Environmental Policies

Green Hotel Environmental Policies

Eco friendly tourism & sustainability are at the heart of all that we do at The Falls. We are lucky to be situated in one of the most beautiful locations in Ireland (and the world!), in the Cliffs of Moher & Burren UNESCO Geopark, and as a responsible business we believe it is our duty to protect this environment, click here for more information on the Geopark.

Carbon Neutral12 GreenMark

In March 2021, we were certified as a carbon neutral property by GreenMark.ie through Green Hospitality Ireland. The certificate states that; 'The hotel has achieved a carbon neutral status for Scope 1 & 2 and other direct emissions through the implementation of a comprehensive carbon reduction programme (Carbon Smart) , investment in energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy plus carbon offsets'. In a five year period, through our green initiatives, we reduced our carbon emmissions by approximately 90%.  The moment you arrive on our 50 acre property, you are reducing your own carbon footprint!

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 and is dedicated to it's Green Hospitality Programme, developed to reduce the carbon footprint of the hotel, by reducing our water, waste and energy consumption.
  • We produce our own renewable electricity through a hydro electric turbine on the river alongside us.
  • Our gas is BioLPG from Calor Gas, a gas made from 100% renewable sources.
  • We have a tree planting programme, whereby we plant trees on our property annually. So far, in 2021, we have planted 350 native Irish saplings. One tree offsets one tonne of carbon.
  • 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

Awards

In 2021, we were honoured to win an award for Innovative Deployment of Renewable Energy in the SEAI Energy Awards. The SEAI Energy Awards were set up 18 years ago to showcase excellence in sustainable energy. They continue to highlight energy innovation across Ireland today.  The SEAI Sustainable Energy Awards recognise and reward excellence in all aspects of energy efficiency and renewable energy. The awards are assessed by a distinguished, independent panel of expert judges. See below for more on our winning entry!

 

We were also delighted to win our category in the Clare Business Excellence and Resilience Awards 2021, we came out top in the Best Sustainable Paractices category.
 

 

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 received a 'Best in Travel 2021' Community Award, naming it as one f the Top 30 places, people and projects for 2021.
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

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT OPTIONS

To get to Ennistymon by bus please click here from and to Ennis & Galway. We have two electric car charging points at the hotel and we also have a secure bike shed for cyclsits to store their bikes safely.

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

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 our impact 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.


We are doing the above through the following measures:

  • The hotel monitors 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 all over the hotel
  • 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 monitors food waste so we can try to use up food before it goes off
  • The kitchen also monitors the waste coming back on guests' 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 Repak Ireland

 

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Why Book With Us? Falls Hotel & Spa
Why Book With Us? Falls Hotel & Spa
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Why Book With Us?
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