Wind turbines. Biomass. Electricity and hydrogen powered cars. Denmark is already renowned for its many climate initiatives. Now, Denmark can also pride itself of being home to the world’s greenest hotel. The world’s largest travel and tourism organization, Skål International in Sydney, Australia presented the Danish Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers with this year’s EcoTourism Award.
Technology, creativity and imagination
The EcoTourism Award highlights and acknowledges best practices within eco and sustainable tourism around the world. Indeed, technology as well as creativity and imagination have been used to create the carbon neutral Copenhagen Towers hotel building:
The largest facade integrated solar panel park in Northern Europe delivers electricity. Air condition runs on the first groundwater-based cooling and heating system in Denmark. Low energy light sources, light management and water saving are integrated everywhere. Shampoo bottles, tooth brushes and shower caps are bio-degradable. The restaurant uses local and organic raw materials, and food waste is turned into bio gas and fertilizer. Just to mention a few of the hotel’s many big and small climate friendly initiatives.
First carbon neutral hotel building in Denmark
The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers is first mover in many ways. It was the first hotel in Denmark to meet the standards of the EU Green Building Programme and the Danish Building Regulations for Low Class 2 buildings, as well as the first to have a carbon neutral hotel building.
Hotel guests lend a helping hand
Even the hotel guests are encouraged to lend a helping hand to the climate via a ride on the hotel’s electricity-producing bikes. Anyone who produces 10 kWh can enjoy a meal free of charge in the hotel’s Nordic restaurant.
“There is intense competition for the recognition inherited in the EcoTourism Award, and it is the first time this award goes to Denmark. I am confident that the reason behind our success is that our green way of thinking goes all the way – small and big initiatives side by side. We involve our guests in our climate friendly way of thinking and by that our green approach extends beyond the actual hotel stay”, says CEO Allan L. Agerholm, Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers.
FACTS
Skål International: World’s largest organization of travel and tourism professionals
The EcoTourism Award is presented by the world’s largest travel and tourism organisation, Skål International. Skål International was founded in 1932 in Paris and promotes global tourism and friendship.Today, Skål International has approximately 20,000 members in 89 nations.
EcoTourism Award: Presented to best practices within eco and sustainable tourism
The EcoTourism award was launched in year 2002, the UN ‘Year of Ecotourism and Mountains’. The aim is to highlight and acknowledge best practices within eco and sustainable tourism around the globe as well as to put emphasis on the importance of the interaction of the physical, cultural and social environment, the traveler’s responsibility and the need for active community participation for Ecotourism.
The judges electing the winner were independent representatives of important institutions or organisations dealing with eco and sustainable tourism: Luigi Cabrini, Director Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO; Guido Bauer, C.E.O., Green Globe Certification; and Ed Roberts, EMA Sustainability Leader, Diversey.
This year’s EcoTourism Award was presented on Friday 8 October in Sydney, Australia.
Crowne Plaza’s energy saving initiatives in numbers
· From 5th to 25th floor, the hotel facades are covered by solar panels producing more than170,000 kWh a year – equivalent to the energy consumption of 55 private households.
· The first groundwater-based cooling and heating system in Denmark is expected to reduce the energy used for heating and cooling the hotel by almost 90 %.
· The overall result of all energy saving initiatives is a 53 % reduction in the hotel’s energy consumption and an estimated 1.4 tonnes yearly saving in the hotel’s carbon emission.
· The only carbon neutral hotel building in Denmark.
