism Industry: Tourism is the most gender-diverse sector in the world. We have more than 50% of women in our workforce. But the numbers at the top are appalling. We have less than 5% of women CEOs; less than 6% on chairs of the board of listed companies worldwide are women. 3) Examples of countries where Gender Diversity is prevalent and how they got there. 4) Lastly, the change needs to come from being ferocious advocates for change.

EcoHotels.com, recently reached a milestone to showcase more than 20.000 eco-certified hotels in over 160 countries! Great milestone, and great timing to interview Patricia Plesner on this occasion as they cross the milestone and look forward to 24-36 months journey for EcoHotels.com. EcoHotels was founded in 2020, as a responsible and sustainable alternative to the large and dominant online travel agencies (OTAs), to operate on low commissions (10 pct only) and retain the passion for sustainability. Fondly referred to as the "A booking site with a heart!" Two aspects worthy a mention about the booking site: They truly are a force for good, for instance, for every one booking, a tree is planted which is unique to booking site. Additionally they have partnered with "Plastic Exchange Bali" where communities can exchange plastic for rice. One booking is equal to one tree planted which is unique to the booking site. In the episode we talk about: 1) Patricia's journey in the last 24 months, the challenges, the opportunities. 2) How do you get to list your hotel on the distribution platform? 3) What are the next steps in the journey for 24- 36th months? With so many choices and limited resources, it really is intriguing to hear the mind of an entrepreneur 4) What is the profile of customers booking on the site Continue to share your feedback with radhika.arapally@gmail.com as I would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast / episodes we cover. Thankyou for listening in.

In the episode, we speak to Samuel Njoroge, Cluster Quality Assurance Manager from JA Resorts and Hotels. This is a home grown brand which continues to make great progress in their sustainable journey. Jebel Ali Golf Resort, United Arab Emirates started in 1981, is now rebranded or known as JA The Resort, Jebel Ali Beach, Dubai with three unique hotels. They were awarded by Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) as the Most Sustainable 5 Star Resort in Dubai. As a hotelier, be prepared to ponder on two thoughtful questions from the episode: 1) For hotels in UAE, Are you ready for Cop28? 2) What is your sustainability story? If you don't have one, then ask yourself why not? Also, some of the conclusive thoughts from the session are: 1) If you have supportive owners, leverage it for sustainable tomorrow 2) Don't underestimate the revenue/rebate potential from hotel waste. Is this something you could use to incentivise your green team/ideas? 3) Sustainability is about SOCIAL ROI, look beyond numbers. Ask yourself the question – Are you doing the right thing? Show Notes: https://www.jaresortshotels.com/media-centre/top-sustainability-award-ja-the-resort https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-h-njoroge/

We have all heard of Carbon Offsets, i.e, Planting trees (act of carbon removal) to reverse for carbon we release to the environment. So, what is Waste offsets, and how can we reverse the waste generated into the environment? To demystify this for us, we have Natasha Viitasaari co-founder of Nu Cycle joining us as the guest. Nu Cycle's purpose is to be a solutions-based waste offset service for any individual or company to neutralize their waste impact. They have been featured in Vogue, Channel News Asia and are receiving the accolades for their innovative scaled capacity to reduce waste. Listen to episode to learn about: 1) What is the difference between Waste offsets and Carbon Offsets? 2) Are the waste offsets certified and what sort of reporting can we expect? 3) What makes Nu Cycle offsets unique in mission to “solve existing waste problem?” 4) Learn about their partners and innovation technologies – GEO Trash Management pyrolysis technology which converts non-recyclable plastics or the Feedwerkz to convert bio-waste into livestock feed. 5) To never under-estimate the role of marketing for a start-up 6) Nu-cycle growth plans for 2022. Do you want to offset your waste (either entire production or a type of waste) to develop new solutions; then Nu Cycle (a company that audits and offsets waste) has the answer for you. As an individual or a business, you can partner with Nu cycle to offset waste in three waste streams of Bio-waste, Plastic and Glass. E.g. in recent times, Sans Faff as featured in Vogue, makes the case that by partnership with Nu Cycle, the waste created by a business's supply chain could be offset to build a sustainable future for the world of fashion. Guest Bio: Natasha's motivation comes from pursuing the sweet spot where invention and innovation crystalize through implementation. Always inspired by the incredible solutions that already exist - especially when they mimic nature - Natasha is dedicated to being a part of the change in seeing these visions realized and scaled for a more harmonious earth. Holding Master's degrees in Political Science and Public International Law from the University of Helsinki, Natasha has always been motivated by possibilities of change through social analysis and grass roots adaptation. She is an active member of her community and a practicing Kundalini Yoga teacher. Nu Cycle Key Achievements: Funding: Awarded 50K Business Finland - Tempo Grant Funding Spring 2020 ( Successfully developed the MVP of Nu Cycle, as per project plan) Competitions and Prizes Entrepreneurship World Cup - Winner of Finland's National Finals Sept 2020 with Nu Cycle concept. Plastic Solver - Online learning platform and 1:1 weekly mentorship calls. Nu Cycle was awarded a place in this four month, plastic circular economy program designed by The Circulate Initiative and Sagana, a global impact investing firm. Knowledge Graph Conference Invitation to join their Modeling Sustainability Global Thinktank Broadcast Network Channel News Asia: runs story on waste offset featuring Nu Cycle CNA X Nu Cycle

