CO2 footprint - the Viabono certificate
As a family company with several generations under one roof, sustainable thinking automatically determines many important decisions in our lives.
As a hotel business, environmentally friendly management is a very big challenge. Unfortunately, practice shows far too often that painful compromises have to be made again and again in order to be able to work economically.
In a place like Graal-Müritz, surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful nature, we all have to live an awareness of sustainability. Guests and hosts have the same responsibility here and only together can we make a difference in order to preserve the beauty of this region and the whole world for many generations to come.
We have taken another important step and had our company thoroughly examined. With great effort, invoices and statistics were evaluated to find out how climate-friendly our hotel works.
With great pride we can say that we are already doing a lot of things right and have therefore achieved climate efficiency class A! Now we have to stay tuned and continue to optimize ourselves, for the sake of the environment.
What can WE do?
Having your own company checked for climate efficiency was a big and important step. We now know where we stand and that a start has been made. Much more important, however, are the small everyday steps that are tedious and seem so ineffective.
But it is precisely there, in everyday life and on a small scale, that the big lever to achieve the decisive effect can be found. If many people together, every day, just do a few small things differently, then that will have a noticeable effect on all of us living together.
As mentioned before, running a hotel is always a struggle between ecological and economic decisions. We have to protect our nature so that our guests continue to want to spend their holidays here. However, we must not lose sight of our cost structure. That is why we are always on the lookout for small and at the same time meaningful measures.
We already do that:
no plastic straws
no plastic or styrofoam to-go cups
Membership in "So tastes MV", regional producer network
regular participation in garbage collection campaigns in Graal-Müritz
Consistent waste separation in the gastronomy area
Separation of our guests' rubbish by the housekeeping team (as best as possible)
Saving on heating costs thanks to modern insulation and an attentive housekeeping team
Saving electricity costs through motion detectors, timers, twilight switches
Walk or bike to work (if distance allows).
small purchases, errands and disposal of used glass with the cargo bike
optimized ordering system to avoid unnecessary journeys
fewer online orders, more purchases from local retailers
Printer and toilet paper made from recycled paper
all print media with CO2-neutral printing on partly recycled paper
Reuse backsides of printed paper
avoid single-sided printing
Digitization of guest traffic, duty scheduling, ordering, communication, administration, accounting
This list is always open to additions. We look forward to any help!
What can YOU do?
The decision to address the issue of sustainability as a hotel business was not difficult for us, we felt it to be a natural duty. We are on the right track with Viabono's CO2 footprint and our catalog of measures. Now we would also like to take our guests on board. Because only together with you can we manage to operate this hotel with its approx. 20,000 overnight stays a year in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
During a stay in a hotel, not everyone behaves as prudently as they do at home. The economical use of water and electricity, for example, is not a matter of course. Anyone who cares about environmental protection should also be aware of their CO2 footprint while on holiday. Here is a short list of how hotel guests can make their contribution relatively easily.
You can do this:
Lights off when leaving the room
Heating off when the window is open
Separating rubbish
economical use of water and other consumables
Don't let housekeeping change towels every day
Cancel room cleaning if not necessary
economical use of cutlery and crockery at the breakfast buffet
rather go to the buffet once more than throw food away at the end