BERLIN, Germany – Design Hotels congratulates The Mandala Hotel in Berlin for being awarded Europe’s first EarthCheck Silver certification for sustainable tourism. Advocating mindful movement around the world, the initiative Design Hotels™ is Finding Infinity takes homespun inspiration to share with its global community.
In two lifetimes the planet will run out of the finite resources such as fossil fuels, coal and petroleum we’ve become so dependent on. But in one lifetime we have the opportunity to turn this around. Together with core partnerships including Finding Infinity and EarthCheck, Design Hotels™ aims to simplify environmental responsibility through exceptional design, knowledgeable guidance and an emphasis on local sourcing.
Hometown Heroes
After an exhaustive implementation and audit period, The Mandala Hotel can proudly claim its Silver certification from EarthCheck, the leading international benchmarking and certification program for sustainable travel and tourism. Solidifying their claims of a zero waste hotel, this milestone both cements the hotel’s progress and sets forth the path for even greater goals.
With the appointment of an internal Green Team, simple ideas have been turned into tangible actions and accomplishments. The hotel will continue with its commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions, the management of freshwater resources, solid waste and water management and the usage of environmentally sustainable and locally-sourced fair-trade products. The hotel will also commit to using 100% green electricity starting in 2015.
The Found and the Freed
Common sense and a can-do attitude – sometimes that’s all it takes. Many Design Hotels™ member hotels have taken this simple creed to heart. With more than thirty hotels signed on for EarthCheck, each carving out their own path towards a future free of finite resources, Design Hotels™ is Finding Infinity.
At rocksresort, in Switzerland, an entire mountain resort is powered by hydroelectricity, biomass heating and solar heated Porsche chairlifts. In a city known for fashion and art, STRAF in Milan is provoking thought, using plastic recovered from oceans to create elegant installations that force reflection. Meanwhile, near the shores of Lake Como at C-Hotel & Spa, two brothers are combining quality craftsmanship with a soft carbon footprint, opting to build with local resources and using solar power for heat and hot water. An aggressive energy-saving mandate at Vigilius Mountain Resort, in South Tyrol, features a green roof, temperature-regulating clay walls and biomass heating. In the town of Kitzbühel, Austria, the milk on the table at Hotel Kitzhof Mountain Design Resort comes from a single family that sustains itself traditionally by tending to just six cows.
In Austria’s fertile wine country, the conscientious minds behind both LOISIUM Wine & Spa Resort, in Southern Styria and Langenlois, are highlighting the slow food movement with 80% of their product coming from local suppliers, including local growers producing pesticide-free grapes. The result is highly celebrated cuisine and award-winning wines. With the re-purposing of the old Danish Embassy in Berlin, Das Stue has made recycling their founding principle. Subscribing to a similar philosophy, the people of Gombithotel, in Bergamo, have allowed centuries of tradition to guide them in their modern-day venture. Original wood ceilings, handmade textiles and old-world techniques remind guests to value quality in a time of disposable goods. In Frankfurt, two native scensters at Roomers are making moves to preserve the planet. An on-site beehive, biodegradable amenities and an overhaul to their waste management are just a few measures they are taking to soften their ecological impact.
