Going green is not just a trend, it is vital. This year, one of the worst droughts hit the country, and we may not have experienced it in a while (touch wood) but load shedding is a reality for us. These are reminders of how precious our natural resources are. We should be doing everything in our power to be more environmentally conscious.
When it comes to businesses, there are just two properties in the country that have achieved a Green Star rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa, and Cape Town is home to them both. The first is Hotel Verde, Africa’s greenest hotel. From the get go, Hotel Verde set out to be as ecologically friendly as possible. That is what it was designed to be. The second is DoubleTree by Hilton Cape Town. They received the honour in June 2016, and their journey to green status was a very different one.
DoubleTree is the first existing property to receive a Green Star Rating. That means that it was not designed to be ecologically efficient, it strived to be – and it took a lot more than swapping out light bulbs and introducing recycling to achieve this. For an entire year, the Green Building Council of South Africa monitored DoubleTree to ensure they measured up. Absolutely everything was checked and rated.
They make use of sustainable procurement and purchasing practices, encouraging the use of products that are environmentally friendly. They adhere to interdepartmental green operational guidelines and have a solid operational waste and materials management plan. They facilitate awareness amongst guests and staff. They created a rooftop organic herb and vegetable garden, which is used by the hotel restauran. They even had their indoor environmental quality audited, checking everything from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels, to lighting and acoustic comfort.
DoubleTree proved to be worthy, and were awarded a five-star green rating. All in all the building operates 63% more efficiently in the hotel industry in terms of energy, and their water usage is 42% more efficient. With all these changes, the hotel is a top notch facility that upholds the DoubleTree by Hilton standards.
It just goes to show, if a hotel can turn things around so dramatically to become more green, we can do it to. It also means that your conscience can rest easy when staying at DoubleTree, because you know they are doing everything they can to be sustainable and help the planet.
OF NOTE
Where DoubleTree by Hilton, Upper Eastside, 31 Brickfield Road, Woodstock
Cost According to rates
Contact +27 21 404 0570, [email protected]