Our Journey with 50 Shades Greener

At Westport Woods Hotel we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and operating our hotel in a sustainable way.

In January 2022, we started on a journey with the The Green Business online programme with an Irish company Fifty Shades Greener. Unlike other environmental training, this is an action based programme, with implementable, concrete steps that will help us to control and reduce our use of energy, water and production of waste, as well as improve social sustainability and green procurement.

Westport Woods Hotel has been a leader in sustainable tourism for many years. However, this is a renewed commitment to sustainability and training our teams so that it becomes part of our DNA. We have worked hard and invested heavily since 2004 in meeting our environmental, financial and social obligations. In particular, we are well aware of the significant environmental footprint of the hotel industry. Therefore, since 2004, much was and is being done to minimize that footprint.

Some of the actions taken are outlined below. However, here are the results achieved so far:

Green Teams

As part of the 50 shades greener programme. Through this we have created three green teams in our hotel. The first team looks at energy, waste and water. The second team focuses on our purchasing and the third team focuses on marketing and HR. Each team has to actively seek out opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint. By creating teams and awareness, we hope to build a culture that is responsible. 

Reducing Food Waste: 

We removed the buffet style breakfast and introduced a menu with table service. Our portions are now even and plentiful, but it has led to a reduction in food waste. We also work with Castlebar based app Foodie Save, which enables locals to buy portioned left overs within 30 mins of service ending for Breakfast and Dinner each day. 

Energy & Water 

We put flow regulators in all our showers and taps which gives up to 70% water savings without taking away from our guests experience. We have replaced all our light fittings in the hotel with efficient LED lighting. We replaced all the bottled water in our rooms with reusable glass bottles. We are licenced to bottle our own still and sparkling water. 

Marketing & HR 

Our marketing department is committed to reducing the number of print materials needed within our business. Our HR department Sustainable tourism is also a major opportunity with more people opting to come on the train to Westport and spending their time here enjoying the scenery on foot or cycling. We are working with cycling solutions Ireland to help make Clew Bay a world class cycling destination.