Radisson Blu Sydney Becomes First Radisson Hotel Awarded Green Key in Asia-Pacific
Our hotel is proud to be the first Radisson hotel in the Asia-Pacific region to be Green Key awarded!
Green Key International is a leading global eco-label awarding their certification to hotels and other hospitality corporations that commit themselves to sustainable business practices. To qualify for Green Key certification, Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney has passed stringent audits to ensure they meet the standards set out by Green Key International.
As part of the Radisson Hotel Group’s commitment to Responsible Business, here at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney we abide by Think People, Think Community, Think Planet. This ethos outlines how we as a hotel can make contributions to various pillars, ensuring that we are making a difference to this world. Have a read below on the many Responsible Business initiatives our hotel and staff have implemented to achieve this Green Key award!
Think People
The hotel staff are the backbone of these principles and are very involved in CSR initiatives and critical in suggesting new ideas. Thanks to staff input and their own passions about the environment, the hotel has been using microfibre cloths in Housekeeping since 2007, drastically reducing the need for harsh cleaning chemicals and equipment. Consequently, 14.4 million litres of water have been saved due to this initiative!
Our Responsible Business Committee regularly meets to raise ideas and formulate plans to continue improving Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney’s efforts. Each department also creates fundraising events and initiatives to contribute to a range of causes throughout the year. The HR department has also started rolling out Responsible Business training to our entire hotel, increasing awareness of our changing landscape, and how we as a hotel can reduce our footprint.
Think Community
Radisson Blu Sydney staff and leadership love to help the community and are actively involved in many activities. This is evident through our participation in Soap for Hope, a program that re-purposes used soap cakes from the hotel into new soap for local disadvantaged people in the community.
Their most recent event produced over 200 new soap bars for distribution to St Vincent de Paul charity, which distributed them to people in crisis housing. Many of the hotel staff volunteered their time to make these soap bars by hand!
For our Annual Gala Dinner this year, we raised AUD$46,647, going to The Smith Family to provide educational assistance to local children.
Throughout the Christmas period, the hotel is fund raising through several outlets to support Drought Angels which support drought victims in rural Australia.
Think Planet
The hotel is passionate about staying up to date with trends and concerns about our impact on the environment. The hotel is proud to announce an exciting new initiative and industry partnership by committing to sourcing 100% renewable energy for the property in 2020 with Simply Energy.
Other important power-saving initiatives include the installation of water-saving shower heads, awarding of bonus Radisson Reward points to guests who opt out of daily housekeeping and the replacement of plastic straws in the hotel with biodegradable straws.
Food waste is donated to a local animal shelter, with the hotel also being the first in Sydney to install a Waste to Water system. This food waste processing unit uses microorganisms to decompose waste and allows the hotel to have less than 5% of food waste going to landfill!
For more information on the hotel’s responsible business initiatives, follow our social media pages. Facebook: @radissonbluplazahotelsydney Instagram: @radissonblusydney
(By Emma Hedges)