Meadowlands Hotel

Sustainability Policy

The Meadowlands Hotel is A hotel by Nature, a Home by Heart.  Located in a stunning location, we must adopt policies to protect our landscapes and environment.  Together, we are working towards a sustainable future for our hotel, its staff and guests.

We have built strong environmental and sustainability measures into our hotel, however, we are committed to constantly improving these measures as our business develops. In this regard, we support and adopt the UNWTO definition of Sustainable Tourism (see below).

UNWTO Definition for Sustainability, “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.”

As a team, we continuously strive to improve our environmental practises in all areas including energy, water usage, paper usage and single-use plastics. 

To achieve our goals, we aim to highlight areas that require development through regular measurement and assessment.  We are committed to measuring our water, energy, and waste monthly and identifying ways to reduce our consumption.

Our Green Team meets biweekly to discuss ways we can improve our processes and initiate new processes.

Local, Sourcing and Fair-trading practices

·         We are committed to sourcing responsibly and locally where possible, supporting Kerry and Irish producers which in turn reduces food miles. We are particularly focused on supporting small artisan producers, makers and suppliers who contribute to the local community.

·         We actively engage in fair trading practices with all our suppliers, guests and employees.

·         We are committed to substituting imported products with quality Irish products

Meadowlands Recovery & Recycling Program

We aim to reduce our general waste by 20% and our Food Waste by 10% in 2024. We commit to weighing and monitoring waste weekly. To reduce our waste usage, we do the following:

·         Develop a staff sustainability training plan to educate on the importance of recycling

  • Miniature toiletry bottles have been replaced with larger luxury refillable dispensers.
  • ·         We use environmentally friendly guest amenities, cleaning, household, and garden products.
  • ·         We use PEFC-certified paper and have a “Think before you Print” policy. -
  • ·         Plastic drinking straws and cocktail stirrers are made of cardboard.
  • ·         Plastic water bottles are now glass.
  • ·         Plans to eliminate glass bottles in the room and replace them with water dispensers on each floor.
  • ·         Cardboard packaging, glass, cans, used light bulbs, and batteries are all returned to suppliers or collected for recycling.
  • ·         We aim to reduce our landfill waste each year by continuing to reduce waste, eliminate single-use plastics & packaging, continue to recycle where possible and compost our green waste.
  • ·         Paper usage within the hotel is continually monitored in our efforts to reduce and reuse. Paper is kept making paper briquettes.
  • ·         Use wooded hangers in the guest rooms.
  • ·        Suppliers are required to use reusable boxes for deliveries.
  • ·        Reduce the number of menu options for tours to reduce waste and purchasing.
  • ·        We aim to buy local when at all possible
  • ·         In the process of getting rid of brown bins and replaced with a composter to compost ALL food waste
  • ·         The cardboard is bailed and transported to the recycling depot.
  • ·         Coffee Grounds kept for Maura’s Cottage Flowers for Gardening
  • ·         Laminating menus has reduced the need for printing paper from 30 sheets to 8 daily.
  • ·         Bin liners have been taken out of guest rooms.
  • ·         4 coloured bags on accommodation trolly to make it easy for staff to recycle and then bags are checked by supervisors and put into the correct recycling bin.
  • ·         Veg peelings are kept and transported to a local farm for animal feed.
  • ·         Meat from plates is kept for dogs.
  • ·         Used bars of soap are kept from guest rooms and grated to be used instead of chemicals for deep cleaning, stain removal and air conditioning units.

Hazardous Waste

·         Batteries and bulbs are collected at the hotel and recycled with Kelleher’s.

·         Electronic equipment is taken to the recycling depot or Harvey Normans and disposed of responsibly.

·         Paint cans brought to Higgins Waste and disposed of responsibly.

 

Meadowlands Hotel Energy Conservation Plan

The Meadowlands Hotel continuously strives to decrease our footprint on the environment, while still being able to offer our guests and eco-friendly accommodation, food & beverage options. Part of “going green” means keeping a close eye on our energy use – with regular monitoring and measurement we can make the necessary adaptations to keep in line with our sustainability goals.

This energy management plan is a working document that is continuously challenged and adjusted as we strive to further improve areas of the hotel’s energy efficiency.

·         In 2024, we aim to decrease our Electricity and LPG consumption by 10% and continuously benchmark our progress.

·         To reduce our electricity usage, we have changed our heating and hot water to a renewable energy provider- EnergieXpro.  84.22% of our energy will come from a renewable energy source.

·         Old pipes and boilers have been replaced at the hotel with gas no longer used at the hotel.

·         A Solar -PV system has been installed as a roof mount project with two heat pumps.  It is expected to generate most of the energy required to operate the hotel.  

·         Continuously strive to further reduce our energy usage through the introduction of new efficiencies, controls, and process improvements.  

·         Added sensor controls for lights in storerooms, hallways, and toilets.  

·         We have two electric car charging points for our guests to use.

·         The hotel is changing to LED lighting as replaced which saves many tonnes of CO2 energy per month.

·         Energy-saving key cards in guest rooms are changing from electricity in rooms lasting 3 minutes without a key to 30 seconds.  Hallways are changing from 15 minutes to 5 minutes.

·         The salamander in the Kitchen has been changed from gas to electric and comes on with sensors from plates.

·         Sealed windows to prevent drafts in the room.

·         Plans to contract an energy manager to detect ways to save on our energy consumption.


