Whatever your views on global warming and the environment, green issues are here to stay and the theme of re-use, re-cycle and reduce remains high on everyone’s agenda.

As a leading sector of the economy, tourism has its part to play and TATOC was interested in how members are tackling the challenge. How environmentally friendly are timeshare resorts? Is there a real benefit in going green? Or is it just a costly, but necessary, exercise?

TATOC asked Christine Roberts, manager at the very environmentally friendly Melfort Village in Oban, Scotland, for her experiences.

Let me take you back to the beginning. In the early eighties, when ‘green issues’ were in their infancy, we employed a housekeeper who had very strong beliefs about looking after the environment.

It was her influence which led us to stock only Ecover cleaning products for guests to use in our cottages. Many of her orders for housekeeping supplies were placed through Greencity – a workers’ co-operative in Glasgow. 

Although our Housekeeper moved on to pastures new, she had already educated us in the basics of “green self-catering” and this ethos has stayed with us to the present day.

None of us is an eco-warrior, but when we can make changes which are more environmentally friendly and cost effective, we carry them out.

For many years we stuck to using the environmental cleaning products, re-cycled loo roll (before it was pleasant to use!) and looking after our septic tanks by not using bleach.  We have always re-cycled our second-hand furniture and carpets by selling them locally.

However, in 1999, we heard about the Green Tourism Scheme and decided that we would benefit from their assessment and advice. 

Our assistant manager willingly took on the role of “green” representative, and we slowly developed an affordable and manageable Green Policy.  Our first award in 1999 was “Bronze”; by 2004 we had achieved “Gold” by slowly but effectively changing our work practices. 

The Green Tourism scheme has developed, too, and its criteria are raised every time we are assessed: we are not able to rest on our laurels!

However, we still find that it’s the small changes which help us make the grade and help us to save money as well! 

All of our light bulbs are now long-life or low energy and we’ve double-insulated roof spaces in our cottages. This has the double bonus of making them cosy and saving on heating and lighting costs.

We re-cycle all of our paper and haven’t purchased notepads for years!  Sensitive documents are shredded and used in our compost area where we re-use vegetable waste from the restaurant kitchens and place grass clippings and plant trimmings. We even have a mini-compost collector in the office!

We actively encourage our guests to re-cycle and have a full complement of appropriate bins for glass, tins, plastic and paper. 

Another important criterion for Green Tourism is education and we have areas in our reception, throughout the village and on our website which encourage guests to appreciate the natural beauty around them.

We are corporate members of the RSPB and encourage our guests to feed the birds (and red squirrels!). We seek out Scottish suppliers and, if not possible, then ensure we choose a company from elsewhere in Britain.  I could go on listing all of the little things we do, but I think you probably have got the picture by now!

It’s been a real team effort at Melfort Village to establish our Green credentials and we are all really proud of our progress.  We would encourage all timeshare resorts to sign up to the Green Tourism Scheme - they are able to offer such a lot of support.

We have found that our guests are delighted to find a location that is committed to sustainable tourism, minimising its damage to the environment and is operating in accordance with the relevant environmental regulations. 

It makes them feel good about indulging themselves and surely, after all, that is what our industry is about!

Businesses opting to join Green Tourism are assessed by a qualified grading advisor against a rigorous set of criteria, covering a range of areas such as energy and water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and more.

Those businesses that meet the required standard receive a Bronze, Silver, or Gold award based on their level of achievement.

The staff and committee of Melfort Village are delighted and proud to have been awarded the Green Tourism Business Scheme Gold Award for the seventh year. 

A great deal of effort has been dedicated to making Melfort Village an environmentally friendly and sustainable holiday destination.  Thanks also go to our owners and guests who all enthusiastically re-cycle and enjoy the local environment while they’re on holiday.

We believe that we are the only timeshare resort in Scotland to have achieved the prestigious gold award and although we are pleased to be a market leader, we would be even more delighted to learn that other resorts have made the decision to follow in our footsteps. 

The important thing to remember about the Green Tourism Scheme is that small changes make a BIG difference, so it is not necessary to spend a fortune on solar panels or fancy heat exchange units.

About the Green Tourism Business Scheme

The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) has been running since 1997 and is the national sustainable tourism certification scheme for the U.K.

With over 2000 members across the whole of the U.K and Ireland, it is the largest and most established scheme of its type in the world. It is now the only certification scheme validated by Visit Britain.

GTBS assists a wide range of tourism firms with first class environmental advice and auditing. Satisfaction rates of certified firms are very high and dropout rates low, both for the smallest of tourism firms and, increasingly, at the larger companies.

Businesses opting to join Green Tourism are assessed by a qualified grading advisor against a rigorous set of criteria, covering a range of areas such as energy and water efficiency, waste management, bio-diversity and more.

Those businesses that meet the required standard, receive the apropriate Bronze, Silver, or Gold award based on their level of achievement.

The current network of members comprises of a wide range of business types, including accommodation providers, visitor attractions, corporate offices and others.

How other resorts are taking on the green challenge?

From small, independent resorts to large, multi-destination corporations, here’s how other resorts handle environmental issues.

