ECO Venue Warriors!


ECO Venue - BMA House
June 04, 2019 / Posted by Cheryl Brunwin / in Event planning / 2053 Views

Our clients are wisely requesting sustainability credentials more and more, so the pressure is on for (a) venues to invest in green and corporate social responsibilities and (b) for us the Eco warriors to find them! venues need to do their part in reduce the amount of waste, carbon emissions and energy that will mutually benefit the delegates and the world they live in.

Our Event Geeks have investigated a number of sustainable venues on our little island and thought you might to know some more facts about some of them!

 

The Wesley

 

Located near Euston, this is the first ethical hotel in the UK and the only London hotel to earn the Social Enterprise Mark Award. They also have a Green Tourism award which offers guidance to tourism businesses wishing to operate sustainably, as well as using Fair Trade suppliers and are registered to the City of London Climate Pledge and the Camden Climate Change Alliance. In addition to this, most of their bedrooms have reducers installed in the toilet flush and they have invested in water-efficient kitchen appliances. The majority of their food is locally sourced from farms outside London and they only use ingredients from sustainable suppliers. For the past three years, all food waste at the hotel has been fully recycled, resulting in a 100% reduction in landfill usage.

 

BMA House

 

Has been the home of the British Medical Association since 1925 and was the winner of the Greenest Venue 2018 at the Hirespace Awards. They filter their own water on-site, recycle all glass bottles, compost all food waste, use FSC-accredited paper and recycled pens as well as the little things such as letting out rooms with natural daylight first (to create a healthier work environment and reduce electrical needs) and encourage staff to travel to work on bicycles.

 

15 Hatfields

 

Was recently named as the UK’s most sustainable conference and events venue at an awards ceremony held by Sustain – the alliance for better food and farming. The venue pursues a zero waste to landfill policy and introduced the latest energy saving devices, reducing its utility bills by 50 per cent. They have also implemented a strict ‘no bottled water’ policy, preventing 1 million plastic water bottles ending up in landfill (they filter their own water on site and serve to clients in reusable glass bottles). Another nice touch is to distribute over 2 million wildflower seeds as part of their campaign to help save the decline of bees in London.

 

The Crystal

 

(located in London’s business sector in Docklands) is the eco venue of choice for sustainability events, having hosted Guardian Sustainable Business Awards, The Annual Ecosummit, and the Sustainable Events Summit, with accreditations for the building’s eco structure which releases 70% less CO2 emissions than comparable buildings in the UK.

 

Meanwhile up in Scotland, The Fairmont St Andrews won AA’s Eco Hotel of the Year 2018-19, with its commitment to maintaining the land and surrounding areas, as well as quarterly beach cleaning. The Fairmont is also a local employer, with 75% of staff from Fife and a further 20% from Dundee. Recent investment in the hotel’s systems has led to a sharp reduction in water and energy consumption. A new initiative has seen the recycling of 250kg of the hotel’s soap and hygiene products which are donated to humanitarian organisations through Clean the World.

Back down South, the world’s tallest moving observation tower rises 162 metres high above the coast of Brighton. From the designers of the London Eye, the landscape visible from the i360 makes it a key location for wildlife and environmental observation as well as providing education to the community. During the building phase, the 5300m3 of shingle that was removed to embed the base was repurposed to restore local coastlines damaged by storms. In addition to significant insulation, low energy lighting and natural ventilation, the i360 only uses green energy with the energy generated from the elevators providing 50% of the energy needed for the ascent.