Claire Whitley, Head of Environment at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance shares insights on free resources/tools available for Hospitality. Sustainable Hospitality Alliance brings together engaged hospitality companies, and uses the collective power of the industry to deliver impact at scale. They assist with measurement and benchmarking for Carbon, Water consumption, Guidance for Human Rights, Youth Employment. They have some of the excellent resources and reports backed by science. Some of the points we discuss in the episode are: - Two reports from the alliance that are top of the charts - Feasible advise for hotels as we bounce back - Sustainable Supply Chain Decisions - What is Net Zero? About the guest: Claire manages the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance's environmental sustainability strategy, including their work on climate action, water stewardship and responsible resourcing. She drives collaborative action between 14 member companies (including Hilton, IHG and Marriott) to enable to whole hospitality industry to have a lasting positive impact on our planet. Claire has nearly a decade's experience driving sustainability progress for Hilton. During this time, Claire worked on a wide range of projects including updating Hilton's global CR strategy, leading their water stewardship efforts and creating behaviour change campaigns, as well as leading initiatives focused on issues such as energy efficiency, single-use plastic reduction and responsible sourcing. She has a BSc in Environmental Science and an MSc in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.

We speak to James Hewitson, General Manager and Mohamed Abdelwahab, Area Director of Engineering, Middle East from Anantara The Palm, Dubai Resort, UAE. The hotel is owned by Seven Tides International and managed by Anantara part of MINOR Hotels group. All hotels under MINOR group have energy, water, and waste management as mandatory key performance indicators (KPI's) and receive consultation support from Green Growth 2050 to delivering the metrics. Eco-friendly resort Anantara The Palm Dubai resort has delivered on all its green metrics consistently; and received “Platinum status” certification on the Green Growth 2050 program. Recently, they have further shown their commitment to sustainability by installing a water filtration system from Infinity water systems, in July 2021, when most of the hospitality is still coping with the impact of the pandemic and fighting for survival. In the episode we discuss the challenges and opportunities facing a general manager in introducing green initiatives; right from having the CAPEX allocated, with getting owners buy-in to team alignment in implementation. The two sustainability focus areas of the hotel have been on “Energy and Plastics”. They have eliminated most of the single use plastic items from the hotel: straws, cutlery, room keys to now plastic bottles. Mohamed has had great success with energy efficiencies and reduced the property's energy bill by $250K savings in a single year. Proving that “Saving energy can—and will—impact profitability”. The next challenge for the hotel is waste reduction, as all Minor hotels have been tasked with 20% reduction in waste for 2022, compared to baseline 2016. In other episodes of the podcast, we have previously covered hotel sustainability stories from three different hotels; and we hope each of these episodes gives you an inspiration for your hotel's green journey. Previous related episodes: Episode 1 of the podcast shared the passion from Paul Schenk, as Hotel Manager of Crowne Plaza Oman with a passion to eliminate all plastic form the hotel. Episode 5 featured Soneva Resorts Maldives (25 years of sustainable luxury) shared on the podcast a few “smart commercial models implemented at the island” to fund their ongoing sustainability initiatives. Episode 16 covered the story from The Hotel Britomart, New Zealand's first and only 5 Green star rated hotel; working with local suppliers and in challenging the status quo to achieve sustainability Show Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshewitson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohamed-abdelwahab-94ba0714/ https://www.anantara.com/en/palm-dubai https://www.seventides.com/ https://www.minorhotels.com/en https://www.greengrowth2050.com/ https://infinitywatersystems.com/ https://www.minor.com/storage/download/sustainability-reports/2020/mint-membership-certifications-en.pdf https://sustainabilitystoriespodcast.com/?p=309 https://sustainabilitystoriespodcast.com/?p=157 https://sustainabilitystoriespodcast.com/?p=461

