Sustainability
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Sustainability at the Hotel y Restaurante Grano de Oro:
The Hotel and Restaurante Grano de Oro maintain a firm and genuine commitment to the care of our environment. For this reason we have come up with a Strategic Plan which contains our mission, vision, objectives and goals as well as actions taken to meet these goals. All of which are shared with our
VISION:
“To be a team of employees committed to our operation, projecting at all times, from all positions, a positive attitude of excellence, integrity and comittement to maintain a sustainable environment, in our working lives at the Hotel Grano de Oro as well as in our private lives.
MISSION:
“To give each guest a unique experience that is personal and memorable. To give each employee a safe and satisfying workplace, in a sustainable environment. To have a positive effect on the social, cultural and environmental aspects of Costa Rican society and to invest a portion of our earnings into these three areas.
POLICIES AND SUSTAINABLE ACTIONS:
The Hotel and Restaurante Grano de Oro makes a permanent effort to define and document plans, programs, policies and procedures that allows for the monitoring of the actions of our Sustainability Plan.
1. Water
We focus diligently on the use of water within our establishment, ensuring the careful use of this precious natural resource.
We do this by:
- Low-flow toilets and shower heads, as well as using aerators in all taps.
- Educating our staff of the importance of checking for leaks and not letting the faucet run.
- Changing the sheets in our rooms every other day and allowing guests the option of re-using their towels.
2. Electricity
We work continuously and consistently on the reduction of our consumption of energy.
We do this by:
- Educating our staff about the importance of turning off lights, computers and air conditioning when not needed.
- Energy efficient bulbs and lighting throughout the entire hotel and restaurant.
3. Waste Management
We have an extensive waste management program.
- We have implemented an extensive recycling program in order to reduce the amount of waste we produce that is sent to the landfill.
- All the organic waste produced with the hotel and restaurant is sent to our compost or for feed to a local pig farm. The “fertilizer” produced by the compost is used in the plants and gardens throughout the hotel.
4. Purchasing Plan
In order to optimize the purchased made within the Hotel and Restaurant, we have implemented the following practices:
- Buy in bulk whenever possible
- Use Certified biodegradable cleaning products throughout the entire hotel.
- Purchase locally, always taking into account quality and consistency.
5. Operations
The Hotel y Restaurante Grano de Oro adheres to all national and legal codes of conduct.
We promote local artists and artesans - Our gift shop sells only local artesian products and our rooms are decorated with paintings by a local artist.
6. Protection of the Flora and Fauna
We are committed to following the recommendations put forth by the Costa Rican Government as well the education of our staff and guests on the topic.
Recommendations when visiting Costa Ricas natural areas:
- Do not remove plants or animals from nature.
- Do not feed the animals within their natural habitat.
- Do not hunt or remove turtle eggs or protected species.
- Do not poach animals.
- Do not litter.
- Do not cut down trees without the proper permission from MINAE.
- Do not remove or sell wild species of flora or fauna.
For more detailed information on regulations or endangered species visit the CITES website at www.cites.org.
7. Policies on Prostitution, Drug use and Sexual Harrasement
At the Hotel Grano de Oro we prohibit prostitution, the use of drugs and all forms of harrasement.
Prostitution:
- We prohibit all forms of prostitution.
- We prohibit unregistered guests in our rooms.
- We support all programs that try to eliminate or fight prostitution.
- We do not work with any agencies or organizations that promote Costa Rica as a sexual destination.
- In 1997, the Hotel signed a National Code against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Drug Use:
- Drug use is not permitted among our employees. If any employee is found to be using drugs they will be dismissed.
Sexual Harassement:
We prohibit sexual harrasement in all forms.
8. Our Carbon Footprint
In the Hotel Grano de Oro we feel that the Global Warming problem is a concern that should be payed attention to therefore we wanted to know the size of our Carbon Footprint so we could take action and create a plan to minimize or compensate for the amount of green-house gases we are emitting.
Luckily, we were chosen by a CANAECO for a pilot program in collaboration with the German government for a Carbon Footprint and Energy efficiency study. We found that every year we emit about 190 tons of CO2. This is the equivalent to what 32 average sized (4-person) automobiles produce in a year.
To offset this emission we have implemented a program with an external company to plant trees. We plan to have offset our entire footprint by the year 2016.
If you would like to offset the Carbon Footprint created by your trip to Costa Rica please visit this link.
Atmosfair gGmbH - Zossener Str. 55-58 - 10961 Berlin
Phone +49 30 6273550-13 - Fax +49 30 6273550-29
info@atmosfair.de - www.atmosfair.de/en/
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