Lancaster hotel lands international green award

Lancaster House Hotel has been given the Green Key international eco label for hotels and tourism facilities.

The Green Key award is the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry.

It covers hotels, hostels, small accommodations, campsites, holiday parks, conference centres, restaurants and attractions.

The hotel, which is run by English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, won specific praise from assessors for local recycling of waste to reduce transport emissions, sustainable approaches to cleaning, heating policy for guest rooms, fundraising for environmental causes, and the re-use and donation of unwanted goods and furnishings.

The hotel group as a whole was also commended for its overall environmental policy, values and ethics.

Lancaster House Hotel operations manager Emma Underwood said: “Green Key is an international eco-label that we felt fitted with the ethos of our venue.

"It’s a promise to our guests that we and they are helping to make a difference on an environmental and sustainability level.

“We want to increase the use of environmentally friendly and sustainable methods ofoperation and technology to reduce the overall use of resources where we can.”

Green Key status is awarded each year following a standardised audit and verification process.

In England, the programme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Programme manager Emma Whitlock said: “We are delighted to award Lancaster House Hotel as it is clear they are operating high sustainability standards, with initiatives such as solar panels, chemical-free cleaning and working closely with local suppliers, all of which helps to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint.

“We are keen to grow the scheme in England and hope more tourism businesses will follow suit to make sure the tourism industry is doing its bit to reduce the environmental impact of leisure and travel.”

The prestigious eco‐label represents a commitment to adhere to strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. The aim is to raise awareness and create behavioural changes across the tourism industry.