In this episode, we talk to Clinton Farley, the General manager of The Hotel Britomart, New Zealand first five-star green hotel and his other role as non-executive director of Soap Aid, Australia, and New Zealand. Some of the key questions we cover in the episode are: 1) New build vs retrofit buildings, and the advantages with new-build hotels. 2) Examples of feasible partnerships with local firms which are great for the planet, people and ROI (see in show notes for a list of examples) 3) The need (or not) for the role of Chief Sustainability Officer? 4) One of the biggest sustainability challenge for The Hotel Britomart, as Clinton identifies is packaging. 5) Clinton leadership advice from his career and also as non-executive director of soap-aid We close the episode, with a favourite quote of Clinton "Status Quo isn't good enough for sustainability. Question everything” Please continue to give your reviews and comments on the direct website https://sustainabilitystoriespodcast.com/, as it really helps for the show The rating of hotel's 5 green star rating is provided by NZGBC (New Zealand Green Building Council) through Green Star. Green Star benchmarks projects against the nine Green Star categories of Management; Indoor Environment Quality; Energy; Transport; Water; Materials; Land Use & Ecology; Emissions and Innovation. Excelling in all these parameters is The Hotel Britomart, New Zealand's First- and only Five-star Green Hotel. Show notes: https://thehotelbritomart.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintonfarley/?originalSubdomain=nz Compostable packaging room amenities: https://sansceuticals.com/ Staff uniforms manufactured locally by Mavis and Osborne: https://www.mavisandosborn.com/

If you are a hospitality colleague, then check your awareness on food waste by answering these three simple questions: 1. Do you know how much food is wasted in your hotel / restaurant? 2. Do you get an answer when you ask this question? 3. Is food waste in your restaurant benchmarked? If you are doubtful about your answers on any one of these questions, then do listen to the podcast episode with Benjamin Lephilibert, Managing Director of LightBlue, to grow your knowledge on FOOD WASTE and what actions you can undertake. WHY IS FOOD WASTE AN IMPORTANT TOPIC? Globally 33% of the food produced is lost or wasted, which is waste of precious resources. At an international level, the largest waste category is organic waste (food and green), making up 44% of global waste, compared to plastic which is 11% (World Bank Group, 2018). Check out the SUCCESS STORIES shared by Benjamin on this youtube; and review The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste, developed with a consortium of academics and experts, a third-party certification and benchmarking system that enables hotels, restaurants, and canteens to adopt a unified and holistic approach to cut on food waste with the full process being 100% online. Show Notes https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminlephilibert/ https://www.lightblueconsulting.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1nmjrpXuuctUTV37PdL8UQ https://www.thepledgeonfoodwaste.org/

