What is a Carbon Footprint?
The build-up of certain gases in Earth’s atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, creates a greenhouse effect by trapping the sun’s heat. With global warming making its presence felt, the rising concentration of these gases has become a big cause for worry. A carbon footprint measures the total number of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated directly or indirectly by an activity, person, product, or business.
Understanding a carbon footprint helps quantify and manage the impact of your hotel’s activities. You can calculate it at an individual, product, or corporate level using carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) as a standard unit to account for emissions from different greenhouse gases and their varying global warming potential.
So, how important is it to measure and monitor carbon footprint in the travel sector? It turns out to be crucial. Tourism is responsible for about 8.1% of global GHG emissions, with flights, lodging, and construction being some of the major emitters. According to Defra, a hotel stay in the UK generates about 10.4 kg CO2e per room per night—this number for countries like Saudi Arabia and the Maldives goes well over 100 kg CO2e per room per night.
Arijiju, Laikipia, Kenya
Definition of Carbon Footprints for tourism and travel
A survey revealed that more than three-quarters of respondents want to travel more sustainably, and 43% don’t mind paying more. It’s time for hotels to respond to these trends by initiating even small, practical measures.
From the context of the travel industry, the major emitters are:
Transportation: This is the backbone of tourism and one of its primary sources of carbon emissions. Some transportation modes, like flights and diesel cars, release more emissions than buses, trains, and electric cars.
Energy Use: When it comes to lodging, energy used to make a guest’s stay pleasant (think heating, air conditioning, pools and spas) can have a big impact on the property’s carbon footprint. Also, because of their sprawling size and long list of amenities, resorts create a much higher carbon footprint than homestays and lodges.
Construction: Whether it’s a hotel building or an airport, construction takes up huge amounts of energy. Construction materials, techniques, and the type of plumbing and HVAC systems can strongly influence how big your hotel’s carbon footprint will be.
Food Waste: Not just in tourism, food waste is a major GHG emitter in every sector. Lavish buffets and generously sized portions to please the guests typically end up rotting in landfills, releasing methane – a highly potent greenhouse gas and adding to the carbon footprint of the hospitality industry.
Reducing your Carbon Footprint is a journey
Many organisations succumb to the temptation to buy offsets to meet their carbon emission goals. While this helps, offsetting isn’t the most reliable way to reduce one's carbon footprint.
Investing in energy-saving technologies, redesigning food menus, stepping up recycling and composting efforts, and educating staff on making sustainable choices in their daily duties can significantly reduce emissions.
Remember, lowering your impact on the environment is a journey, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. While net zero is the ultimate goal, break it down into focus areas for a positive start. The first step, however, is to quantify your carbon impact.
Reduce your emissions through the 4C’s
The Long Run’s ethos is to help businesses make positive changes by breaking everything down into manageable steps. We focus on the 4Cs of sustainability: Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce. This method allows members to move in a positive direction toward sustainability without feeling overwhelmed. By focusing on smaller aspects of the business, you can create a greener (and possibly more lucrative) future.
If you want to start understanding and reducing your carbon footprint, contact the team and find out how The Long Run can support your journey.
Arkaba, South Australia