Our planet is endangered! Sustainable development and ecotourism is a real necessity. Each major actor in the tourism business should now take responsibility for their actions as each one of them has a consequence on the survival of our planet. Travelling with awareness is a challenge that we should all take up. Hôtel de la porte dorée has undertaken to put in place a programme to develop ecological awareness!
The Hotel de la Porte Dorée has gone green!
Hotel de la Porte Dorée has won the green ecolabel, Eco-label awarded to over 1500 establishments in 28 countries worldwide.
I. What we're doing to help the environment
All rooms are non-smoking
Ecological solutions for energy savings
- Reversible air conditioning / heating: This technology offers a 75% electricity savings as compared with standard heating, and is equally effective. In addition, a single system can operate both functions.
- Air conditioning and heating control: the temperature is adjusted in unoccupied rooms, combined with our use of energy-efficient insulation.
- Electricity / lighting: use of energy-efficient bulbs. Lights are automatically turned off when not in use. These two actions significantly reduce the amount of energy we use without sacrificing quality of life.
- Presence detector in the corridors: lights switch on and off when and after clients go through the corridors.
NEWSPAPERS: we don't believe that newspapers should be delivered to every hotel guest, since it's a waste of paper and resources. We prefer to make newspapers available at the reception desk for guests who wish to read them.
INTERNET : newspapers can also be consulted online. The hotel has free wifi access.
Also, our public computers switch automatically to stand by mode.
All the Tvs in the rooms are being changed to more ecological ones. These TVs are all switched off when the room is not occupied. We also ask our clients not to leave the TVs on Stand By mode when away from the room.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY HOUSEKEEPING: we use environmentally-friendly cleaning products and avoid the use of corrosive chemicals and allergenic products. Accordingly, we don't use artificially-scented products, aggressive carpet cleaners or chemical deodorizers.
Use of RECYCLED products: paper, tissues, envelopes, etc.
WATER CONSERVATION: we have adopted ways to save water, such as dual-flush toilets and low-flow shower heads and faucets (30% reduction in water use)
USE / WASHING OF THE SHEETS: This is a way to save the water and electricity used by washing sheets daily. Sheets are currently changed every three days for a single guest. However, guests who wish to be more involved in our environmental program can request less frequent washing.
USE / WASHING OF TOWELS: This is a way to save the water and electricity used by washing towels daily. Our guests become involved in our effort by choosing to have their towels washed less frequently.
REGULAR MAINTENANCE: replacement of worn-out items (bulbs, washers and seals, toilets, shower heads, mixing valves, etc.) and broken appliances (refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dryers, computers, dishwashers) with more energy efficient and environmentally-friendly equipment.
RECYCLING BINS: we sort our waste and have different colour trash containers for each category: glass, paper, plastic and organic waste.
RECYCLING BINS IN THE ROOMS: all our rooms now have recycling bins. One for paper and cans, one for glass, one for normal waste. We hope to enlarge our clients awareness on waste.
ROOM FURNITURE: furniture that meet sustainability standards. When we select furniture and flooring, we confirm that the wood used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Le Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) encourages the use of wood coming from responsible managed forests. www.fsc.org
Organic toiletries are provided in our rooms. Soaps and shampoos are often individually packaged, to be disposed of once opened. We prefer to offer these products through soap and shampoo distributors. In addition, these cosmetics are prepared with natural floral products, without added perfumes, ensuring they are dermatological and non-allergenic.
A fair-trade breakfast: the hotel serves an organic breakfast, made with mostly fair-trade ingredients.
EMPLOYEE TRAINING: training our employees to implement our sustainability programme is just as important as its development.
COMMUNICATION WITH OUR CLIENTS : In each of our rooms, we have put little signs providing information on all the simple things one can do to make the situation improve. We encourage all our clients to participate in our programme.
Cotton towels and sheets: Cotton ventilates well and is highly absorbent, much more than synthetic materials. This makes sheets cooler in the summer, and towels more effective when drying. It's even better to use towels made with organic cotton or without chemical products!
II. What you can do to help the environment
All of the actions are generally easy and help to save our planet's resources.
A few environmentally-friendly tips:
Energy conservation:
- Please be careful when using chargers for telephones, cameras, computers etc. Chargers that are not in use, but are left plugged in, consume large amounts of electricity and can cause fires.
- Please turn down your heating if you sleep with the windows open, or if you leave them open while you are out.
- Avoid leaving your television or computer in stand-by mode. Did you know that 90% of the energy used by this type of equipment is consumed in stand-by mode?
- Always turn off the lights when you leave your room or the bathroom.
Water conservation:
- Choose showers over baths, which save 5 times more water: an average shower takes 50L of water, compared with 250L for a bath.
- Don't keep the water running while you brush your teeth, shave or extensively wash your face and hands. By taking these actions, you can save 24 litres of water each day!
- Towels don't require daily washing. Please consider taking part in this program by asking us not to change your towels every day.
Recycle:
- Sort your waste and dispose it in the appropriate bin
- Plastic bottles, cans, paper, cardboard etc. They all go in the same bin.
- Glass - Just leave your glass bottles (wine, beer, etc.) next to your bin. Our housekeeping staff will collect them for recycling.
- Used batteries - A bowl for collecting used batteries is at the reception desk.
- Other waste - greasy paper, food waste, cotton swabs, plastic packaging, etc.
- Use of recycled paper, the back of paper, tissues made from recycled paper, etc.
- Turn in unused medications to the pharmacist.
Carefully select your means of transport:
- Pedal! Paris has developped the Velib project : take a bike in any Velib station and then put it back on another Velib station. It's easy and cheap! (1€ for a Velib ticket valid 24h) It's also a good way to discover Paris!
www.velib.fr
www.velib.fr - Let's walk! Paris is relatively small in comparison to other major capitals. A lot of ground can be covered, making it a great way to sightsee!
- Public transport is well-developed: Metro, Bus, Noctambus, RER (train), Trams, taxis... there is always some means of transport.
www.ratp.fr
Purchase organic/environmentally-friendly products - Look for the eco-labels! (see below)
A label created by French pioneers in organic agriculture. Today the organic agriculture label (Logo AB) is recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture, setting forth precise specifications that establish rules for certification, such as non-use of chemical products.
Established in 1991, the NF-Environnement brand is the French eco-label. The NF-Environnement brand aims to guide consumer choice by encouraging companies to improve the environmentally-friendly quality of their products. The NF-Environnement brand certifies products that have a lower impact on the environment.
From organic crops to the end product, all components of the textile chain address social and environmental standards. All of these products are validated by independent organisations. The BioRe® label was established by the Swiss company Remei AG.
All products bearing the "Fleur" have been approved by independent bodies for their compliance with strict environmental criteria and rigorous performance standards. These criteria take into account the entire product life cycle, from production to disposal.
100% FAIR TRADE BREAKFAST: the hotel serves breakfast and takes pride in the fact that all products are fair trade.
III. What will be done in the future
Participate in green programmes: join the Green Hotels Association or Green Seal
Saving water: water can be saved using water storage containers or the techniques mentioned above. For our terrace, we aim to use plants for which the normal rainfall will provide sufficient water.
Composting: biological decomposition of solid organic materials using bacteria and other organisms, to obtain highly enriched soil which can be used as fertilizer.
The setting up of a car-sharing system for guests at the hotel, especially for journeys to the airport.
To give guests satisfaction questionnaires in order to improve the hotel's performance and meet guest's requirements as best as possible.