A great interview with Eric Schaffner founder of ZeLoop; on his journey from corporate world to launching ZeLoop - an app that rewards goodness. As Eric aptly says, "The issue is not plastic as a material, but the ways in which we use it and most importantly, how we dispose of it". Within one year of launch, the app has quickly grown from UAE with a reach to 146 countries, across member base of 10,000 ZeLoopians; and over 300,000 bottles of plastic recycled. I personally like ZeLoop, as it solves for the environmental challenge of plastic litter; through the use of loyalty platform and blockchain technology. The mechanics of Zeloop can be explained in four simple steps: (1) You gather used plastic bottles, (2) Drop them at collection centers for recycling; (3) Upload a picture of deposited bottles on the app; and (4) Win tokens to get exciting rewards! The platform of ZeLoop works across B2C and B2Bs, the likes of Nestle, Dettol and Beeah (environmental management company) to name a few have already partnered with the app ...Could ZeLoop be the solution to decrease plastic-litter and motivate positive employee/consumer behaviour? if so, then lets get involved with ZeLoop, as it does protect the environment in a fun and rewarding way. Show Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-schaffner-8a5a59/ https://www.nestle-mena.com/en/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/nestl%C3%A9-partners-zeloop-encourage-recycling-uae https://zeloop.net/dettol-dubai-based-startup-zeloop-partner-for-recycling/ https://beeah.ae/contents/web_resources/beeah-rewards-program.pdf

"Everyone Hates Single-use Plastic… …But it's hard to avoid. Especially when you're travelling. No one likes to see litter on holiday, least of all on the beach, or floating around in the sea, and since David Attenborough opened our collective eyes to the effects of discarded plastic on wildlife, we like it even less. Despite this, it's estimated that the equivalent of one whole garbage truck of plastic waste enters the ocean every single minute and as a result there isn't a beach on earth that isn't polluted by plastic. A medium sized hotel can easily get through half a million individual single-use plastic items each year, much of it just out of habit or because hotel managers think it's what guests want." as quoted by Travel Without Plastic Listen from Jo Hendrickx, CEO and Founder of Travel Without Plastic, as she provides practical cost effective solutions to reduce single-use plastic in tourism without compromising the guest experience or safety standards. If you are unsure of where to start, then the episode certainly has great examples foe inspiration. The key takeaway is to review your process constantly; and together with each one of us working together, we can make the change and reduce single use. #ReduceSingleUse. She is also the author of the recently published report 'Rethinking Single Use Plastic Products in Travel & Tourism' by UNEP and the WTTC; and here is the download link. Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-hendrickx-1aa62414/ https://www.travelwithoutplastic.com/ https://wttc.org/News-Article/WTTC-and-UNEP-release-new-report-on-Single-Use-Plastic-Products-to-advance-sustainability

Today my guest is leading global tourism consultant specializing in responsible animal tourism. Daniel Turner, co-founder and Director of ANIMONDIAL provides impartial advice to guide travel businesses, improve animal protection and deliver meaningful change. So my question to Daniel Turner is, "What can I do as an individual, or as a hotelier do to control biodiversity loss; when biodiversity is complex subject involving legislations / regulations"? He cuts down the complexities and shares realistic examples /scenarios to explain "how to understand biodiversity; and what practical action I can undertake as an organization". I have learnt that through interactions we support biodiversity positively, and also have a negatively impact. It is about having an understanding to achieve a balance; by optimizing my positives over negatives! This month, ANIMONDIAL launches its revamped Service Packages, to help travel and tourism businesses to bring value to nature conservation through its #BuildBackBetterforAnimals initiative. I hope you find your answers as you listen to Daniel break down it and explain to us in this episode. Show Notes: https://animondial.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-turneranimondial/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambopata_National_Reserve is Daniel's favourite rainforest eco-lodge. https://www.instagram.com/thewastelab/ for all your questions on composting

John Arnold and Amish Choksey set up GreenGood, 11 years ago to provide sustainable packing solutions; and composters to convert organic waste into compost residue within 24 hours. It is my great honor to have John on the show, and hear perspectives / insights from his 50 years of career into providing sustainable solutions. In the episode, we discuss the multiple benefits of composting and the rationale for using compostable packaging over degradable packaging. GreenGood composter machines are successfully running for 11 years and the best success story is from Ajman Ramada Hotel. The other locations you can spot their composting machines in U.A.E are at Unilever Lipton plant, Jumeirah Hotel Al Qasr, Zabeel Palace, Gems Modern Academy School, GASCO, RAK Waste management – Fruit and Vegetable and Fish Market to name a few. For listeners on the show, GreenGood are offering 5pct off their household composting unit, GG02 which weighs 27 kilos and can convert 5.5kg of organic waste into immediate use of compost residue for the discounted price of 4275 AED (USD 1164). Amish has been using the household machine for over 10 years now, and definitely is a strong advocate for it. To avail the offer, please mail me on radhika.arapally@gmail.com . SHOW NOTES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCfIGBI8cwg https://www.linkedin.com/in/amish-choksey-17731518/?originalSubdomain=ae http://www.greengood.ae/about-us.php http://www.greengood.ae/pdf/Hotelier%20ME%20Mag%20-%20Dec%202013%20pg%2030-31%20-%20GM's%20Interview%20-%20Copy_2.pdf http://www.greengood.ae/gg-02.php

