Bergen luxury holiday in Norway

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This tour of Norway has been designed with sustainability and the environment at its very heart. The hotels chosen for your stay all have the Green Leaf accreditation.

Our other hotels are nestled in the heart of small villages that you can get to by electric boat, and are also certified by the Eco-Lighthouse Scheme by Thon Hotel to reduce waste, be energy efficient, order environmentally friendly products, improve working environments for staff, and try to use organic food where possible.

They are also members of Green Dot Norway, and require our Norwegian suppliers to participate in packaging recycling programs. These Hotels have signed an electricity certificate agreement which commits our Norwegian hotels to buy electricity supplied from renewable energy sources. The electricity certificate agreement ensures that the same amount of energy used at Thon Hotels is produced as renewable energy at Norwegian hydropower plants. Switching to a renewable energy option through a certified renewable energy provider, will help us reduce our carbon footprint significantly, by as much as 75 %.

We believe there will be an increasing demand from citizens, guests and public authorities that companies integrate environmental sustainability in their business operations, because they expect responsibility.

These hotels want to contribute to a sustainable society for future generations.

Opus XVI Hotel serves breakfast à la carte. Many of the products are from local suppliers. Most of the bread comes from an ecological, local bakery, the eggs from a local farm in Fana and the bacon from a farm in Bergen. After changing from the buffet solution they have reduced our food waste by more than 50%, they urge guests to use the recycling bins in the hotel and also to resume towels after single use to avoid excess water usage.

Each restaurant has been chosen as they make use of the healthy local produce that is readily available, reducing the carbon footprint of importing food from across the world.

Given Bergen’s proximity to the coast and fjords, fish and seafood are a large part of the diet here. Given how essential these foods are to the diets and economy of the area, there are strict rules in place to ensure no overfishing occurs. Norway is recognised as a leader in sustainable fishing, with strict quotas in place and treaties enforced by the marine police.

Some of the activities take place on board small boats, which have much less impact, and lower fuel consumption in comparison to larger passenger cruise liners, minimising the impact on the Arctic waters that they explore. In most cases, they are electric.

Where guests have private transfers to get to their destinations we have chosen electric powered vehicles.

The Flam train is powered by cables, and therefore does not use any field to power its ascent up the mountain.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

Hotel Brosundet has been handed down through the generations in the family, and the staff there have a personal connection. They have replaced plastic cups with biodegradable ones, and have reduced thousands of tons of plastic waste each year, exchanging single-use shampoo bottles with high quality refillable products. They have a floating dock called The Aquapod, developed by Clean Sea Solutions, that absorbs all the waste that floats nearby. Despite the fact that it was a relatively expensive investment, the hotel was never in doubt when ordering the floating dock from Clean Sea Solutions. They strive to reduce as much plastic as possible with refillable toiletries with high quality products, glass containers and reusable crockery and no single use of jam jars at breakfast. All food left over from service is also distributed with the staff enjoying lunch together on site to minimise food waste

Our carefully chosen hotels and activities are a key source of income locally. The jobs and income from tourism can help make the case to restore new areas for wildlife.

Hotels have been carefully inspected and have Green Leaf or Eco Lighthouse certifications and actively support any initiatives where they can save waste and reduce plastic single use products. Food that is served is sourced locally and sustainably, grown organically by nature friendly farmers, without pesticides and in tune with local wildlife and the seasons, improves soil quality – which in turn supports the microorganisms, fungi and insects. With seafood sustainably caught locally, supporting local fishermen and the environment.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

All of the activities that are included involving boats are owned and operated by local fishermen, who will pass on tips and tales that have been passed down the generations. Guests will learn about how sustainable fishing is an essential part of Norway’s economy, and travelling with local fishermen ensures that money gained from tourism actually benefits the local economy.

This tour takes guests to locally owned restaurants. We are ensuring that money is remaining in the local area to benefit the community. The restaurants that we have chosen use sustainably caught seafood, and local staff to work in the restaurants.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of our trips support the local community, we employ local guides through destination management companies all on a higher than average minimum wage. We can also accommodate vegan or vegetarian dining options. All of our trips are LGBTQ+ friendly. Some of our trips may not be suitable for guests with limited mobility, however, most transport (boats and trains) do allow for limited mobility access and each case would be assessed prior to travel.