Environment
Enjoy a Greener stay at Energia's Sustainable Family Business of the Year, Sandymount Hotel
We want a greener, cleaner world and our sustainable approach has changed the way we use resources.
There are lots of words; Green, Eco-friendly, Responsible, Environmentally Friendly, Sustainable, but what do they really mean? Here at Sandymount Hotel they all mean that you can enjoy your stay with us while we take care of everything else. We’ll keep our impact on the environment to a minimum so that future generations can enjoy the natural resources of our beautiful planet.
In 2021, Sandymount Hotel was awarded Energia Sustainable Family Business of the Year at the Family Business Awards and was nominated for Ireland's Leading Green Hotel at the Gold Medal Awards 2021.
Sandymount Hotel was also awarded Europe's Leading Green Hotel 2017 at the World Travel Awards held in St Petersburg in September 2017 and retained the award again in 2018 at a ceremony in Athens, June 2018 and again at the 2019 ceremony held in Madeira.
We have a Silver Award from Green Hospitality and have adopted their environment charter.
As a Repak member, we received a Pakman Award for ‘Excellence in Waste Management’ in 2015 and we were a finalist at the Pakman Awards in 2018 in the category 'Food Waste Management'.
Our Green Initiatives Include:
Sandymount Hotel has a paid partnership with Camara Education to take away old computers, delete the contents of the hard drive and then send them to schools and centres in Africa.
As part of the waste prevention system, the Loughran family and green team members have reduced, reused and recycled. 95% of the hotel's waste is now recycled.
The hotel uses biodegradable compostable coffee cups and lids. When catering for large conferences and event and with busy guests looking to grab a coffee on the go, it is important to Sandymount Hotel that these are 100% compostable.
Only 100% compostable eco-friendly straws are used in the Line Out Bar and Whitty's Restaurant.
Did you know? A tap dripping at 1 drip per second wastes up to 25 litres in one day! Modifications were made throughout the hotel including the installation of aerator shower heads (reducing water usage per guest by 47%), taps and urinals are sensor activated, rainwater is harvested on the hotel's roof for use in the garden - reducing water consumption by 20%.
Through the hotels sustainable approach, 23% of the electricity used by the hotel comes from renewable sources, whilst the hotel now uses 22% LESS electricity than it did in 2013, largely due to a switch to 100% energy-efficient lightbulbs, bedroom electrics are controlled by key cards, hand dryers in public areas are operated by sensor.
The hotel's purchasing policy is to buy local where possible and choose suppliers who will take back their packaging for re-use.
Head Chef, Shane Doherty regularly reviews his menus to avoid food waste and takes care not to order, prepare or serve more than is required. Plus, the kitchen has a vacuum packer and cooking oil filter to help cut out unnecessary waste. Our purchasing policy will help us support Irish farmers and producers, eliminate unnecessary packaging and minimise food miles. We’ll be sourcing more of our food locally this year.
Similarly, the hotel works with eco-mattresses on a paid basis to remove all old mattresses to recycle the various components.
All employees are trained to reduce, re-use and recycle to protect the environment. We have a dedicated Green Team who meet once a month.
Guests and visitors can help by using the recycling bins in the corridors.
Finished your book? Leave it for someone else in our Free Wee Library and help yourself to another. Settle down in front of the fire. We burn real Irish turf, a natural, sustainable fuel in our original Victorian fireplace.
The Hotel has now five electric car charger.
We support biodiversity; there’s an insect ‘hotel’ in the garden. Watch out for our smallest ‘staff’ in our lovely garden. The ladybirds on our roses are helping with pest control. We prefer to use natural methods.
Try Something Green…
There are so many things to do in Dublin. Here are some Green ideas to inspire you:
Explore hidden Dublin on an Electric Bike. Ask about Lazy Bike guided tours at Reception
Wide range of discounted Outdoor Activities with CP Adventures, including:
Bicycle Hire, Kayaking, Archery, Segway Tours, GAA Sports, Treasure Hunts, Croke Park Tours, Climbing
Visit Dublin’s Parks and Beaches
Go bird-spotting, look out for wildlife
Go shopping for local crafts and foods. Irish-made jewellery available at Reception
Relax with a book from our Free Wee Library in front of our real turf fire or take it into our beautiful garden
Join our Housekeeping or Linen Opt-outs and we’ll thank you with a voucher for our Line Out Bar
Have a delicious Rainforest Alliance Coffee in the Line Out Bar
Ask about Public Transport options at Reception