Diamond Resorts International

TATOC platinum affiliate Diamond Resorts International is one of the largest vacation ownership companies in the world with more than 160 branded and affiliated resorts in 26 countries. 

The company is committed to sustainability and has implemented a number of environmental policies to use re-cyclables, improve energy efficiencies and build eco-awareness and sustainability at its managed and operated sites worldwide.

Diamond is a member of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), founded in 1992 to develop practical and socially responsible solutions to the challenges of sustainable development.

Mr Stephen J. Cloobeck, chairman and chief executive officer, explained “Our decision to join the ITP demonstrates how vital our environmental leadership is in our global operations as we embrace all aspects of sustainability, preservation and social responsibility.

“We greatly value the opportunity to have ITP support to establish a mutually beneficial relationship toward our sustainability goals.”

In October this year Diamond announced that technological advances meant that it could reduce its reliance on paper and inks by using on-line handbooks, application processes and training modules. 

At the company’s head office in Nevada, team members participate in Club Ride Commuter Services. This is a free programme which helps staff find alternative ways to get to work, reducing congestion and improving air quality and mobility.

The head office security team also use hybrid cars which use battery power rather than petrol, thereby reducing unnecessary pollution. Plans are in place to change the company’s aging fleet of petrol vehicles with greener alternatives in 2011.

These are simple steps from a company with a major global footprint and will have a major environmental impact. Adds Mr. Cloobeck: "We have a fiduciary responsibility to our customers and team members to become an environmentally-conscious global organisation.

Langdale Estate

“We are actively taking steps in finding ways to be sustainable." 

Langdale Estate

Mr Dan Visser, director of sales and marketing, records the achievements made by Langdale and their overall approach to the environment.

The Langdale Estate, a luxury four-star hotel and spa plus 100 five-star timeshare and self-catering properties has also gone from green to gold with a top environmental award.

This year the Langdale Hotel and Spa won the coveted ‘Green Hotel of the Year Award’ at the annual Hotel Catey’s – the hospitality equivalent of the Oscar’s - held in London. 

Langdale was in good company with a number of other famous hotels in the shortlist including the famous Marriott Hotel, in Marble Arch, London; Jury’s Inn, Liverpool; The Park Royal Hotel, in Warrington; and the Premier Moor Hotel and Spa,  in Sutton Coldfield.

But it was the work of The Langdale Hotel and Spa which most impressed judges. There are just 16 awards given out at the Hotel Catey’s, which were launched in 2007 and are recognised as the hotel industry’s independent benchmark of operational excellence.

Sustainability and a green ethos has become part of the company’s DNA and all business decisions consider the impact on the environment, along with the commercial benefit to the business. Langdale is proof that you can be green and successful.

It crowns a successful year for the 35-acre estate. As well as having large-scale re-cycling schemes for its thousands of annual visitors and low energy lighting systems, its approach to the environment goes much further.

Home working policies for staff thereby reducing the need for car journeys, bio-diversity plans, visitor payback and other schemes are in place to minimise and reduce the impact of the hotel’s activities.

It’s also a company goal to have a long-term commitment to sustainable tourism and to be an ethical employer. We are committed to all things green and encourage environmental practices among guests.

Just over a year ago, the hotel introduced a ground-breaking high-tech boiler which is fuelled by woodchip. Millions of gallons of water used by guests, spa users, restaurants and swimming pool are heated environmentally using a clean, efficient and renewable energy source – reducing the hotel’s dependency on liquid propane gas

In recognition of this development the estate won the Sustainable Hotel prize at the annual Cumbria Tourism Awards.

Mr Nick Lancaster, director of resort operations, sums up our approach: “It is the people at Langdale that make the difference. All decisions and actions which are ‘green’ and ‘sustainable’ are also considered for their commercial benefit.

“We don’t do things just because they are green,” he adds,” but always make business decisions with commercial and sustainable business logic.”

Auchrannie Resort

“We are passionate about the environment and sustainability and are aware of the importance of this to our guests,” explains Ms. Claire Richardson of Auchrannie Resort on Arran.

The resort has grown over the years from a 16 bedroom guest house in 1988 to a resort now comprising two 4 star hotels with 64 rooms, thirty 5 star self-catering luxury lodges, three restaurants, a shop and two leisure clubs with pools.

The resort’s growth and success has not been to the detriment of the local environment. Auchrannie Resort has been affiliated with the Green Tourism Business Scheme since 2007 and has taken on many of the suggestions since the original review. This has led to the introduction of a number of initiatives including:

• Installation of a 300KW biomass woodchip boiler (March 2010)
• E-mailing booking confirmations, staff documentation, payslips, management reports
• E-marketing to reduce paper mail shots
• Increased recycling of glass, paper products and ink cartridges
• Low energy lighting been used for several years
• PIR (sensor activated) lighting in certain areas
• Improved print management to reduce usage and costs
• Pool covers on both swimming pools
• Use of fair-trade products and sustainable food products – sourcing as locally as possible
• Support for local wildlife festival and work with RSPB

“We also changed our guest questionnaire to include feedback on green issues and, in the spirit of environmentalism questionnaires can of course be completed on-line”.

Taken from Sharetime magazine issue 5