Launched this week at Monte-Casino in Fourways to use Eskom’s bold initiative 49M campaign, one of Africa’s top hospitality player took it further up to recognise its responsibility for the impacts it has on its surrounding communities and the environment in general.
Rob Collins, Chief Marketing Officer at Tsogo Sun says: “It’s a privilege for Tsogo Sun to demonstrate our commitment to the environment by pledging ourselves with 49M to a 10 percent reduction in energy usage.
“At Tsogo Sun, we continually revisit our environmental strategy that is in operation across all our properties over 90 hotels and 14 casinos to ensure that ongoing progress is made in protecting the environment and preserving it for future generations.”
Since the implementation of the DMS1, 2 and 3 and 4, hotels in Cape Town, Eastern Cape and other provinces have resulted in saving 6.5GWh energy, using florescent lamps and replacing all casinos and hotels with 50 new diachronic down light lamps, which took two-months.
Tsogo Sun will be focusing on behavioral changes to achieve this target.
“Savings can only be sustainable when there is buy-in from employees, and eventually guests.
Behavioral change can only be made when you can measure and, to this end, we have established an Energy Steering Committee consisting of the Operational Directors, Facility Managers, Financial Managers, and Development consultants Energy Resource Optimizers and Station 7, which is chaired by Tsogo Sun’s Managing Director of hotels, Graham Wood, continued Collins.
This committee meets every month to review the energy and water performance and develop strategies for improvement.
A great deal of emphasis is placed on behavioural changes. The operational standards are reviewed and adjusted with energy efficiency in mind.
A 10% target for behavioral savings was set in the middle of 2012, and 7% savings have been achieved over six months. The 2013 target is again a 10% energy reduction on the previous year and our energy consultants are currently undertaking a Utility Management Awareness Roadshows to take the message to staff at all levels in the organisation.”
Andrew Etzinger, 49M spokesperson, said he was pleased that more companies were prepared to come on board and ensure the energy saving campaign achieves its mandate of achieving at least 10% energy saving.
“We are pleased that Tsogo Sun has partnered with us as we increase our efforts to persuade companies and individuals to do more to save electricity,” said Etzinger.
According to Collins, he also made a plea to other companies to follow suite and save increasing energy, as we face tough times in the country.
