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| Mohamed, Sandrine & Eddie |
UAE-based
hospitality group, TIME Hotels announced today (Tuesday, 6th May)
that it has launched the Middle East’s first carbon offset accommodation at two
of its hotels in Dubai
The two
hotels initially chosen were TIME Oak Hotel & Suites and TIME Grand Plaza
Hotel which together are aiming to save over 320 tonnes of carbon emissions by
the year end, the equivalent of flying a fully occupied 60-seater plane around
the world, through their ‘Hotel Stay Carbon Offset Programme,’
Each
guest that checks-in at one of the participating TIME hotels is offered a
chance to contribute towards climate protection. For just AED 15 per stay, the
carbon emissions they generate, by consuming energy and water during their stay,
can be offset. Their contribution is then transferred to the myclimate
Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organisation that helps companies around the
world to offset their carbon emissions.
myclimate
calculates the amount of climate-impacting emissions from organisations such as
TIME Hotels and invests into high quality carbon offset projects. In this way,
the same amount of climate-impacting emissions that are generated by a guest
stay are saved somewhere else.
Carbon offset
guest stays at TI’ME Hotels will support solar lighting initiatives in rural
Ethiopia, by replacing traditional kerosene lamps and funding energy-efficient cooking
stoves for displaced families living in temporary camps in Darfur, Sudan.
“We remain focused on developing
sustainability into all areas of our business and this initiative highlights
our commitment to that objective while continuing to play our part in the UAE’s
drive to reduce its carbon footprint,” said Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels.
“We are
offering our guests the opportunity to offset some of the carbon emissions that
they generate during their stay with us. Environmentally- conscious guests can reduce
the environmental impact of their stay, at either the TIME Oak Hotel &
Suites or the TIME Grand Plaza Hotel, in Dubai,” he added.
TIME,
which has been guided through the whole carbon offset programme by the consultancy
division of UAE- based facilities management company Farnek, also designed the
cost-to-benefit ratio model and advised TIME what carbon credit tariff it
should charge, as well as providing a choice of environmental projects TIME
should consider funding.
Farnek
was also responsible for training the relevant staff at TIME regarding climate
protection and how to explain the concept to their guests and to create further
awareness of sustainable practices, by saving water and conserving energy. Director
of Consultancy, Sandrine Le Biavant revealed that it proved to be a rewarding
collaboration between the two, given the positive response and uptake from
hotel guests, which were introduced to the scheme in April.
“The hospitality
sector, like many other industries contributes towards the damaging effects of
global warming, carbon emissions are simply unavoidable. However, by
actually making a commitment to reduce its impact on the environment, TIME
hotels has set itself apart from the competition, becoming an outstanding ambassador for
sustainability best practice,” said Sandrine Le Biavant, Director
– Consultancy, Farnek.
myclimate
Foundation has launched 70 projects in 29 countries across the globe, and
supports initiatives that use renewable energies, which realise energy
efficiency measures, cutting methane gas emissions.
“Carbon
offsetting is crucial in the battle against climate change and is one of the
central environmental challenges of the 21st century. Scientific research
indicates that with the current global population, each of us would need to
limit our carbon emissions to a maximum of 1.5 tonnes annually to be
sustainable. Unfortunately a single car produces that amount of emission
levels,” said Rene Estermann, CEO of Zurich-based myclimate Foundation.
