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SUSTAINABILITY

For a greener, cleaner and better stay

Greener

We've been 'greening' it since 1846

From our modest beginning serving only local food, to the 1980s and being one of the first hotels to introduce a fan-coil system to heat and cool the property, going green is something we've always done - and will keep on doing. 

When staying with us, guests can be confident that we're doing our part to reduce, reuse and recycle.

 

  • The heating and cooling of the hotel is done via a fan-coil system, using the fjord as its source
  • Excess heat produced by our fridges and freezers is used to warm water
  • Sand used to prevent slippery ice during the winter is cleaned and reused
  • Working to electrify all motorised garden tools and machines
  • Changing all lighting to low-energy LED lights
  • Locally sourced water runs fresh from the mountain and into our pipes and pools
  • Organic breakfast options
  • We weigh and measure all food waste, working to reduce when we can, and we compost the rest to make our own mulch
  • No unnecessary plastic and disposable products
  • Recycling program for paper, plastic, glass, food and metals
  • Dangerous waste such as batteries are disposed of properly
  • Any chemicals used for cleaning are marked with the Nordic swan ecolabel

For a greener stay

Our green-stay initiative

We've also made it easier for you, our guest, to make greener choices when staying with us.

 

  • We have a local bus stop right outside the hotel
  • If you don't want your room cleaned, hang the "greener stay" notice on your door
  • If you don't need your towels cleaned, simply hang them up
  • Save power by turning off the in-room main switch
  • Bring your room towel to the pool
  • Book public shuttle services for excursions and activities not nearby
  • Visit local sights on foot or by electric bike
  • Charge your electric car during your stay (subject to availability and a charging fee)

Eco-lighthouse

Certified since 2012

Hotel Ullensvang received the eco-lighthouse certification for the first time in 2012, and is recertified every 3 years. 

 

The eco-lighthouse certification has 7 main principles:

  1. Sustainability is part of strategic decisions made by the hotel
  2. Sustainability is part of staff training and part of all employees' day to day operations
  3. Work continuously to identify and improve areas of the business where a greater effort towards sustainable solutions can be made
  4. Set lofty goals, define steps to reach the goals, measure and report results
  5. Transparency in relation to findings and actions
  6. Implement sustainability as part of all routines and procedures
  7. Ensure the business is compliant and up to date on all Norwegian and EU/EEA legislation relating to sustainability and environmental protection

 

Learn more about the eco-lighthouse certification here:

ecolighthouse

Social responsibility

As part of our work surrounding sustainability and our endeavour towards providing a better stay, the human aspect of the operations needs to be taken into consideration. 

 

The hotel strives to be a diverse, safe and inclusive place to work, and some of the points we want to highlight are:

 

  • We have colleagues from over 18 different nationalities and cultures
  • We have a competitive pension scheme for all employees
  • We pay according to the union agreed tariffs
  • We are are a certified national apprentice scheme hotel
  • We are a proud sponsor of the local Pride celebration in Ullensvang municipality
  • We have a fair gender balance in the hotel management team

APR

Read our APR report here

Transparency Act

Read our 2022 Transparency Act report here (Norwegian)