foodpanda, is one of the leading food delivery platform in Asia operating in 16 countries, and is on schedule to become a carbon neutral company by the end of 2021. Woody Chan is the CSR & Sustainability Manager for foodpanda Hong Kong, enabling implementation and adoption of sustainability measures with restaurant partners. In this episode of Sustainability Stories Podcast, Woody explains the foodpanda proposition with parent company delivery hero, the support they provide to restaurant partners and partnerships established to go Carbon Neutral e.g: eco-certification and partnerships with AyokoNgPlastic WWF and Food links. The three main sustainability focus areas for food delivery platform have been to (1) Reduce carbon emissions by offsets, (2) Reduce plastic waste by enabling door collection of plastic containers, sustainable packaging and (3) Tackling food waste by donating surplus food and introduction of smart features like less rice/noodle. What is your sustainability strategy? If you dont have one identified yet, then take time to challenge yourself. As a millennial and TEDX speaker, Woody also shares career advise to graduates pursing this path. His favourite restaurant is Green Common which is plant based concept store. Show notes: https://www.foodpanda.hk/contents/sustainability https://www.linkedin.com/in/woody-chan-367722128/ https://sustainabilitystoriespodcast.com/ https://www.deliveryhero.com/ https://www.davaolife.com/foodpanda-joins-ayokongplastik-movement-of-wwf-for-gogreen-campaign.html https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?356696/pact-food-delivery https://www.localfoodlinks.org.uk/ https://greenmonday.org/en/greencommon/

As a carbon neutral tour company offering 500 tours across 120 countries, Explore is uniquely placed to offer perspectives on responsible travel. In today's episode with Prue Stone, Head of Sustainability at Explore shares her perspectives on four key topics and here is the summary snippet: (1) To promote Biodiversity and animal welfare, the need is to bring nature to the table; right next to climate change and we need nature-based solutions. Dasgupta review acknowledges that Natural Capital is ignored in the process, and for Nature's value to be at the heart of Economics. (2) Embracing sustainability in your organization is possible through three main categories: (1)customers, (2)staff and (3)supply chain. Engaged supply chain drives resilience for the future. Listen in to hear how to engage and overcome barriers to bring change for sustainability. (3) Perspectives on carbon offsets; and the framework you can use for introduction to any business. Do check if the offset plan chosen protects rainforest, restores what we lost, and rebuilds right tree for the right location. Is carbon offset the stop-gap solution for decarbonization? (4) The change to zero-waste-to-landfill office by using solar panels on the roof, plant-based cleaning products, using renewable energy providers and many more. Some of other remarks from our guest is to "Be brave to make changes, Fail if you may, and Learn". Her source of inspiration has been David Attenborough from young age. Personally, I really enjoyed her closing remarks – to think of waste and how can you waste-less as a conscious consumer. My favourite quote from Explore: "We believe travel should change us, not the world; that communities and cultures should benefit and flourish, and that we should leave nothing but footprints behind". Show notes: https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/dasguptareview https://www.explore.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/prue-stone-1b6258112/

