Griffin Group Sustainability - Monart Solar Farm

Sustainability at Monart

Griffin Group Sustainability News

Griffin Group Sustainability Plan

Climate change and Bio-Diversity loss will be the key challenges facing humanity for the coming generations and we believe now is the time to get involved and make a difference that matters.

The Griffin Group has over the last number of years been quietly working at finding better, more sustainable ways of running our hotels, and have recently developed and implemented a 10 – Year Sustainability plan to reduce our overall impact on the environment.

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We are members of The Green Hospitality Programme, which is the only Irish environmental certification standard for the hospitality sector.  The Green Hospitality Awards are internationally recognised with third-party environmental & sustainability certification.  This programme is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Global Sustainable Tourism Council Criteria, EU Ecolabel and the Sustainability Hospitality Alliance Hotel Carbon, Water and Waste Measurement methodologies.

We have been making strides towards these goals; just a few examples include;

Solar Power Added – We have installed a 500-kilowatt peak ground-mounted solar farm at Monart Destination Spa, with an additional 1-megawatt array now in planning with ESB networks. The group aims to provide most of its daytime electricity from our Monart Solar farm during daylight hours from March to September.

Energy Management Systems Implemented – Implemented an energy management system in conjunction with improved control systems which has already reduced our energy consumption and CO2 emissions by 20%.

Using Biomass – Use of biomass rather than fossil fuels to provide heating & hot water to Monart Destination Spa (Biomass solution being developed for Ferrycarrig Hotel)

Planting Trees – Monart Destination Spa has joined the 100 Million Tree initiative that will see the Griffin Group create a carbon sink of over 136 tonnes per annum in the next 4 years. This year Monart has planted 2,500 trees.

Increasing Efficiency – Super efficient brand new natural gas boilers have just been installed at Hotel Kilkenny (May 2023) to ensure the maximum efficiency possible at a site that cannot install bio-mass coupled with individual digital radiator valves in all rooms to ensure that the building is only calling for heat that it needs and to reduce any wasted energy through overheating.

Hotel Kilkenny also replaced all of its refrigeration and pump units in the winter of 2023 to run with efficiency gains of between 60% to 80%.

The company has replaced all lighting with LED equivalents.

Proactive water management and monitoring see the company regularly monitor sites for leaks as well as implement water resource management. Such water management has seen Monart Destination Spa remove almost 30,000 litres of water per day from use over the last 5 years.

Reducing & Removing Plastics –  Monart Destination Spa provides our new on-site bottled water products, which significantly reduce packaging, transport & logistics.

Hotel Kilkenny and the Ferrycarrig Hotel have just moved to provide Tetra Pak water cartons in all bedrooms starting in the summer of 2023. These cartons also have caps made from vegetable matter and are designed to be highly recyclable.

In-room amenities such as toiletry bottles are being replaced with larger luxury refillable dispensers. We ask that our guests; please do not remove these large body wash, conditioner, and hand soap bottles from the bedrooms.

Cultivating Our Own Produce – Food is locally sourced where possible, and kitchen herb gardens are being cultivated at Monart Destination Spa and Ferrycarrig Hotel.

Replacement and Upgrade Programme – Our asset replacement programme requires the examination of low-energy alternatives rather than like-for-like replacement.

Our sustainability program presents a real opportunity for us all to make a difference in delivering substantial positive change to the Griffin Group.

Together we can begin to reduce the use of natural resources consumed in the expression of our art, providing exceptional customer experiences.

We are at a time now when our children and grandchildren are beginning to ask, “What are we doing to tackle climate change?”… let’s give them an answer we can all be proud of.

The Board of the Griffin Hotel Group.

We are members of The Green Hospitality Programme, which is the only Irish environmental certification standard for the hospitality sector.  The Green Hospitality Awards are internationally recognised with third-party environmental & sustainability certification.  This programme is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Global Sustainable Tourism Council Criteria, EU Ecolabel and the Sustainability Hospitality Alliance Hotel Carbon, Water and Waste Measurement methodologies.

We have been making strides towards these goals; just a few examples include;

Solar Power Added – We have installed a 500-kilowatt peak ground-mounted solar farm at Monart Destination Spa, with an additional 1-megawatt array now in planning with ESB networks. The group aims to provide most of its daytime electricity from our Monart Solar farm during daylight hours from March to September.

Energy Management Systems Implemented – Implemented an energy management system in conjunction with improved control systems which has already reduced our energy consumption and CO2 emissions by 20%.

Using Biomass – Use of biomass rather than fossil fuels to provide heating & hot water to Monart Destination Spa (Biomass solution being developed for Ferrycarrig Hotel)

Planting Trees – Monart Destination Spa has joined the 100 Million Tree initiative that will see the Griffin Group create a carbon sink of over 136 tonnes per annum in the next 4 years. This year Monart has planted 2,500 trees.

Increasing Efficiency – Super efficient brand new natural gas boilers have just been installed at Hotel Kilkenny (May 2023) to ensure the maximum efficiency possible at a site that cannot install bio-mass coupled with individual digital radiator valves in all rooms to ensure that the building is only calling for heat that it needs and to reduce any wasted energy through overheating.

Hotel Kilkenny also replaced all of its refrigeration and pump units in the winter of 2023 to run with efficiency gains of between 60% to 80%.

The company has replaced all lighting with LED equivalents.

Proactive water management and monitoring see the company regularly monitor sites for leaks as well as implement water resource management. Such water management has seen Monart Destination Spa remove almost 30,000 litres of water per day from use over the last 5 years.

Reducing & Removing Plastics –  Monart Destination Spa provides our new on-site bottled water products, which significantly reduce packaging, transport & logistics.

Hotel Kilkenny and the Ferrycarrig Hotel have just moved to provide Tetra Pak water cartons in all bedrooms starting in the summer of 2023. These cartons also have caps made from vegetable matter and are designed to be highly recyclable.

In-room amenities such as toiletry bottles are being replaced with larger luxury refillable dispensers. We ask that our guests; please do not remove these large body wash, conditioner, and hand soap bottles from the bedrooms.

Cultivating Our Own Produce – Food is locally sourced where possible, and kitchen herb gardens are being cultivated at Monart Destination Spa and Ferrycarrig Hotel.

Replacement and Upgrade Programme – Our asset replacement programme requires the examination of low-energy alternatives rather than like-for-like replacement.

Our sustainability program presents a real opportunity for us all to make a difference in delivering substantial positive change to the Griffin Group.

Together we can begin to reduce the use of natural resources consumed in the expression of our art, providing exceptional customer experiences.

We are at a time now when our children and grandchildren are beginning to ask, “What are we doing to tackle climate change?”… let’s give them an answer we can all be proud of.

The Board of the Griffin Hotel Group.

Beautiful gardens at Monart during a sunny day