Colombo Court Hotel & Spa- Another Consecutive Green Year!
Colombo Court Hotel & Spa is proud to say that we have been certified Carbon Neutral for our 4th consecutive year! As an organization, it tends to be quite difficult to not pollute, as many direct and indirect factors affect how much pollution a company emits. With a focus on being sustainable and eco-friendly from our initiation, we chose to go through a yearly audit on our emissions, helping us to become carbon neutral.
This year, we are able to announce a reduction in our carbon emissions by 3% year on year. This is something we are quite excited about, since making lean an already lean process is not usually an easy task. This feat was commended by a leading authority in the field of environmental sustainability, Nobel Laureate and Director of The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC), Prof. Mohan Munasinghe. The certificate was awarded to Mr. Arun Thapar, Managing Director of Colombo Court Hotel & Spa by Prof. Munasinghe at an official handover ceremony, who spoke highly of the efforts made by the hotel to remain green, while also addressing the importance of this stand in today’s global crisis, thereby staying ahead of its competitors.
(left to right) Roshan George – General Manager, Colombo Court Hotel & Spa, Saranath Rambukwella – Director, Colombo Court Hotel & Spa, Arun Thapar – Managing Director, Colombo Court Hotel & Spa, Prof. Mohan Munasinghe – Director, CCC, Nik Bollons – Senior Consultant, CCC – Sanith de S. Wijeyeratne, CEO, CCC
This entire process starts by reducing emissions internally through the use of low energy consumption utilities such as LED bulbs, inverter A/C’s and switching to Solar Power. Other notable steps taken include the use of glass bottles throughout the hotel to reduce the use of plastic. GHG Emissions released as a result of the hotel’s operations are calculated by CCC, who conduct the annual audit to assess our Carbon Footprint and to identify relevant reduction solutions.
To negate our emissions, we purchased an equivalent amount of carbon credits through The Sustainable Future Group (SFG), The regional certification partner of Natural Capital Partners of the UK, the issuing body of the globally renowned CarbonNeutral® certification. The funds generated through the purchase of these credits are used to support renewable energy projects both locally and internationally. These projects usually employ staff from its surrounding location, and therefore helps benefit the population around it. The Carbon Credits bought this year will go towards the Ratnapura and Kandy Small Hydro Power Project.
This entire process would fail without the constant support Colombo Court Hotel & Spa has received from our guests, who willingly contribute towards a Carbon Neutral stay. We do our best to inform our customers about our mission and to have such a positive feedback reflects well on the entire global society, especially in times where certain influential sources deny the existence of climate change.
On the above note, we as a hotel, and as individuals, would like to state the obvious – climate change is as real as it gets and while being carbon neutral does reflect well on a business in terms of CSR, that is not why we do it. As the CEO of the CCC, Sanith De S. Wijeyeratne, stated on many occasions, “ Just because we are a small country that doesn’t contribute largely to the global emission of greenhouse gases, it does not mean we just sit around not doing our part.” Here at Colombo Court Hotel & Spa, we believe in doing our part, and we would like to urge all other individuals and businesses to follow suit. Let’s ensure that we make our profits while leaving a clean world for our children to do so too.