It is refreshing to hear Raquel Noboa share success of hotel's commercial and operational metrics she witnessed from starting a Green Hospitality Program at Hotel Doolin in Ireland. Raquel Noboa has worked in hospitality for over 23 years, and her own Green Journey began at Hotel Doolin in 2012. She was working there as the Sales & Marketing manager, when the Hotel decided to start a Green Hospitality program. Within 2 years implementing the program, the hotel reduced their Energy by 30%, waste by 40% and water by 25%. Raquel then started Fifty Shades Greener with a mission to embed Environmental Education to businesses, communities and the younger generations. They currently license training courses to governments, public agencies and universities. In the episode, we talk about mindset barriers to greening hospitality business, that sustainability is affordable and small actions taken everyday make a difference towards sustainability. Proud to hear she is now featured in Ireland's National newspaper and wishes to support more hotels in the journey for Green Hospitality. Her favourite hotel in the world is Kandolhu island, Maldives. Show Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquelnoboa/ https://www.hoteldoolin.ie/ https://www.fiftyshadesgreener.ie/ https://www.businesspost.ie/smes/making-it-work-company-that-helps-hotels-go-green-has-a-global-reach-fdf55301 https://www.kandolhu.com/?utm_source=glopss&utm_medium=partners&utm_content={country_code}

Have you wondered if there was a Sustainability Benchmarking report of your hotel (like the STR)? Yes, it exists and is called CHSB (Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index). Also, free tools like Hotel foot printing tool allows you to calculate the carbon footprint of your hotel stay or meeting anywhere in the world. Listen in to hear Olivia Ruggles-Brise educate listeners on the free and paid benchmarking reports available for carbon, energy and water usage. From her wealth of knowledge and experience as consultant at Greenview, she shares 4 key trends for sustainable hospitality and feasible actions hotels can implement. To keep updated on the latest in industry, she gave us a recommended list of sites/publications namely Skift, Business Green, FT Moral Money, Rochelle Turner and Green Lodging News. Her favourite hotel is 41 Hotel, London, UK. Show notes: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/74089 https://www.hotelfootprints.org/footprinting https://greenview.sg/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-ruggles-brise-6ba3107/ https://skift.com/news/ https://www.businessgreen.com/ https://www.ft.com/moral-money https://www.greenlodgingnews.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelle-turner-19749ab/?originalSubdomain=uk https://41hotel.com/

OLIO food sharing app, connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. Georgie Cella passionately shares the journey of OLIO, which started with a whatsapp community and is now over 3 million users in 59 countries. With the Volunteer Ambassadors and Food Waste Hero program, they work with restaurants, supermarkets to save surplus food and have so far rescued over 16 million portions of food and over 13,000 tonnes of co2 equivalent emissions avoided. Her one message to the world is: "Small actions can lead to big change. Collectively – one rescued cupcake, carrot or bottle of lotion at a time – build a more sustainable future where our most precious resources are shared, not thrown away" Georgie also gave us an update about the next steps for OLIO and her favourite sustainable restaurant is the Roth Bar at Somerset, which serves local produced food. Could OLIO be one of solution for surplus food in hospitality? Please listen in and let us know your feedback and reviews on the podcast platform. Show Notes: https://www.rothbarandgrill.co.uk/what-we-do/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgie-cella-bbb881195/ https://olioex.com/ https://olioex.com/hotels-surplus-food/

The Indian-British hotelier Sonu Shivdasani (Founder of Six Senses Resorts) and his Swedish wife, Eva, rewrote the rules of hospitality in 1995 when they introduced the barefoot luxury resort Soneva Fushi in the Maldives and launched Six Senses, a pioneering brand in sustainability and wellness. Their thoughtful innovations range from producing their own drinking water, to a commitment to employ as many women as possible. Soneva Namoona is a partnership initiative with authorities on the local Maldivian islands to introduce “waste-to-wealth” practices and recycle 90% of the waste. They are pioneers in sustainable luxury with 25 years of experience, and in the episode we discuss some of smart commercial models they have implemented to fund their ongoing sustainability initiatives. We also spoke about the new trend of regenerative travel, longer stay periods post covid. Listen to Kash and Bart Knols share their passion and the success they have built at the resorts. My favourite take away from the episode is when Kash and Bart share about Sonu and Eva's leadership at the resorts, and how all hosts are inspired and invited to take on ideas. Show notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonu-shivdasani-a46217/ https://soneva.com/ https://www.sixsenses.com/en https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartknols/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CJqlAMCCPfE/

