Travelling with
Hostelling International has a positive impact on development. Youth hostelling drives sustainable tourism to faster development globally and beyond. At Hostelling International they will try to highlight the role of Hostelling in driving sustainable development.
What can you do?
From February to November 2017 HI will address one area per month through a programme of events, best practices and network initiatives. Visit their social media pages and see in which project you can get involved in.
Month of February has been dedicated to “
Consuming Sustainably”. Millennials crave authentic experiences, and food & beverage has a big role to play. There is a high tendency in vegetarian and veganism as well as consumption of local and seasonal produce; whereas Fairtrade products such as sugar or coffee have already become mainstream. But what’s next? And what successful cases can we share or learn from our network? The equipment used and what we consume within our hostels has a big impact on the hostel’s bill as well as nature, the community around us and the quality of the service we provide. Sustainable purchasing takes into account environmental, social and ethical factors. Of course economic factors; price, availability and demand will always play a great role and could also impact on the service you provide.
What does it mean?
Consuming Sustainably in our hostels means making conscious decisions on buying products that ensure continued great service and quality, but at the same time taking into account all three areas of sustainability. Economic: through our purchasing choices we have the power to support the local economy, help small and /or sustainable businesses thrive and create new jobs. Social: purchasing locally, seasonably and ethically enhances the wellbeing of our community members and the preservation of our cultural heritage. Environmental: just think of all those emissions cut by minimizing the transport and distribution of imported goods and services! Also buying sustainable produce reduces the pressure on farming land by using less chemicals and supporting sustainable farming methods.
We chose two-star projects for this month. Lillehammer Hostel in Norway and SYHA Hostelling Scotland.
Lillehammer Hostel has a policy of doing as much of their purchasing as possible locally. They have their own bakery and kitchen and they cooperate with local businesses and organisations to have them each decorate a room in the hostel. They tick all the boxes. They support local economy and have decreased consumption, they encourage local collaboration and they also reduced CO2 emissions from transportations. They are also a
Too Good To Go partner, which means that they use leftover food of the hostel and sell it to customers after opening times. “It is great to cooperate with local businesses and organisations to create publicity - both for the hostel and for the organisations! Then you become a true part of the local community,” said the sustainability coordinator Ragna Skøien.
SYHA Hostelling Scotland is an association of 32 hostels. They decided that all foodstuffs including alcohol served in Scottish youth hostels are sourced locally and of Scottish provenance. Everything from eggs to dairy to packed lunches is sourced locally. They want to also educate and promote Scotland to their guests. All 32 SYHA Hostels are supplied by the same companies.
