Tourists open up the N ways of green living

Original title: From the "World Earth Day" -

Tourists open up the N ways of green living

Text/Yangcheng Evening News reporter Liu Xingtong

April 22, 2022 is the 53rd World Earth Day, a special holiday aimed at raising awareness of environmental protection and improving the overall environment of the earth through green and low-carbon living, which is not only the focus of attention of all sectors of society, but also the best time for the tourism industry to showcase green and sustainable development actions and concepts. Many scenic spots and hotels will launch relevant theme activities on this day to guide the public to pay attention to environmental protection, reduce carbon footprint, and promote green life. With the help of current technology and the sustainable concept advocated by "Earth Day", how green and environmentally friendly the journey of tourists can be is also subverting the imagination.

Danxia Mountain Courtesy of Shaoguan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism and Sports

Scenic spot

Promote green and low-carbon development and increase science popularization and education

Guangdong Danxia Mountain, Zhejiang Yandang Mountain, Shandong Taishan, Jiangxi Lushan Mountain, Heilongjiang Wudalianchi, Hunan Zhangjiajie, Hubei Shennongjia... Coinciding with the 53rd World Earth Day, 22 geoparks, including Danxiashan Global Geopark, recently announced the joint holding of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Geopark Week and the "Friendship Sister Park Interactive Exhibition" activity, with the theme of "Cherishing the Harmonious Coexistence of Earthlings and Nature", through the play of the Science Popularization mission function of the Geopark, to guide the public to pay attention to climate change and care for the earth's homeland.

It is reported that this activity has been held for three consecutive years, not only participating in more and more geoparks, but also millions of public participation every year, as if it has become a brand science popularization activity with certain social influence. During this year's event period (April 22 to 28), 22 geoparks simultaneously carry out online and offline science popularization activities, in addition to going to the scene, tourists can also stay at home, "visit" 22 geoparks at home, and harvest geological geomorphology, biological ecology and humanistic science knowledge through science lectures, knowledge quiz and games.

In recent years, green and low-carbon life has received increasing attention from the state and governments at all levels. The Opinions on The Complete, Accurate and Comprehensive Implementation of the New Development Concept and the Carbon Neutrality Work mentioned in the "Opinions on The Complete, Accurate and Comprehensive Implementation of the New Development Concept to Achieve Carbon Neutrality" issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council mention that by 2060, the economic system of green and low-carbon circular development and the clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system will be fully established. The recent government work report also proposed to continuously improve the ecological environment, promote green and low-carbon development, orderly promote carbon peak carbon neutrality, and promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

The latest data show that the ecological environment construction in Guangdong Province has achieved remarkable results. Up to now, 2,075 kilometers of Bidao have been built, the excellent water quality rate in coastal waters has reached 90.2%, 1.92 million mu of afforestation and ecological restoration have been completed, and 693 hectares of mines have been re-greened.

Zhang Min, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Zoology of the Guangdong Academy of Sciences, reminds visitors on the occasion of World Earth Day: the natural resources of major national parks are well protected, the species of animals and plants are complex and diverse, and some are rare species distributed in specific environments. "You can consult the data in advance to do a good job, understand the distribution and habits of the main local species, not only is it easier to find animals, but also knows which environments should be protected and concerned."

lodging

Create an "eco-friendly journey" for guests

The hospitality industry seeks opportunities for sustainability

According to a 2018 survey, global tourism accounted for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions from 2009 to 2013. Hotels, for example, are already recognized as one of the most energy-intensive industries. Studies have shown that the average person uses up to 100 litres of water a day, and may be even more when traveling to stay in hotels.

To improve sustainable development and align with the goals set by the Paris Agreement and the United Nations, the United Nations has been working with the tourism industry to reduce its carbon footprint by 66% by 2030. Around the world, more and more tourism companies are investing heavily in sustainable development.

The Banyan Tree Group, which established the three principles of economic, social and environmental protection in the 1990s, has carried out environmental conservation work in several countries, including coral reef restoration in the Maldives, mangrove forests in Phuket, Thailand, turtle conservation programs on Bintan Island in Indonesia, and clownfish conservation on Hainan Island in China.

It is understood that the clownfish protection plan is supported by the Banyan Tree Corporate Environmental Protection Social Fund of the China Environmental Protection Foundation to set up a clownfish laboratory in the Coral Biology and Coral Reef Ecology Discipline Group of the South China Sea Institute of Oceanography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and is committed to building a large-scale breeding technology system for clownfish, ensuring a stable artificial breeding source of clownfish, and improving the biomass of clownfish in the region.

Its two marine laboratories in the Maldives, hosted by biological scientists, not only protect the local coastline by helping to restore coral reefs, but also interact with the lab's experts and participate in specific environmental activities such as coral cleaning.

