The 2020s are often referred to as “the crucial decade” - the last decade in which, if the world comes together as one global community, we have the chance to limit the impact of climate change before our window to make a significant difference closes.
The situation is urgent and, here at The Belfry, we are committed to ensuring our actions do not further compromise the world of tomorrow. As one of the region’s most prominent resorts, we’re determined to lead by example and not only show how our industry can meet the challenge of transitioning to a more sustainable future but, also, thrive because of it.
Meet the ‘Green Team’
That’s where our ‘Green Team’ comes in – passionate employees from across our Belfry family dedicated to ensuring sustainability is at the heart of our decision-making and prioritised across our operations.
From housekeeping to catering and front-of-house to golf, the team is made up of over 20 employees from across the resort, each bringing their own unique departmental knowledge to create positive change. Utilising their diverse range of insight and experience, this melting pot of sustainability champions includes our Sustainability Leader, Anna Hawkins; and a team from Maintenance & Energy; Greenkeeping, Central Delivery; Safety, Security & Compliance and many more.
To keep the resort on its toes and ensure the best of intentions are not just discussed but, crucially, followed through with, the team meets monthly to brainstorm, debate and implement projects that reduce The Belfry’s environmental impact.
People power
It is thanks to the team’s incredible dedication and effort throughout 2023 that The Belfry has:
- Installed smart TRVs in bedrooms, reducing heat energy by 64%
- Raised over £21,500 for charity
- Installed LED lighting in 80% the resort
- Reduced energy use by approx. 12,000kWh to 24,000kWh per year by installing lighting with motion sensors
- Recycled 153.6 tons of glass, 373.3 tons of general waste, 169.9 tons of food waste, and 48.9 tons of cardboard (saving 850 trees)
- Installed electric vehicle charging stations with 80 more planned in 2024
Demonstrating the impact the diversity of disciplines within the team can have across individual departments:
- The coffee served in Brabazon Bar now comes from Paddy & Scott's Muchomba Farm in Kenya where, for every 1kg bag of coffee purchased, a child in a coffee growing region receives a free school meal so they can focus on studying and not where their next meal will come from
- The Derby minibus, transporting people to and from the Golf Shop to The Derby golf course, is now 100% electric
- Fully funded, unlimited mental health counselling and support is now available to all employees following partnerships with The Burnt Chef Project and Thrive Mental Wellbeing
Also giving a big shout out to our brilliant green champions are two leading sustainability organisations which have recognised the impact of the team’s initiatives and awarded The Belfry the Green Tourism Silver Award and GEO Certification.
Maintaining momentum
After such an amazing first year, the team is heading into 2024 with an even greater energy and determination, and it’s already set the ball rolling by raising £2,500 for Teenage Cancer Trust. As part of the team’s ‘charity and community’ objective, it set up a monthly fundraising calendar with different departments responsible for generating their own unique fundraising ideas, the proceeds of which go to three partner charities. Setting the bar high in January was the People Team who hosted The Belfry Awards 2023, raising much-needed funds for Teenage Cancer Trust through raffle and entry ticket sales.
Alongside 'charity and community', the Green Team's other main objectives to keep people and planet centre stage in 2024 are 'accreditations' and 'communication and awareness'. As well as working closely with Green Tourism and GEO, the team are delighted to have joined forces with EarthCheck for 2024. EarthCheck is the world's leading certification, consulting and advisory group for sustainable destinations and tourism organisations. The team are currently working on the initial phase of the program to achieve Benchmarked Bronze Status. The partnership demonstrates our commitment to achieving best practice environmental and social sustainability.
A key pillar in achieving our ‘communication and awareness’ goal is regularly updating our ‘Green Story’, a one-stop-shop highlighting everything we do across the resort in relation to ESG (environmental, social and governance). Garnering guest feedback is also essential. In 2023 we added a question to our post-stay survey asking guests what they think The Belfry could do to help protect the environment. This has been a really helpful guide as, alongside making our green transition a collaborative endeavour with the public, it has highlighted to us the areas where our ESG communication falls short. For example, despite having a robust waste management system in place with zero waste sent to landfill, recycling is often flagged in feedback as something the resort could do to improve.
Of course, communication is as important internally as it is externally, so our Green Team will be posting fortnightly on our internal social platform, raising awareness of, and starting conversations about, essential green topics. This will also provide staff with the opportunity to learn, build their knowledge and engage with debate around one of the biggest issues facing our sector and the world today.
Not resting on last year’s success and making sure this year will be even better when it comes to progressing our sustainability journey, here’s a sneak peek of some of the initiatives our Green Team is currently working on:
- Phasing out the use of single-use items, replacing disposable cups in the staff canteen and other areas with reusable mugs.
- Implementing Dry Mix Recycling which will help The Belfry to reduce its ecological footprint by diverting dry recyclables away from conventional waste streams
- Making our meetings spaces greener – for example, using hydration stations instead of single-use water bottles, and placing notepads and pens at the side of rooms rather than directly on tables to discourage use
- Replacing plastic room key cards with bamboo alternatives
In summary, we recognise our impact and are consistently looking for ways to improve for our guests, employees, stakeholders and the local surroundings and community. Sustainable stays are more than just a trend; We care about being a responsible business and encourage our guests to join us on our journey to be environmentally and socially responsible.