Sustainability at Venabu

Venabu is located in a beautiful mountain area, here in Norway. People come here to experience the mountains: hiking, skiing and relaxing in unspoiled nature. Our guests appreciate the peace and tranquility to be found here.

We value the nature around us and our relationship with it. We are committed to taking care of these and reducing our impacts on the wider environment. Guests are increasingly aware of the impacts of their choices, and look for hotels that work in an environmentally conscious way.

For many years, Venabu has worked towards being environmentally responsible in its activities and operations. Two years ago, we decided to work towards a goal: to become environmentally certified. The Eco-lighthouse (Miljøfyrtårn) scheme in Norway recognises businesses that implement “measures on a systematic and ongoing basis in order to create more environmentally friendly operations and safer work environments.”

Large and small actions

Environmental certification is about both raising awareness and taking action.

There are measures that are easy to implement, such as:

• avoiding disposable items
• choosing eco-labeled products
• installing lights in the corridors that turn off automatically
• increasing the proportion of organic goods
• supporting the use of public transport with transfers from the train station in Ringebu

Other measures are more demanding

Venabu has undertaken some significant projects, investing in renewable energy and energy management. We installed a “data caretaker”. This is a system that allows us to control the heaters in the rooms from Reception. We ensure that guests’ rooms are nice and warm when they arrive. Rooms that are not in use are kept cooler.

Venabu installed a ground source heat pump, with a bore hole in the hotel grounds. The energy from the heat pump is used to heat hot water. We  also invested in new hot water tanks. Instead of a few large ones, we now have several smaller tanks and therefore finer control over the amount of water we heat.

Around the hotel and in the Storhytte we have also installed air-source heat pumps for space heating.

Food is important

Good food is important to us at Venabu! We want everyone, regardless of allergies and attitudes to food, to leave the dining room full and happy. We therefore serve a good variety of healthy food. We focus on local food and “short-distance” food. We share local food traditions. In late summer and autumn we gather food from the mountains and forest.

Health and safety

To obtain the certificate, we must also be able to show that all of the HSE (Health, Environment, Safety) and IK (Internal Control) systems are in place. These are things that all hotels should have, but it´s always good to review our systems thoroughly and see what can be improved.

Satisfied staff, satisfied guests

The Eco-Lighthouse Foundation also demands that measures are taken with the social environment in the workplace. Looking after our employees is important. In turn our guests will be taken care of by cheerful and satisfied staff.

Environmental certification is a demanding but rewarding process. We see the graphs and statistics pointing in the right direction e.g. increasing recycling and lower power consumption. The best motivation is positive feedback from guests who notice the measures we have introduced.

We also encourage all our guests to be environmentally responsible while at Venabu.

Guests can:

• help to sort rubbish for recycling in the rooms
• be aware of their own water consumption
• reuse towels
• turn off the lights when they leave the room
• not take more food than they will eat at meal times

Minimising our footprint in nature

Most of the measures for environmental certification are about hotel operations. At Venabu, it is also important for us to minimise our footprint in nature. This includes informing guests of the rules in the national parks and nature reserves. We respect the wild reindeer population in the area and, of course, make guests aware of ‘leave no trace’. 

An ongoing process

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded Norway´s Miljøfyrtårn environmental certification. Venabu is now recognised as an Eco-Lighthouse and sustainable destination! This does not mean that the work ends there. On the contrary, every year, we commit to working with new measures that improve operations in an environmentally friendly way.