My lightbulb moment – why isn’t everyone doing this?

Back in 2012, while working as the Sales & Marketing Manager of Hotel Doolin in West Clare, my General Manager told me to form a "green team" and apply for Green Hospitality Ireland certification. 

Excuse me but...what?!

To say I was apprehensive at the start would be an absolute understatement! 

I had no idea where to even begin.

I attended workshops, seminars, and completed an endless number of courses as well as reading blogs about Green businesses. 

Within 2 years and with little to no investment, we managed to reduce our Energy by 30%, our Waste by 40% and our Water by 25%. 

My first thought was “WHY ISN’T EVERYONE DOING THIS?"

To me, greening your hotel or restaurant became not just “the nice thing” to do, it is instead “the smart” thing to do from a business perspective. 

My Light-bulb moment 

At this point of my career, everything shifted and changed for me forever.

The "Why isn’t everyone doing this?" began forming an idea in my head. 

What if I could teach other hotel managers achieve the exact same results? 

What if I could help green the entire hospitality industry? 

This is how Fifty Shades Greener was conceived five years ago.

I took the plunge and I left my career as a hotel manager, converted my spare room into an office, and I set out on a mission to change the industry. 

Greening your business is easier than you think 

Back in 2012, when I started my own Green Journey, green actions and tips were not as wide spread as they are now. It was difficult to find information online and I could not find a “package” of activities that would help me get started. 

It was long journey where I hit many dead ends and road blocks when it came to access to information and support. It quickly became apparent to me that this was an area for opportunity and to be remedied.

In 2017, I started committing to paper all of the little actions I, and the green team had taken at Hotel Doolin, that allowed us reduce our energy, waste and water consumption.

And I started using those tips to help other managers embark on their own Green Journey. 

Fast forward to 2019, I was able to move to the next phase of my business by encompassing all of my training, into compact action based Online training courses. 

Online training is the easiest way for hospitality managers and owners to gain the knowledge they need in this fast-paced industry. 

How many times have you planned on attending a workshop or a seminar but you have not been able to make it last minute? 

I know I have! 

Online training can be taken from the comfort of your own office, at a time of the day that suits you best. 

The benefits of greening your business 

Greening your hotel or your restaurant does not have to cost a fortune, in fact, once you take control of your energy, water and waste, you will see a reduction in your utility bills. 

It is a known fact that a Green business brings with it the opportunity for positive PR and Green Marketing. Letting your customers know that you care about the environmental impact of your business is essential. This will open up new markets for your business, attract more customers, and generate more profit. 

Society is changing, our customers of tomorrow, are the children of today. We need to align our business policies and missions to the values of our customers, and those customers are demanding change. They are demanding for everyone to do their part, at the end of the day, who else is going to change the current situation if not us? 

If you are interested in starting your own green journey at your business then check out our Educational Programmes

Thank you for reading today!

 The FSG Team 💚