In 2017, I set out on a mission to help Green the Hospitality Industry, there has been many up and downs since then, but one thing remains - my belief that this is the best way to go for the industry.

We keep hearing in the news about Climate Change, how many years we have left, what will happen in 2050 if we don’t change…Some people believe it, some people don’t.

Regardless of your personal opinion on Climate Change, the reality is that every person, and every Hotel in the world, can do something to reduce their Carbon Footprint.

Sustainability In Hospitality

Hotels waste thousands of Euros every year, by having poor processes and behaviours around energy, water and waste. This has, not only a negative effect in the environment, but also to the business bottom line. We spend time, money and resources on promoting our business, bettering our customer service, providing unique visitor experiences… And then we throw a lot of our hard earned sales literally in...

The pandemic that has isolated the world, is the fastest growing illness in modern history. Within 2 months, it has reached all corners of the world, and it threatens to devastate countries without the right tools to fight the virus, like Africa and South America.

There are no comforts or lessons to be learnt when you see people that cant even be buried or mourned by their loved ones. I do not want to fall into the trap to highlight positive aspects from a society been confined all around the world. Only to remember that there are millions of children that can not attend school, and the methods teachers, authorities and parents are using to fill the time they have at home, by teaching Online.

Online Education is a fast growing industry

Is evident, that the pandemic has accelerated the need for all countries to up their game through online training. But once again there are clear differences between countries, educational models and what is even more worrying, the clear difference...

I watched the sun rise on mother’s day.

It is difficult to sleep these days, thoughts swirling in my mind like a tumble dryer. Will my parents in Spain make it through this nightmare? Will my business survive? Am I ok?

There are no answers to those questions so far, and the unknown is the hardest thing not to think about.

I can’t help but wonder, will COVID-19 allow us to go back to the same values we had created as a society pre-coronavirus? Or do we even want that?

While we isolate and keep social distancing, I’ve never felt closer to my loved ones. 

I might not be able to hug them and kiss them, but the level of intimacy and contact by simply calling someone, sharing our fears and laughing about toilet paper, are creating strong bonds all around the world.

We have seen tremendous acts of kindness in the last couple of weeks.

Chinese doctors have flown to Italy to help. Food businesses are cooking for our doctors and nurses in the front line. Neighbours are...

In the past few weeks the world has been flipped upside down and economies are been brought to their knees due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

These are worrying times for many, health and economical wise, as we enter unchartered territories.

The travel and tourism industry in particular, has already started feeling the severe effects of a downturn, with many cancellations for the coming season, and the crude reality of job loses raising its ugly head in most countries.

Panic is starting to set in amongst business owners, and we should take this time to reflect and prepare for the future. 

So can what we do from a business perspective?

I too am worried, I provide training and coaching programmes for the Hospitality industry, so their business prosperity is a key factor for my own business goals.

We know that we are facing a quiet season, we also know that we expect a huge drop in our sales budgets, and that 2020 will not be a very profitable year for many.

I met a new client last...

You have heard that Greening your hotel or restaurant can bring you more exposure, more clients and more profits. This much is true.

You also know that the Green Wave is real, and your customers will soon demand sustainable practices from your business. I firmly believe this will happen.

You would like to run a green business, but the learning curve seems so steep, you are busy as it is and you think it is going to cost you a fortune to get there. You are wrong in this one.

An issue of time

Greening your Hotel or Restaurant is easier than you think, and it does not have to cost you a fortune, in fact, I can prove to you that it is the opposite, it might end up saving you money. As for the amount of time you have in your hands? Well yes, the Hospitality industry is a fast paced industry, but ask yourself something:

If your accountant told you in the morning someone is stealing money from your till, would you prioritize finding out who it is so you can stop it over other items in your...

Do you own or run a Hospitality Business? And do you know how much money are you putting in the bin?

There is a staggering statistic that 70% of the Food Waste produced by Hotels and Restaurants is actually avoidable. While we are putting food in the bin there are millions of people starving in other countries but for this blog I am going to move away from the human side of this problem, and talk about what most motivates business owners: COST SAVINGS.

Stop putting your money in the bin

Putting food in the bin is literally the equivalent of putting your hard earned cash in the bin. More so even, than any other waste type. You have to factor in the following elements:

1. You bought the raw produce at a cost
2. You stored it in your fridges and freezers using energy that also cost you money
3. Then you cooked it, using energy and staff wages to add to that cost.
4. And then when the food comes back from your food service areas, or when it is spoiled in your fridges, you pay money for your waste...

Sustainability has so many definitions that it drives people a bit bunkers. What does it all mean? How do I make more business more sustainable? How do I know if I am successful on greening my business?

The answers are much simpler than people might think, well, at least for me and Ill tell you why.

To us at the Fifty Shades Greener office, a green or sustainable business is one that reduces it’s impact to the environment. Business affect the environment in 3 ways, by using energy, producing waste and using water.

In order to run an environmentally friendly business, you need to reduce your business utilities, and the best part of this journey is that not only you will reduce your business Carbon Footprint and impact to the environment, but you will also SAVE MONEY off your utility bills.

It is a win/win situation for business owner.

Yet, 99% of the Hotel owners I meet in my weekly routine, don’t have a handle on those 3 pillars of sustainability. So here are 3 top tips...

Last weekend the Irish Nation voted for change at the #GE2020, with the main two government parties not receiving enough votes to form a majority coalition. I am personally really happy that this is the desire of the Irish people, and of course, the raise of the Green Party to 12 seats.

The proposed raise of Carbon Tax by some political parties worries me, and makes me wonder, is that the “change” the Irish public want? Have we succumbed to believe the only approach to climate change is the raise in tax?

I personally believe there could be other initiatives to consider.

A few years ago, I completed a FETAC level 6 course on dog training. Now I am not comparing Irish citizens to dogs, that’s not mi intention at all! But hear me out for 20 seconds.

Dog training is all about positive reinforcement, reward positive behaviour instead of punishing negative behaviour.

There are trainers out there of course that do not follow this rule and punish animals for mis-behaviour....

 Hi guys!

I am back with the 50 Shades Greener thought of the week. Last Thursday I watched a documentary by Stacey Dooley on the Environmental impact of the fashion industry, and I was floored with the statistics!! I really had no idea that the clothing industry was so damaging, it actually is the second most polluting industry in the world, after Oil of course.

I learned that to make a pair of jeans, the industry uses over 21,000 litres of water, 21,000!!!! That is unbelievable. Straight away my mind raced to my wardrobe were I have 3 or 4 pairs of jeans that have not seen daylight in months. What a waste, I actually feel pretty guilty about it. Here I am preaching to the Hospitality industry about the things we can do to save water, while my wardrobe alone possibly contains millions of litres of water. So we live and learn, and now I have the awareness I needed, my shopping habits will change. Not that I am a great shopper to be honest, since I moved to the country years ago...

The way you communicate your green efforts to your customers and stakeholders plays a huge part on spreading sustainability and more importantly, in creating real impact and change of mind-sets.

To give you an example, I recently stayed at a 4* Hotel, in the bathroom they had a little card telling me to “Help them save the planet by reusing my towel”, right beside it, there were 6 plastic mini toiletries and two individually wrapped plastic shower caps.

I felt cheated.

The scenario smelled entirely like Green Washing.

And if there is anything more annoying to a Green Traveller than mini toiletries, it is Green Washing.

Please don’t tell me reusing my towel will help YOU save the planet, when on the other hand you are polluting the environment with unnecessary single use plastics. Towel reuse programmes will not save the planet anyway.

3 Green Marketing Tips

1. Be honest with your messaging, use phrases like “Help us reduce our use of energy and water by...