Green Hospitality

Green Policy

Eco- friendly tourism & sustainability are two topics that the Falls Hotel & Spa is very dedicated to. We are lucky to be situated in one of the most beautiful locations in Ireland, in the Cliffs of Moher & Burren Geopark, and as a responsible business we believe it is our duty to protect this environment, click here for more information on the Geopark.

We are running on Hydro Power!

One of the biggest sustainability projects we took on was to install a hydro electric turbine on the river running alongside us. This was a two year project and was done in consultation with the local county council, the fisheries board, environmental experts and consultants in hydro power. We installed a 220 kilowatt hydro turbine. When the river is in full flow, we are getting 100% of our electricity needs from the river. In doing so, we have dramatically reduced our dependency on carbon fuels, to the point where we are now a carbon neutral property. We are very proud of this achievement. By staying with us, you are also having a positive impact on your carbon footprint!

During your stay, if you would like more information on our turbine, please just ask us!

Other of our Green Policies include:

The Falls Hotel & Spa is a proud member of Green Hospitality
We have significantly reduced our carbon footprint by installing a hydro electric turbine on the river alongside us and running on hydro power
We do not use plastic straws or cups
We use chemical free cleaning products throughout the hotel
We have two active beehives on our property
We have cultivated wildflower gardens around the hotel
We are members of the Burren Ecotourism Network, which focuses on protecting and maintaining the sustainability and promoting responsible tourism for the Cliffs of Moher and Burren UNESCO Geopark, where we are privileged to be located.
We send e-invoices were possible to reduce the amount of paper that we use
We have an electric car charging point here in the hotel for guests’ use

BURREN ECO TOURISM NETWORK

The Burren Ecotourism Network is a network of tourism enterprises with the objective of establishing the Burren as a premier internationally recognised sustainable tourism region, ensuring the future economic and social growth and sustainable development of its communities, environment and heritage. It seeks to support continued training, mentoring and accreditation in sustainable tourism for its members and for businesses interested in joining the Network.
The Network aims to be a recognisable network of enterprises in the Burren, who have achieved independent accreditation, demonstrate ecotourism ‘best practice’, positively discriminate in each other’s favour, provide ‘one voice’ representation on issues impacting the Burren (where appropriate), and inspire conservation activism.
Members of BEN are committed to the promotion of responsible tourism that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. We work together to promote ‘The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark’ as a leading sustainable visitor destination, celebrated for high standards in visitor experience, conservation and learning.

For more information on the Burren Eco Tourism Network please Click Here

LEAVE NO TRACE IRELAND

Leave No Trace Ireland is a network of organisations and individuals with an interest in promoting the responsible recreational use of the outdoors. As increasing numbers of people seek the beauty and exhilaration of outdoor recreation, our collective mark on the environment and its natural processes, increases.
At the heart of Leave No Trace are seven principles for reducing the damage caused by outdoor activities. These are:
• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Be Considerate of Others
• Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife
• Travel and Camp on Durable Ground
• Leave What You Find
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Minimise the Effects of Fire
To learn more about the Leave No Trace programme, click here

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT OPTIONS

To get to Ennistymon by bus please click here from and to Ennis & Galway

We have an electric car charging point at the hotel

GreenHospitality.ie

We are members of GreenHospitality.ie and have achieved their EcoLabel accreditation. This programme is the Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Resource for Sustainable and Responsible Tourism in Ireland. We are dedicated to supporting the industry in continually minimising their impact on the environment. For green travellers, GreenTravel is a great website for information on sustainable travel options in Ireland.

We pride ourselves on sustainable development and strive to become as self-efficient as we can. The management and all our staff are dedicated to conducting business in a manner that reduces the effect on the environment.

Our core green principals are:

Efficient use of energy
Conservation of water
Waste Reduction
Prevention of Pollution
Staff & Guest Awareness
Introduction of state of the art eco- friendly energy production methods

Not only are we dedicated to becoming “greener”, but we have encouraged all our staff, contractors and suppliers to become involved also. Communication and training allows all to see the imperative impact that we can have on our surroundings.

We are doing the above through the following measures:

The hotel monitors it water consumption on a monthly basis to detect for leaks
We have purchased tap aerators for all the bedrooms to reduce the amount of water been consumed by guests
The hotel monitors its use of chemicals to try to reduce them year on year
We have a towel reuse program in each of our bedrooms
We have put energy efficient lights in as many hotel areas that were cost efficient to change
Our reservations team e-mail confirmation letters to guests to reduce the amount of paper used
We have recycling points for batteries at the reception and also at the desk in the leisure centre
We recycle our light bulbs with weee Ireland
Our showers and toilets in the leisure centre are sensor operated
We have push taps in the public toilets in the hotel
The urinals in the gents is controlled with the lights to reduce the water consumption
Our kitchen have started monitoring waste that goes off so we can try to use up food before it goes off
The kitchen also monitor’s the waste coming back off customers plates to see how we can reduce this
All our waste is collected for valid operator's which have provided us with their permits
We are members of Repack Ireland