1. Introduction
2. Environmental Commitment
3. Environmental Aspects
3.1 Energy
3.2 Waste
3.3 Water
3.4 Golf Courses
3.5 Other
4. Involvement with Staff
5. Involvement with Customers

 
1. Introduction

The Environmental Policy of an organization must be understood as a set of broad guidelines established by management, in order to demonstrate its commitment to carry out activities in an absolute respect for the environment.

Conscious of the need to respect this principle, the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort is committed to make an eco-efficient management to minimize environmental impacts arising from their activities and services, to prevent pollution and to make a rational use of natural resources.

2. Environmental Commitment

According to existing legislation on the environment, the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort assumes the following commitments:

- Regularly evaluate the environmental impacts and meet the standards applicable to sustainable tourism.
- Cooperate and promote communication with outside entities, including government institutions, environmental associations, municipalities and the general public.
- Involve customers, employees, local community and suppliers to encourage improvement of environmental performance in all its activities, products and services.
- Promote the programs of environmental awareness and training among its employees for training and awareness for the practice of sustainable tourism, encouraging personal and professional growth and to better working conditions, health and safety.
- Encourage local development with the participation of surrounding communities, suppliers and service providers, promoting the economic, social and cultural growth in the region.

To ensure the prosecution of these guidelines, the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort, started in late 2008, a process of continuous improvement of practices in order to achieve optimal performance, which will culminate with the application for Eco-Hotel certification, benchmark developed by TÜV Rheinland, and to other awards / certifications related to sustainable tourism.
The main goal is to create an EMS - Environmental Management System that meets ISO 14001, allowing a continuous improvement of environmental performance of the Hotel.

3. Environmental Aspects

3.1 Energy
The Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort is aware of the importance and the need to improve energy efficiency in both interior and exterior lighting, encouraging the change of behaviour of employees and customers and raising awareness of efficient energy consumption and their benefits (economic and environmental).

 The automation of the air conditioning system of the hotel allows the monitoring and rationalizing the consumption of electricity.

The systems of internal and external lighting are also automated, regulated from the availability of natural light. Due to the large part of the hotel be glazed and also the existence of skylights, you can make the most of natural light.

The garage of the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort and all customers stairs are always in a minimum level of illumination, using movement sensor cells, avoiding the waste.

All service stairs are equipped with timers.

Hotel bulbs are low energy consumption, which reduces the energy costs around € 3,500 per year.

Internal communication in order to sensitize employees to the best practices for rationalization of energy is always present.

The hotel is aware of renewable energy,and for this reason, is being studied a project to create a Central Solar Heating.

The Hotel has introduced the energy consumption item as part of the equipment purchasing criteria.

3.2 Waste
The Program for Solid Waste Management, in development, aims to recycle and reuse all materials, besides reducing the total volume of waste through a series of interconnected actions. The separation of waste into two categories - organic and recyclable - is held at home in all sectors. All baskets of waste in the rooms will be changed in order to allow the separation of waste.

All solid wastes are properly separated in the Hotel - plastics, cardboard, paper, organic waste, batteries, glass, toners and cartridges for printers and oils - and the collection of oil provided by a certified company. After a rigorous screening, the Municipal Environment Company in Cascais (EMAC) collects the waste.

In each section of the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort is posted a document that explains to employees the procedures to make an accurate proper separation of waste.

Looking for better working conditions, health and safety, the hotel often promotes training, not only regarding the efficient separation of waste, but also in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), hygiene and food safety.

3.3 Water
Regarding water, a scarce resource in the world, the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort is concerned with making efficient management of this precious resource in order to avoid waste.
All the taps of the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort are equipped with water saving filter. The taps of the public toilet's sensor are avoiding the waste of water
All cisterns are economic dispensing in each discharge 6 liters instead of the traditional 10.
The water used in irrigation of gardens as well as the watering of golf courses, comes from four lakes, which allows the hotel to take advantage of rainwater.
The monitoring of the irrigation system is computerized to avoid waste.
The hotel considers the possibility of replacing the traditional chlorine maintenance treatment in pools for alternative treatments. Accordingly to this, environmental impact assessments will be done in order to see what kind of treatment will be more environmentally appropriate.

The laundry service is provided by an outside company. However, the hotel makes sure that all their suppliers have the necessary certifications and satisfy the requirements of safety and environmental.

3.4 Golf Courses
In order to minimize the environmental impacts arising from the business of operating and maintaining the golf course, the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort makes a strict control of consumption of water for irrigation. The water used for irrigation comes from four lakes where the rainwater is stored. The irrigation system is automated to avoid waste and during summer, the grass is watered partially. Electric buggies are used, and therefore less polluting and more environmentally friendly.

In the golf courses, practices are developed integrating the application of chemicals, which do not use pesticides or fertilizers bleached. Furthermore, the storage of chemicals and fuels is done in accordance with the stricter rules in this area. Dangerous waste (waste oils, batteries, etc.) are subject to strict management and collection of municipal solid waste is selective.

In golf courses, and in order to protect the natural biodiversity, no tree is harvested.

 3.5 Other
The Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort architecture allows it to be completely integrated into the landscape. The building is not too tall - being below the height of the pines - which allows for regional planning through a proper framework landscape.

The hotel has also adopted a policy to its customers, in order to sensibilize them to the issue of energy efficiency. This applies to the daily change of towels and sheets only at the request of the customer.

4. Involvement with Staff

The Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort is convinced that the success of its Environmental Management System (EMS) is due to the involvement of its employees. For this reason, awareness campaigns and environmental education are often carried.

In study, is also the possibility of producing a brochure that allows internal communication of the environmental policy of the hotel, as well as to promote consciousness and sensibility of employees to environmental issues related to their daily tasks.

5. Involvement with Customers

The hotel considers that is very important to disseminate the development of their EMS - when reached - with its customers and society in general, and the establishment of channels of interactive communication with them. When applicable, the contracts made with suppliers include environmental obligations.