Ongoing Commitment to Environmentally Friendly Practices

Here at Summer Lodge, we are ecstatic that we are certified as a Sustainable & Green Travel Accommodation Provider. It is an honour to be recognized by those prestigious programmes, which were created with travellers in mind, that helps them book with confidence when looking for sustainable experiences as they know what to expect during their stay. Developed by leading travel platforms including Trip Advisor, Booking & HRS, sustainable & green travel programmes are designed in partnership with the UNWTO Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, the EU Ecolabel, the Energy Star program, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative. Each sustainable & green travel programme makes it easier for environment-minded travellers to select accommodations that meet a distinct set of eco-friendly criteria.

As we’re moving our business towards sustainability in energy and in order to qualify for those awards, Summer Lodge passed a series of requirements, including the following green practices, selected for their high impact potential and verified by independent sustainability experts :

• Most of consumed electricity is sourced from the national renewable energy power plants network
• Energy saving light bulbs throughout the building & lighting controls in external areas
• Energy-Star qualified guest room appliances & energy/water saving washing machines
• Installation of wall mounted cooling fans instead of energy consuming A/C units
• Water heated by solar thermal system installed on our roof
• Measurement and record of electricity & water consumption on a regular basis
• Regular checks to ensure energy and water equipment is working efficiently
• Tree shading & selective plants in the gardens to keep building cool
• White painted combined with planted (green) rooftop to reflect/reduce the summer heat
• Water efficient showerheads and toilets in guest bathrooms
• Use of alternative water sources for watering gardens and cleaning our hotel’s exterior
• Limited use of chemicals for the water treatment in the swimming pool
• Implementation of organic gardening practises & non-toxic pest control
• Towel & linen reuse programme with option to opt-out of daily room cleaning
• Use of recycled toilet paper & eco-friendly certified cleaning products
• Avoid using plastic single-use products according to the EU directive 2019/904
• Completed waste assessment in accordance with the community’s waste & recycle management system
• Recycling bins in common areas for different types of waste such as paper, glass, plastic & metal
• Participation to local educational activities related to the objectives of the eco-friendly tourism
• Staff training on implementing the hotel’s green practices & sustainability in tourism
• Encourage guests to walk, bike & use public bus instead of hiring cars
• Support archelon.gr the protection society of sea turtles in Crete and participate to their voluntary projects

We strongly believe in making sustainable travel choices easier for everyone. If done with respect for local communities, environments and biodiversity, travel can broaden horizons, reduce barriers and bring people closer together.

Prepare for your trip – Educate yourself about your destination. Be on the lookout for news and current events about the area. Learn about local history, customs and culture as well as vital ecosystems. Learn at least the basics of the local language. A simple hello, please, or thank you goes a long way. Approach travel with the desire to learn rather than just observe.

Pack light – Every kilo counts when flying. The more a plane weighs, the more carbon emissions it produces. Pack only what you really need during your holidays.

Enjoy the local drinks & food – Consuming a locally brewed beer, you will probably enjoy high quality ale, and your drink can be low-carbon by cutting down on ‘drink mileage’. This applies to eating local products too. Let your taste buds be adventurous.

Be at home in a hotel – A great tip is to remember to act in a hotel like you would at home. Avoid getting clean towels when not necessary, don’t have long showers and something frequently forgotten is to turn off lights and the cooling fan when you leave the room.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle – As a thoughtful and responsible traveller there are several things you can do during your holidays to minimize the amount of waste and ensure that specific objects as paper, glass or metal are deposited for recycling. If no bins are available in rural areas, keep all trash with you and deposit it once you return to your lodge and use the recycling bins placed at the rear garden.

Don’t bag it – You want memories of your holiday to last for years but 500 years is way too long. Plastic bags can take up to 500 years to biodegrade so take a re-useable shopping bag with you when you go to local markets.

Avoid buying bottled water – Plastic bottles account for a lot of waste. The tap water in western Crete is safe to drink and we have installed water filters so our guests can use it to refill the eco-friendly bottle of water offered upon arrival.

Stick to the path – When hiking, always stay on marked trails and maintain a safe distance from any animals you may meet. Going off the beaten path could mean you trample on protected or endangered plants.

Be responsible at the beach – Travellers are visitors to these coastal areas and should enjoy them as such. Remember that the beach is home to numerous plants, animals, and birds that are found nowhere else in the world than at a beach, and many require beaches for nesting.

Use public transportation – Wherever possible, use public buses instead of a taxi or a rental car. Travel in buses and ferries wherever possible is cheaper, kinder to the earth, and you will have a chance to meet with ordinary people while perhaps even learning more of the local language.

Share maps & books – Make sure to take as minimal of these maps and brochures as you can. Share one map between multiple people and look at the brochures while you are at your lodge and then put them back instead of taking them with you. If your map is in good condition or marked with some cool places, you can pass it on to a new guest. Use our book exchange service. By leaving a book you’ve already read and taking another one, you participate in a process of book exchanging, done by travelers from around the world.

Continued ecotourism – Ecotourism definitely doesn’t need to end with your flight home. Follow through on your commitment to conservation of the special places you visited and in your back yard at home. Share your experiences with others to foster a greater understanding of our world.

The environment will thank you !!!