Rishabh Kasliwal is passionate about energy efficiency in buildings, and strongly believes; with advancement in technology; energy efficiencies is now feasible and affordable for all building types (existing, new, small, medium and large). Also the pay-back into energy efficiency is now shorter compared to yesteryears. As Managing Director of Kamal Cogent Energy Pvt Ltd, he has championed many projects - notable are ITC Maurya, Delhi achieving a LEED Score of 92 (first in the world for existing building); and also Hero MotoCorp named as the Garden Factory. Energy costs are the second biggest costs for hospitality, so I am truly inspired with the growing technologies and solutions that can be leveraged to reduce costs, be profitable and balance contributions to planet. Despite the positives, less than 1% of hotels in India are green building LEED certified. I believe this is a huge opportunity for hotels to embark on, as the benefits are multi-fold. Show Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishabh-kasliwal-a1a3354/ http://www.kamalcogentenergy.com/ https://www.heromotocorp.com/en-in/about-us/we-care-green-manufacturing.html https://www.usgbc.org/projects/itc-maurya-hotel https://www.usgbc.org/leed/why-leed

This episode is for everyone in hospitality, to get a 30 minute easy-going sustainability 101 lesson with Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand, professor of hospitality management at IUBH International university, Germany. He is also the lead author of Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of Sustainable Operations, a leading textbook with a 4th edition coming out in 2021. In the episode, we dive into basics on sustainability in hospitality and challenges facing the industry. The bit that excites me, is the first-hand practical actions hotels/restaurants can activate in short-to-medium term to bounce forward in 2021, and close the great divide. Are you ready for the challenge that is proposed in the episode? One of the recommended topics is to "Know the 17 SDG's", with link included in the show notes. **************** We would love to hear from you! Please drop us a note on our website, also propose topics or guests you'd like to see on future shows. Thank you! **************** Show Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-willy-legrand/ https://sdgs.un.org/goals https://www.hospitalitynet.org/file/152008849.pdf

What do you do with food waste? Reducing the volume of food waste is certainly the first step to food waste hierarchy. However, for the food that can't be saved, are you curious to learn how food waste can be repurposed to encourage circularity? Then, let's hear from William Ward and Green Eco Technologies, who are pursuing to convert bio-degradable waste for soil enhancement, fish food or even green energy as a means for repurposing and recycling through WASTEMASTER. In this episode, William Ward shares his passion for repurposing food waste, and encourages hotels/restaurants/hospitals/catering firms into considering downstream solutions to avoid sending waste to landfill. #DontWasteYourWaste. He also promises a guaranteed return-on-investment solution to combat bio-degradable waste at all hotel types inclusive of city center hotels. One day, he aspires for food repurposing to be a brand standard; and to collaborate with brands for achieving sustainability goals. As William recalls, it has been estimated that if food waste was a country, it would be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. So are you willing to look at your food disposal and take action? Show notes: www.greenecotec.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamward1/

Previously as Hotel Manager of Crowne Plaza, Oman, Paul Schenk has introduced 50+ initiatives to eliminate plastic usage at the hotel. It has been a journey for him building awareness, challenging the status quo and implementing change. Paul's initiatives; documented on youtube included delivering profits, along with reducing plastic which is the highlight for the episode. It is the start of journey for Paul to truly bring plastic reduction in city-centre branded hotels, and we love his ambition and passion! Show Notes: Paul Schenk, Director Infinity Water Systems, Previously Hotel Manager Crowne Plaza, Oman. He has written two cookbooks and having hosted a cooking television show titled Korean Confidential. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-schenk-b75738/ https://www.youtube.com/user/paulschenk1

Sustainability Stories is a podcast bringing stories from change leaders who are taking conscious steps to care for planet, people along with profits. Many initiatives on sustainability are seen as heavy investment with low returns and hence the take-up or push factors is low. Hearing to these inspiring stories, one interview per episode will (1) hopefully educate others on the journey and (2) seed the thought for change in others. The first season is dedicated to "Sustainable Hospitality". As hotels, restaurants are large commercial buildings who are in constant need of energy, food, water and generate huge amounts of waste. Through the first season, let's hear from hotel managers, executive chefs, professors, hotel operators who are working to make the change and balance ROI. I will be your host for the show - Radhika Arapally, bringing you two stories every month!