We are delighted to present the fourth volume in our "Year of Hope" 2024 blog series.

At FSG, we have decided to focus our energy and efforts into spotlighting small, community driven sustainability projects from anywhere in the world that are operating on a grass roots level.

The world of sustainability itself can often be perceived as a minefield. From the enormity of the climate crisis, CSRD regulations and measuring carbon emissions, the efforts being made on the field by individuals or groups can often get overshadowed.

However, we always say at FSG, that small actions do count, especially when being carried out by many. This blog series will endeavor to highlight those people or communities who are driving REAL action.

We hope their stories inspire you, and more importantly that they spark hope.

Our fourth Story of Hope - is shining a spotlight on Understory - an environmental education and zero-waste organisation founded by Alex Konieczka.

"Understory was founded to...

UN SDG 11 main goal is to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

The global population is continuously increasing, and it´s expected that by 2050 70% of the global population will live in cities. Therefore, it´s urgent that we rethink our current urban planning so we can all live in a sustainable and inclusive way. In today´s blog, we will analyse how far we are from this target, and we will explore how it is living in a sustainable city.

The way we live now.

To put in context the lifestyle situation, let´s look at some impactful data:

Nowadays cities account for more than 70% of global house emissions.

In 2022, 99 % of the world’s urban population lived in areas that exceeded the air quality guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Between 2015 and 2030, annual passenger traffic globally is projected to increase by 50%, and the number of cars on the road will likely double.

This picture from...

In 2015, leaders from 193 different countries agreed on 17 global goals they felt the world needed to achieve by 2030. The ninth goal is Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, which is about developing and promoting sustainable industry and enhancing innovation.

When we talk about climate change and how we should tackle this crisis, oftentimes we think of the most pressing issues such as poverty, biodiversity loss, climate action, and gender equality.

But how does ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’ fit into this picture, and is this SDG a vital part of solving the climate crisis, and if so, how? We will be discussing this in this week’s blog!

What is the aim of this SDG?

SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure aims to develop and promote sustainable industry and enhance innovation. It is known that diverse economies with strong infrastructures often sustain less damage and experience faster recovery from potential economic challenges. SDG 9...

Allow us to steal 3 minutes of your time today to show you just how simple it is to reduce your hotel’s carbon footprint and even achieve carbon neutrality. 

Sustainability is a word that is thrown around constantly and in so many scenarios that it becomes an unachievable task and a blurry concept in our minds. So we want to demystify 'sustainability' and break it into actionable steps: 

Calculate your current Carbon Emissions

Once again, this is easier than you might think.

1. Firstly you need to begin to analyse and understand your utility bills for waste, water and energy. 
2. Set up a system and assign a person from your team to monitor the CO2 kg produced at your business every month – this person is going to be your Green Manager who should report to you and the rest of the time periodically. 
3. Observe your building, where and when is energy being used, where and when is water being used and where and what waste is being...

In collaboration with the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH) Fifty Shades Greener has created the first Level 4 certificate in environmental sustainability management in hospitality. 

 This is the first qualification of its kind to be regulated as an official qualification on the Ofqual framework with the first green manager awarded the qualification in April of this year!  

This is truly a pinch me moment for me, having suffered from impostor syndrome for years, to have one of my programmes validated in a framework of education is an amazing achievement.  

FSG was born out of the hospitality sector, with all people in my team having come from a background in hospitality, and our educational programmes respond to an urgent need to address the sector’s environmental impact, attract new talent and reduce cost. 

Reducing carbon emissions should be something that becomes paramount in our daily routines if we...

Odran Lucey, executive chef at the Rose Hotel in Tralee, Ireland, has become the first person in the world to successfully complete a brand-new qualification for Environmental Sustainability Management in Hospitality.

Fifty Shades Greener (FSG) and the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH) joined forces in late 2021 to create the first Level 4 (Level 6 in Ireland) certificate in environmental sustainability management in hospitality. This is the first qualification of its kind to be regulated as an official qualification on the Ofqual framework of education.

“Reducing carbon emissions should be something that becomes paramount in our daily routines if we really want to provoke a mind-set change. Environmental education is key to driving this transformation and the general education system has a responsibility to not only prepare learners for the world of work, but provide them with the skills to influence employers, politicians and the wider society. This can be...

I am so thrilled today to announce that we have been working hard behind the scenes in collaboration with the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH) to create the first Level 4 certificate in environmental sustainability management in hospitality.

This is the first qualification of its kind to be regulated as an official qualification on the Ofqual framework. 

This is truly a pinch me moment for me, having suffered from impostor syndrome for years, to have one of my programmes validated in a framework of education is an amazing achievement. 

FSG was born out of the hospitality sector, with all people in my team having come from a background in hospitality, and our educational programmes respond to an urgent need to address the sector’s environmental impact, attract new talent and reduce cost.

Reducing carbon emissions should be something that becomes paramount in our daily routines if we really want to provoke a mind-set change. Environmental...

In 2015 at COP21 in Paris, it was agreed and became a part of the remit for many governments, that for the next 30 years there HAS to be a reduction in global carbon emissions. 

For this to come to fruition in the future, we cannot only introduce higher rates of carbon tax, invest in public transport or simply upgrade our energy extractions to renewables.

 There is no doubt that all these actions will result in a greener economy, and I am certainly not disputing this. However there is one vital component to achieving true environmental sustainability that is missing, and that is to provide EDUCATION to all members of our society.

Imagine for a moment if you will, an Ireland in the year 2040… Our government has embedded Environmental Education into our school’s curriculum - from primary school right through to adult education, and this has been ongoing since 2021. 

The basic principles of environmental sustainability are now second nature to the...

Part of many government’s remit for the next 30 years is a reduction of Carbon emissions, as agreed in 2015 at COP21 in Paris.

For this to become a reality in the future, we can not only introduce higher rates of carbon tax, invest on public transport or upgrade our energy extractions to renewables.

Yes of course, all those actions will result on a greener economy, but there is one component to achieve true Environmental Sustainability that is missing, and that is to provide EDUCATION to all members of society.

Imagine Ireland in 2040:

After our government has embedded Environmental Education into our Schools curriculum, from Primary schools through to adult education since 2020. The basic principles of Environmental Sustainability, are now second nature to the current workforce. We all know how to calculate and reduce our life’s carbon emissions, we all know how the daily decisions we make affect the environment, and most of us, are committed to lessen our impact on the...

I am blessed that because of my job, I get to work alongside secondary school students but also the hospitality industry workers, through our Hospitality programmes. 

As an educator, I've always been aware of my own shortcomings. With English being my second language, I've always felt my language is lacking in many areas, and I often wish I could write and speak in a more professional and fluid way. For this reason, I have always felt I wasn’t good enough.

Surprisingly, it is because of my use of layman terms, that makes our programmes more appealing to my students, for young generations and adults alike.

I came across this TedTalk from John Marshall and I was hooked from the first minute, when he he had the following to say about Climate Change:

“What we have here, is a failure to communicate”. The terminology around Climate Change is a difficult one and so it seems a totally abstract concept to people, words become obstacles rather than aids, and this...