Hotel Doolin

Hotel Doolin: Ireland’s First Carbon Neutral Hotel

The Green Team at Hotel Doolin are continuously looking for ways to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint and for opportunities to engage positively with the local community

otel Doolin was the fi rst hotel

Hin Ireland to become certifi ed as a carbon neutral hotel— certifi ed by Green Hospitality in November 2019. The hotel employs 100 people, most of whom are from the local community. Hotel Doolin’s Green Team was established in 2012 with 3 main aims: to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint; to review and improve the hotel’s involvement with the community; to increase social responsibility and local purchasing.

The Green Team is further subdivided into water, waste, energy, green purchasing and CSR teams. “Our main aim was to protect the beautiful local environment where we are located, which is the Burren and Cliff s of Moher UNESCO Geopark,” says HR, Purchasing & Green Manager Aine Martin. “We train our team from day one about our green ethos at staff induction and then continuous training takes place. The Green Team meet once a quarter to discuss green initiatives for energy, water and waste reduction and CSR and green purchasing. Everyone is welcome to be part of the Green Team.”

During lockdown hotel staff worked with the County Council and Stella Maris nursing home, volunteering to prepare and deliver over 1,000 meals to the elderly and vulnerable in the community.

CARBON NEUTRAL Although already certifi ed as carbon neutral, the hotel has committed to undertake a full energy audit with Tipperary Energy Agency, and future plans include generating wind energy and biofertiliser. “Once we have a positive summer businesswise this year, we will be in a position to purchase the food composter which will generate a biofertiliser which will create 20% output of the 100% of food waste that will go into the food composter,” Martin explains. “It will hopefully be used by one of our current suppliers, Moy Hill Community Farm, which is located about 10km from Hotel Doolin. Additionally, 70% of our food produce for Glas Restaurant is purchased from within a 50km radius.”

Ethical environmental decisions pervade every aspect of the business, with the hotel purchasing seven outdoor wood pellet stoves last year to enhance new outdoor dining areas catering to COVID-19 restrictions.

“We hosted 170 weddings in 2018 and 2019 and 35 weddings in 2020. For every wedding that we host, we are committed to planting 10 native trees locally in Lahinch/ Ennistymon. Each tree off sets one tonne of carbon in its lifetime. We are forecasted to host 130 weddings in 2021 which will mean we will plant 1,300 native trees in 2021, totalling to 2,060 trees in 3 years.”

The hotel already uses 100% green electricity, having changed over from oil to an air to water system and plan to generate 10% of its electricity needs over the next 12 months via solar PV.

“We’ve given so much advice on how to become carbon neutral to several hotels and businesses in the last 24 months and set a precedent—we are delighted that more hotels are following our path and have become certifi ed, however we will always be the fi rst. ”