Sustainability is an opportunity for us to see the hospitality industry from a social, economic, and environmental perspective. The hospitality industry's carbon footprint is growing as tourism grows, and hotel guests are actively seeking green measures from firms. We are ensuring that The Europe Hotel & Resort is future-proofed for achieving the greatest levels of sustainability and minimising our carbon footprint by acting now, in this time.

“We are proud to now operate on 100% green renewable electricity and hope that our action will inspire other companies to take further steps towards a greener, brighter future.”

➢     Michael Brennan, Managing Director of Killarney Hotels Ltd

The Europe Hotel & Resort is a member of the Killarney Hotels Sustainability Group. The 22-hotel group is dedicated to reducing the environmental effect of hotel services and activities. The group's basic value is that "we assume responsibility" for "assisting in the protection and sustainability of the environment for future generations of our visitors and workers."

The Europe Hotel & Resorts has adopted the following major actions to address their commitment to sustainability in order to demonstrate current sustainability activities by the hotel:

100% Green Renewable Electricity and Renewable BioGas

The Europe Hotel & Resort now operates on 100% Green Renewable and will shortly be switching Gas supply to 100% renewable BioGas.

The Europe Hotel & Resort highlight that these steps make: ‘a significant, positive and immediate change to how we operate our business, while still maintaining the incredible facilities and level of service that we are renowned for. Switching to 100% Renewable Electricity has enabled us to make a change that will have a direct positive impact and proved a simple yet highly effective way to cut our carbon emissions and reduce our impact on the environment. As a family-owned company, integrity has a high status and one principle is continually thinking of tomorrow today.

Sourcing Responsibly and Locally

The Liebherr Family (hotel owners) own and operate one of the largest farms in Co. Kerry, which is between The Europe Hotel & Resort and The Dunloe Hotel and Gardens.

Our farmers rear livestock to produce our own beef and lamb for the hotel menu, thus reducing the ‘food miles’ and ensuring our guests enjoy trustworthy, higher welfare and locally produced produce. The farm is home to sheep and to over 350 head cattle, a combination of Aberdeen Angus, Charolais and Limousin. Historically, sheep and cattle that were reared at the farm were sold at a market or directly to factory, however in the last couple of years it has produced beef and lamb, which proudly features on the hotels’ menus. Seán Moriarty has been managing the farm for over 30 years and meets with the Chefs on a weekly basis to discuss the needs of their dishes. He also works closely with a local butcher to ensure the perfect treatment and ageing of the meats. Having a close relationship results in a product of exceptional quality and of higher welfare, which supports the local community.

Avenue of Appreciation

"Plant a native Irish tree and leave a positive, lasting contribution to the local environment”

The trees will be placed on the estate, at a short distance from the hotel's main building. Each newly planted native Irish tree will be tagged over time, and the tree's species and name will be placed on a sign at the start of the avenue. This project will create an appealing and meaningful feature that will blend in with the estate's natural surroundings and the gorgeous area where we live.

Additional key sustainability measures of the Europe Hotel & Resort include:

• Seeking to conserve natural resources through the responsible use of energy, water and materials.
• Monitoring and improving our recycling in areas such as energy consumption, reduction of waste materials and water consumption.
• Working with suppliers to reduce carbon footprint and reduce the waste generated.
• Promoting efficient energy management and utilization.
• Monitoring water usage and encouraging water conservation.
• Managing waste and developing recycling initiatives.
• Communicating this policy and relevant environmental control to employees, suppliers and guests.
• All of the hotel’s ‘to go’ coffee cups and lids are recyclable.
• The hotel’s ‘to go’ picnic bags are reusable and the containers within are recyclable.
• The hotel is replacing single-use plastic straws with biodegradable alternatives.
• Complimentary access to PressReader for all guests (paperless, digital newspapers and magazines)
• The hotel also has 6 x electric vehicle charging points on-site, including two Tesla charging points.
• The hotel is heavily focused on food sustainability and seasonality.
• The hotel has LED lighting in the bedrooms and also in the bedroom corridors.
• The hotel has installed Filtered Water Filling Stations for hotel guests.