"Biologically diverse natural habitats can continue the multiplication of plants and animals, and provide for local communities to form symbiotic relationships with them. Maintaining this balance is about ensuring a healthier, happier future. "This answer is clearly more heartfelt about the relationship between tourism and tourists, communities and the environment.

In fact, as a "big player" in the energy consumption scenario during the journey, the hotel industry has been exploring energy conservation and efficient use for many years. In the eyes of the forerunners, guests should be provided with a comfortable stay without sacrificing energy efficiency.

"Creating measurable KPIs through water conservation, energy conservation and waste management can create a sustainable environment." According to Giovanni Beretta, Chief Operating Officer, Swire Hotels & Resorts, by raising sustainability awareness and encouraging action among team members, guests, partners and communities, it can have a positive and lasting impact on the environment.

To this end, Swire Hotels & Resorts has made it clear that all hotels will reduce the electricity consumption of the average guest stay by 15% by 2025 and further reduce it by 26% by 2030, and reduce the water intensity by 8% by 2025 and another 12% by 2030 in terms of water efficiency. At the same time, including replacing single-use packaging with recycled materials, waste management and extending the life of daily necessities are also prioritized, and the ultimate goal of all this is to encourage guests to make changes to the environment.

Wai Tak-hsien, Managing Director of Swire Hotels, said that hotels should contribute to the improvement of the overall living environment of human beings in a sustainable way through determined choices and practical actions that have a positive impact on the community within their capabilities.

Many hotel teams will look for ways to make guests enjoy a special "green journey" and raise their focus on environmental issues, including but not limited to the introduction of a variety of green projects and experiences.

At Earth Hour in March this year, Swire Group's Hong Kong Yiju replaced the lights in public areas with candlelight, and many guests who are accustomed to palatial hotel facilities have consciously accepted the concept of environmental protection in a warm atmosphere.

Jin Hui, CEO of Huazhu Group, has talked about the importance of ESG – ESG (i.e. environmental, social and corporate governance) has become an important corporate evaluation criterion today. Jin Hui pointed out that in the context of the country's carbon neutrality and the global continued concern for sustainable development, ESG will become an important part of the long-term strategic planning of the hotel. In the future, Huazhu will not only continue to disclose ESG-related content, but also evaluate ESG-related issues related to sustainable development and strive to seek sustainable development opportunities in various fields.

Travel

Technological innovation helps green and low-carbon travel

Green and low-carbon life is everywhere. At this stage, intelligent technologies such as IOT, AI, and 3D printing provide more optimized solutions for human green development, and have penetrated into all scenarios of low-carbon travel.

In addition to the new energy vehicles used in short-distance self-driving tours, in the process of long-distance travel by plane, paper boarding passes, health declaration cards, etc. have also been terminated by the "paperless" boarding process. "Electronic boarding pass" and "civil aviation passenger health declaration system" are increasingly being adopted. According to the data of air travel, during the epidemic period, paper health declaration cards alone can save more than 100,000 pieces per day, and about 120 tons of paper consumables in 7 months - every tourist is helping low-carbon environmental protection travel with practical actions.

The hospitality industry has a wider range of applications for technology, which not only improves convenience and efficiency, but also makes a great contribution to environmental protection.

Hilton Group, which has "travel with a purpose" as its strategic goal for sustainable development, plans to double its social benefit investments and halve its carbon footprint by 2030. To this end, its hotels around the country continue to open up new paths to improve the level of energy conservation and emission reduction - last year, Hilton Group's first intelligent green kitchen waste treatment equipment settled in Shenzhen, the equipment through biotechnology to degrade kitchen waste, the hotel also uses the organic fertilizer generated by the degradation of kitchen waste to maintain the garden, and cultivates fruits and vegetables in the garden, which also enriches the "little gardener" experience course for child residents.

Earlier, the Hilton Ningbo Dongqian Lake Huamao hotel built a rainwater recycling system, the use of rainwater recycling, the collection of building roof and road rainwater, after ultraviolet disinfection and other treatment, as a hotel landscape, road sprinkler and green water reuse, the equipment in 2021 to save about 1438 tons of water.

From the perspective of guests, the increasingly intelligent stay experience using the power of technology is not only pleasant, but also strengthens the concept of environmental protection. For example, simply scan the QR code in your room to book a vehicle, schedule laundry time, order an all-day meal, or even choose your favorite omelette method. "Electronic menus are the current industry norm. We hope that through a paperless dining experience, guests will be encouraged to think and contribute to the protection of the environment. Giovanni Beretta, Director of Operations at Swire Hotels & Resorts, said.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News