LOS ANGELES, California – Carnac Thalasso & Spa Resort was recently recertified by Green Globe for its second year.
Nestled between the ocean and salt marshes, in the heart of a 28 hectares nature reserve in Southern Brittany in France, lies the Carnac Thalasso & Spa Resort. The elegant resort has always been committed to protecting its resources and natural treasures. The property’s Marine Spa, or thalasso spa, combines the relaxation and beauty aspects of a traditional spa with the beneficial healing properties of the sea.
Mr. Martial Denetre, CEO (Director General) of Carnac Thalasso said, “Carnac Thalasso & Spa Resort is the first Morbihan hotel to obtain Green Globe certification and welcomes this recognition.
“It’s thanks to the combination of positive actions, everyday commitments and a real desire by the team to be involved in environmental change that we’ve been able to achieve Green Globe certification. In 2015, we not only strengthened our practices, but also, and above all, adopted a new vision of what we could contribute in terms of the environment and society. That’s why we have chosen to focus on a wider range of activities that enables us to share these projects, as much as possible, with our staff and our community.”
One of the resort’s chief achievements in 2015 was to devise clear communication strategies that unify its green goals. To ensure that management and staff share the same objectives, a broad range of materials outlining Carnac Thalasso’s guiding principles and approach were collected and distributed to hotel associates.
Firstly, the resort has committed to a comprehensive management plan based on sustainable development and communicated this to all its stakeholders including hotel shareholders, clients, suppliers, service providers and staff. This was followed up with information meetings that were organized for the teams and a booklet distributed to staff that increases awareness about the conservation of resources. In addition, management decided that every new employee will be presented with a charter of values. Finally, Carnac Thalasso now uses ECOSIA as its internal search engine. ECOSIA is a charitable search engine that donates 80% of its advertising revenues to reforestation programs in countries including Brazil. So far over 3 million trees have been planted around the world. To encourage environmental protection, the resort has been supporting this initiative on its social networks, at meetings with partners and at green meetings, in particular with organizations that promote responsible travel in the Brittany region such as Voyagez Responsable Bretagne.
Another environmental initiative involved the property working in partnership with the association Bretagne Vivante (Living Brittany) to carry out an inventory of the fauna and flora at the Carnac Thalasso & Spa Resort and, more specifically, on the Ile aux Oiseaux (Island of Birds) which belongs to the resort. The Ile aux Oiseaux, a natural preservation zone, is a particularly rich site in which a peaceful haven has been created to attract interesting and protected bird species.
By managing water levels and maintaining the native flora, the aim is to attract birds to hibernate at the nature reserve at the Salines during the colder months. In addition, to further preserve bio-diversity three beehives were set up on the island last year. The resort’s first batch of honey was successfully harvested and guests will soon be able to enjoy delicious Brittany honey for breakfast or taste exclusive honey wine. The beehives function to protect the dwindling bee population in the area and there are plans to build more hives in the future.
Carnac Thalasso has been actively developing new media and communication channels through which the resort can share its green attitude with guests to encourage them to adopt responsible practices, both during their stay and when they return home. Leading by example, Carnac Thalasso has chosen to offset its carbon emissions with the GoodPlanet Foundation and invites guests to do the same. Also, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during peak tourist seasons, guests are encouraged to engage in green tourism by driving electric vehicles or selecting from a range of bikes available for hire.
All information concerning eco-friendly practices, eco-gestures, conservation of resources, developing local cultural heritage and using local producers is available via resort brochures, or guests can opt for electronic versions available on the resort’s website and broadcast on a dedicated internal TV channel in guest rooms. Furthermore, the resort’s blog is instantly shared through social networks on different platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn.
Zen, elegant, friendly, attentive, professional and keen to preserve the environment for future generations… these are just some of the values that make the Carnac Thalasso truly unique. Carnac Thalasso & Spa Resort was the world’s first 100% organic thalasso spa. The Marine Spa is exceptional and has consistently received the Being Ecocert excellence standard each year since 2012. For several years now, Carnac Thalasso has placed particular emphasis on its eco-responsible, environmental approach and has also received the COSMEBIO quality mark for its exclusive range of BioCarnac cosmetics.
Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Green Globe is a member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) .
