Ecological Eurohostel

Responsible and ecological matters are important to us. We also like to represent these values to our customers.  Year 2019 we had a questionnaire on our website where we asked if the ecology of the accommodation provider has influence on which one you choose. Over three out of four (76,8 %) of 734 people answered yes.

During the years we have managed to decrease our energy consumption and total amount of waste.  Thanks to our new building maintenance technology the amount of district heating consumption has decreased too. We are on a right track and we try to be even more ecological in the future.

For us ecological means own solar power plant on our roof, 100% renewable wind energy, using district heating, increasing property automation, waste separation and recycling. Our customer toilets have automatic faucets, toilet seats have 2 flush options and instead of paper tissues we use hand dryers. Showers facilities have motion activated showers. All our toilet and shower facilities as well as our sauna facilities have lighting that works according to need. Our customer kitchen does not have disposable dishes and cutlery. Cooking plates work with timer. Hot Drink vending machine in our lobby provides Fairtrade certified drinks. Eurohostel is a non-smoking property. Our office recycles papers, cardboard, batteries, glass, metal, plastic, fluorescent lamps and broken electronic devices. Thanks to recycling we will produce less waste. Waste that is not recyclable is converted into energy by burning by waste management. Since 2015 we have provided our customers a possibility to recycle in the room and also in our Recycling Center. There are recycling bins for bio waste, batteries, glass, metal, cardboard, paper and plastic. We have pursued to affect our associates so that they would also work in more ecological manner.

Over the years, we have succeeded in reducing especially water consumption and the total amount of paper waste, as well as increasing the recycling of metal waste. In addition to this, in the summer of 2024 we installed 84 solar panels on the roof of the hostel, whose energy output you can monitor on the screen in our lobby. So we are on the right track and we strive to be even more ecological in the future. We have also tried to influence our partners so that they work more environmentally friendly.

 

We think green also in these areas

• We aspire to use only eco-labelled paper products
• We aspire to use only fluorescent lamps with 20 000 hours of lifetime
• Over 97 % of the lamps we use are energy level A or better
• Over 20 % of the lamps are timer or sensor controlled
• We take in Earth Hour annually
• We support recycling by donating non-reclaimed lost & found items to flea markets
• We donate funds to to environmentalism

Make your stay more ecological

• Shut the lights and electrical appliances when you leave the room
• Take shorter showers to save water and energy
• Use our heat isolating curtains to moderate the room temperature
• Open the window only for quick ventilation
• Use the stairs instead of elevator
• Drink tap water instead of bottled water
• Choose Fairtrade certified products whenever possible
• Use public transportation or hire a bicycle or walk to get to know the city

Results of our Environmental Program 2023 compared to previous year

• Total amount of waste decreased 11,9 %
• Electricity consumption decreased 11,9 %
• District heating consumption decreased 1,3 %
• Water consumption decreased 12,6 %
• When last year figures are compared to the consumption figures five years ago we have gained a lot of positive progress (waste -11,7 %, electricity -21,7 %, district heating -1,1 % and water -31,0 %).
• We donated a part of our Evening Sauna sales for Clean Baltic Sea Project, that removed about 2 tons of seaweed from Baltic Sea thanks to our donation!
• We made a donation to the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation, with which we were able to protect more than 500 square meters of primeval forest

 

Hostelling International – Quality & Sustainability (HI-Q&S)

In September 2019, Eurohostel was awarded the HI-Q&S certificate, which is the international hostel organization’s own quality certificate that takes into account sustainable development. HI-Q&S is aimed especially at the hostels of the HI network and takes into account the special features and needs of the hostels. The HI-Q&S certificate has already been granted to 450 hostels in 40 different countries. To achieve the certificate, a hostel must meet a list of more than two hundred requirements based on the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development. HI-Q&S is a quality certificate recognized by both the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and Sustainable Travel Finland.

 

Sustainable Travel Finland

Visit Finland has developed the Sustainable Travel Finland program to help the tourism industry in Finland to adopt sustainable practices. The program is designed for Finnish tourism companies and destinations to develop more sustainable practices.

The participants have undergone the STF program and fulfilled the criteria to get the Sustainable Travel Finland label. Eurohostel was among one of the first companies to get this label in year 2020. Read more »

Visit Finland has also published the national principles of sustainable development (in Finnish), which we strive to follow in our daily operations.