Meadowlands Hotel Water Conservation Plan

When it comes to “green travel”, conserving water is an essential aspect as we strive to minimize our environmental impact.  Water conservation is a vital step toward achieving this goal. conserve water while enjoying your vacation, all of which we facilitate at the hotel.

 

We commit to measuring our water consumption every week with an aim to reduce our water usage by 10% in 2024.  We have already implemented the following to reduce consumption:  

·         Encourage our guests to reuse towels to reduce washing.

·         Plastic Bottles in the Cisterns to reduce water per flush.

·         Low-flow faucets in hand basins

·         Changing to Waterless Urinals

·         Use environmentally friend washing and cleaning products.

·         Adding Aerators to all taps in the hotel by the end of 2023

·         Educate guests in pre-arrival emails on our sustainability measures and encourage them to take refillable water bottles.

·         Laundry uses eco-program in washer machines at 40 degrees.

·         Leaks spotted and fixed straight away.

·         Ensure full loads of dishwasher and laundry instead of part loads.

·         Replacing kettles in rooms to 600ml instead of 2L to save on water and electricity

·         Replacing water bottles at the hotel with water dispensers in every corridor.

·         Looking at ways to use grey water usage for irrigation

 

Community Engagement Plan

At Meadowlands Hotel, our community commitment is an important part of our hotel. Without our community we cannot sustain or succeed- it is always a part of us.  The Meadowlands Hotel is committed to engaging in activities towards uplifting and supporting our community. It is important to recognise that hotel community engagement is important for brand identity and word-of-mouth marketing.  It is a great way of contributing to the greater good of our community by building long-lasting relationships with local businesses and people.

To support this commitment, we have set a target to spend at least 1% of our total revenue to support community events, organisations, sports clubs & charities. We will achieve this by working with these groups, teams and organisations to actively seek how our relationship and support can assist.  This may come in the form of a monetary donation, service/cash sponsorship or complimentary vouchers.  It is our policy to meet with organisations either in person, by phone or by email to identify their needs and how the Meadowlands Hotel can contribute. 

Meadowlands Hotel will encourage our employees to volunteer. Our team members may volunteer through programs organised internally or externally.  Our employees will be rewarded for their commitment to volunteering which positively impacts intended social or environmental initiatives in the community.  Rewards may include volunteer hours in working hours or an appreciation voucher. We will initiate a system to track volunteer hours to improve year-on-year. 

In delivering our commitment to our Community, Meadowlands Hotel will endeavour to:

·         Encourage and support our staff to participate and empower in the local community is always encouraged and supported.

·         Respect intellectual property rights, culture and traditions when dealing with local communities. 

·         Ensure that local people are not subjected to discrimination, either as individuals or as communities, in areas such as recruitment, employment, procurement and tendering processes, or as suppliers and traders.

·         Provide relative preferences for local suppliers as much as possible & for hiring resources from the local community, always where the minimum qualifications are met.

·         Encourage our guests to go on excursions to see local people and discover more about their local traditions.

·         The hotel will never obstruct public access to water sources or other essential resources or services.

·         Commit to the appointment and consultation of the local community, when planning any development that may affect them, taking into consideration their views and responding to them. We conduct a pre-assessment of developments' possible impact on the local community.

·         The hotel commits to promote other local products and services to the guests, by recommending guides, markets, and crafts.

·         The hotel should try to maintain local public areas, infrastructure, or places for public services, by either direct contributions or participation in a local tourism group. These activities should be recorded in a formal written document.

·         The hotel must encourage customers and staff to explore the destination.

Meadowlands Employee Wellness Program

Employee wellness programs have many benefits. Wellness helps people become more productive. It can reduce the number of sick days employees take, most importantly, employee wellness is a vital aspect of building a happier workplace.  The hotel industry is a challenging environment to work with irregular hours.  However, we know that we can work together to ensure Meadowlands Hotel is a great place to work.

This employee wellness program policy applies to all our employees. We may offer our wellness program as part of a group health plan or separately.

Our wellness program has several goals. For example, we want to help our employees:

·         Lose weight

·         Quit smoking

·         Manage Stress

·         Improve Mental Health

·         Improve their physical strength and stamina

·         Promote Team Work

·         Strengthen our Community Spirit

Wellness resources include any kind of information, advice, activity, facility, equipment and membership that promotes employee health (physical, emotional and psychological) and fitness.

Here are the wellness resources available at the Meadowlands Hotel:

·         Wellness Mornings/Days to include empowerment activities & breathwork

·         Special gym and Pool Membership with the Aqua Dome

·         Special discounts with Tralee Bike Hire

·         Staff Team Building Days, exploring local activities and attractions

·         Staff Nights out sponsored by the hotel

·         Nutritious Meals & Drinks at highly subsidized rates

We encourage employees to participate in our wellness program but their participation is voluntary. There won’t be any punishment or adverse action for employees who choose not to use our wellness resources and program.

Staff Sustainability Incentives

We want to encourage our employees to participate in our sustainability programs, so we'll provide employee incentives. Our community involvement is also significant to creating a sustainable future.  At the Meadowlands Hotel, we reward our staff for volunteering in the community and record volunteer hours so we can offer incentives for staff to reward their commitment.   We have representation on Tralee Tidy Towns, Tralee Chamber, and Tralee Vintners during working hours.   

Incentives & Rewards may be:

·         Vouchers for lunch, dinner, weekends away, cinema, aqua dome, etc

·         Time off