The Mövenpick Resort & Spa El Gouna enjoys a unique location directly on the beach overlooking the crystal blue waters of the Red Sea. To keep this paradise for generations to come, the resort does not spare any efforts with regards to environmental management a standpoint which was recently awarded international recognition.
For many years, the management of Mövenpick Resort & Spa El Gouna has been leading by example and has been very active in the field of environmental protection. Successful activities include: reduction of energy and water consumption; separation and reduction of waste; implementation of a sustainable purchasing policy; team member training and increasing guest awareness.
These efforts have frequently been recognised with awards from major European tour operators, local authorities and prestigious international organisations.
Earlier this year the resort was awarded the Travelife Gold Award – Travelife is an independent auditor working on behalf of the International Federation of Tour Operators, which represents 13 national associations in Europe. Travelife audits all the various aspects of the hospitality industry, including hotels. The audits focus on energy saving practices, waste management, emissions and environmental sustainability principles.
The resort has installed energy-saving lamps in all areas, water saving devices have been fitted in all guest bathrooms, showers and toilets and the waste water is treated at the resort’s own sewage plant and used to irrigate the gardens. The property’s landscaping is dominated by local trees and bushes, that are well adapted to the climate and a modern irrigation system is used to avoid evaporation.
A considerable contribution to the reduction of water, energy and chemicals is the towel/linen change policy that is applied by the resort, with guests deciding how often they want their linens changed.
In the kitchen, a responsible purchasing policy is followed where mostly local products are used to support the local industry and avoid unnecessary CO2 emissions through transportation.
Special emphasis is given to waste management supported by the nearby recycling plant of El Gouna. At the recycling plant in the nearby desert, 97 per cent of all waste being delivered from El Gouna hotels and community is being recycled.
More than 160 employees collect, separate and process the waste of El Gouna with the goal of zero landfill. Paper, glass and metal are pressed and sent to large recycling factories in Cairo. Organic waste is fed to the town’s farm animals or processed for use as compost on the fields. Plastic is shredded and processed to make plastic hangers and garbage bags and even walkway tiles
The resort has an official environmental policy which is communicated to all guests. The Green Team, with representatives from all departments meets every month to follow up on action plans and ideas and to set new goals to continuously improve the environmental performance. The Green Team is continuously organising activities to promote a healthy and sustainable environment. Every second Tuesday of the month, during ‘Green Day’ guests are invited to make a small but important contribution to the environment by participating in the beach clean up.
The hotel took part in Earth Day with a range of activities and, like other Mövenpick properties, El Gouna is part of the Habitat for Humanity initiative, where guests are invited to donate small sums of money to support the building of social housing in local areas of the country. The Green Team actively participated in building the first houses in Upper Egypt.
And at Christmas, instead of cutting down a tree, which has taken years to grow, the resort’s engineering team built a 5 m high Christmas tree by using over 2,000 aluminium soft drink cans along with discarded steel pipes and odd pieces of plywood.