All of us living in the Western world, have never known any different but an unlimited amount of water coming out of our taps and showers. You could argue therefore, that it is not our fault, to think this natural resources is unlimited and can be used as we please.

I’ve sometimes walked into a public bathroom and a tap is open at full force while nobody is using it. I myself, used to brush my teeth in the past while leaving the tap open, or washed dirty dishes without using a stopper in the sink.

This is not a guilt trip for anyone, we only know what we have been given all our lives, we think that water will never stop coming, and therefore, conserving it is not necessary.

Changes are coming

In Ireland, households do not have to pay for water. This is very different in all other European countries. In fact, Ireland and Northern Ireland are the only jurisdictions in the EU without domestic water charges. (https://www.thejournal.ie/what-countries-in-europe-have-water-charges-facts-3...

Recently, I spent some time in my beloved Spain, in the city of Bilbao in particular. During my stay I was delighted to see the hotel I had booked did not offer single use toiletries, Yipee! I was thrilled.

I know for most people this might be a silly thing to get excited about, but when you work in the world of Environmentalism, and you see the figures I see in a weekly basis, regarding discarded mini toiletries, this is a big thing.

Single use plastics in hotels are a much bigger issue than most people think. To a customer, opening a mini bottle of shampoo, or an individually wrapped ketchup sachet, or a mini jam at their breakfast seems like a very small thing. It is just one item, isn’t it? What harm can it do?

An issue much bigger than we think

According to STR Global (American based company that tracks global data), there are nearly 200,000 hotels in the world. This number does not include guest houses, B&B’s or hostels so the real number is much larger. Let’s say every hot...

Customer demand for Climate Change and for all industries to play their part is at an all-time high.

Society is changing, their values are changing, and those that align their business to their customer values ahead of the rest, stand to become more successful.

So what are you doing, at your hotel or restaurant, to commit and run a greener business?

The benefits of running a Greener Business

• Align your business to your customer values

• Green Marketing & PR

• Goodwill, improve your reputation

• Reduction of your business Carbon Footprint

• Better controls of your utilities, resulting in a reduction of your Energy, water and waste bills.

The future of the travel industry 

Right now, tourism & travel account for 10% of the global carbon emissions globally. AT the rate tourism is growing as an industry, would it be possible that we will become the most polluting industry worldwide in a couple of decades?

And how would that affect our future busines...

When was the last time you took time out of your day to review the energy your Hotel or Restaurant uses?

After staff wages, your Energy consumption, could possibly be one of the largest costs to your business, yet, every week, I meet hospitality managers, that don’t have control over their energy consumption.

I always found it funny, I spent 4 and a half year in Hotel Management. They told me how to budget, how to forecast, how to control staff wages. However, nobody ever told me that, when I finally became a Hotel Manager, I would also be in charge of a building.

A building that comes associated with high costs to run on Energy, Water and Waste.

In my early hotel management years I was often assigned the Early duty manager shift. Walking into work at 6.30am, your best buddy becomes the breakfast chef, they are the only ones up earlier than you!

For years, I saw breakfast chefs arrive on duty and turn all the lights on, all the ovens on, extractor fans, grills, fryers. It’s lik...

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 yo...

The second most polluting industry in Ireland, according to the Climate Action Plan released a few weeks ago, is transport. The plan is aggressive in it’s targets to face out diesel and petrol cars, and my mind always goes to those that can not afford and electric car.

How will higher fuel tax affect lower income families?

Imagine a young family of four, with two parents working at a rate slightly up from the minimum wage. They can’t get into the property ladder because their salaries and the standard of living does not allow them save for the required deposit. The rely in their cars to go to work because they can’t afford rent in the city and public transport outside the city is just nearly non existent.

Most their wages go on rent, petrol and child minding.

They will not be in a position to buy an electric car in the next years.

They will be even in a worse position as time goes by and carbon tax increases, putting petrol in their cars will become a luxury.

How is the new Clima...

Yesterday I saw and add on telly for Mout Cider. The add simply highlighted three things: A fully recyclable glass bottle, a cider that is vegan, and that the company are allied to the World Wildlife Fund that protects endangered species.  I was sitting on the couch and I instantly thought “Well that is a nice cider”, the add did not speak about it’s taste, or how refreshing it might be, or what fruit is made with, but the three things they highlighted, are three things I felt aligned too instantly.

Align your business values to your customer values

In a world where society is changing and demanding for companies to change their own mind-sets, a huge opportunity lies for those that are whiling to make that change, to highlight what is seen now as a positive effort towards climate change and protection of the planet.

The add resonated so much with me that this morning I had to get up and find this cider’s website. Unfortunately, the same message does not carry to their website, but I...

Hi Guys! 

In this week’s thought of the week I wanted to give you a quick update on the #SaucyChallenge, number 4 & 6 are my favourite updates!!

1. Keep your photos coming

So many people have sent us photos of their local pubs, restaurants and cafes that are not using individually wrapped sauces. I am humbled by the public’s reaction to this campaign and all I can say is a massive THANK YOU to all of you for supporting it. Keep those pictures coming!! As I want this campaign to be based in positivity, I will never name and shame a business that uses individually wrapped sauces or condiments, instead, I will champion those that have already made a change or that are whiling to make the change required to abolish them.

2. Keep talking to your local business

I have receive 3 phone calls so far, from business owners that heard about the campaign through their own customers so again WOW, a massive thank you to all of you that are highlighting the issue with your local food service prov...

This week's thought of the week could be no other than the new Climate Action Plan announced by our government recently. While I welcome the plan and it’s ambitious targets of Carbon reduction, I feel this plan is going to hurt those that have less incomes expenditure and benefit those that already make a lot of money, as now, they will also save more money than us middle class and lower income families.

Irish Climate Action Plan

Reading the report I got the niggling feeling that we are taking the “easy way out” by putting the burden of taxes to the public without properly investing and researching into innovative sustainable ways to reduce our Carbon output. Is this a punishment to kill the #GreenWave movement in Ireland?

Electric Vehicles and House Retrofitting

Yes, I agree, it would be wonderful to implement this for every family in Ireland, but the plan fails to explain how? Where are we all going to get the €50,000 to €100,000, per household, required to comply with EV and ret...

Last week I had a radio interview with NearFM about the #SaucyChallenge, and one of the questions Sabrina asked me was "When did all these single packaging starter?" and that got me thinking...

Shopping Frustrations

I don’t know about you but I am quite often absolutely shocked about the way shops, supermarkets, etc package the stuff I buy. Here is what happens, I bring my own reusable bag to put my shopping into, when I buy some fresh fish, they place it in a plastic bag and give it to me, I go to the check out till and the attendant puts the fish (already inside a bag), into a brown paper bag, for me to place the fish that is inside a bag, now wrapped in a second bag into my shopping bag. What the hell? When did I start accepting plastic as the new normal?

And it is not only fish, the same happens when I buy firelighters, which come in a box, which also has a second plastic bag inside the box already. The level of separation from my firelighters to my skin is plastic wrapping arou...