Hospitable Climates is currently yielding yearly savings reaching around the £2million mark in Scotland, whilst reducing annual carbon emissions by 7,632 Tonnes.

In the week that climate change is high on the agenda at the G8 Summit in Scotland, congratulations are due to Scotland’s hospitality industry for its growing efforts to increase energy efficiency.

As part of a UK government initiative Hospitable Climates, Scottish hospitality businesses are working to improve bottom-line profits while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. 

Latest data from Hospitable Climates reveals that the initiative is not only delivering major cumulative cost savings (around the £2 Million mark annually to the 250-plus Scottish hotel and pub businesses currently signed-up to the programme) it is also making significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, helping the Government to fulfil its Kyoto Treaty commitment.

A total of 7,632 tonnes of carbon dioxide is currently being saved annually by the programme in Scotland, whilst a total of 18,864 tonnes has been saved since the programme’s launch in Edinburgh in January 2001. 

Saving 18,720 tonnes of carbon is the equivalent to the amount of carbon absorbed by planting 90,000 trees in Scotland. Managed by the Hotel & Catering International Management Association (HCIMA) on behalf of the Carbon Trust, Hospitable Climates offers a free-of-charge advisory service designed to help reduce energy consumption in the UK hospitality industry by as much as 40 per cent – improving bottom-line profits and customer experience.

VisitScotland Quality and Standards Unit, Operations Manager, Lorraine Thomson said:  "It's extremely heartening to see more Scottish hospitality tourism businesses employing environmentally friendly practices such as taking part in Hospitable Climates and our own Green Tourism Business Scheme.

"Hospitable Climates works alongside our green scheme where these all important energy saving measures are credited in achieving green awards along with waste minimisation, water conservation and sound environmental policies such as use of local produce and wildlife protection.

"Scotland's scenery and environment are huge draws in terms of attracting visitors, so this kind of recognition illustrates the steps being taken to sustain these hugely important natural resources," she said. 

Commenting on the results, Dr Rebecca Hawkins FHCIMA - a Principal in the Hospitable Climates management team - said: "These statistics are very encouraging - especially since they do not include 137 food and service management outlets, also signed up to the programme in Scotland. They show how energy saving contributions - no matter how small - can, and do, make a marked difference to the future well-being of our planet.

"Carbon dioxide is the main gas implicated in enhanced global warming. The aim of Hospitable Climates is to reduce these global warming gases by improving energy efficiency, and the benefit for our members is the significant cost savings that can be achieved. The cumulative energy savings currently being made by the programme's 250-plus (excluding 137 food and service management outlets) hospitality industry participants in Scotland has nearly reached the £2 Million mark per annum."

For more information:

• Hospitable Climates