Sustainable Maastricht

admin — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:05:00 +0100

Environment, sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility are very important trends nowadays. More and more cities go “green” and there is a growing conscience that sustainability, care for the environment and Corporate Social Responsibility is necessary for the growth of our society. Corporate Social Responsibility is operating with attention for the three p’s; People, Planet and Profit. These three elements must be combined in a harmonious way. The meeting industry has gone “green” as well and has integrated the Corporate Social Responsibility policy.

Success cannot only be measured by economic growth (Profit), but we also have to steer to a sustainable development which cares about social, ethical (People) and green (Planet) values.

Maastricht Convention Bureau helps visitors by providing information about conferencing "green".

Maastricht cares about the future of our children and our planet.

What does the city of Maastricht do regarding sustainability?

The city of Maastricht involves its inhabitants and local companies in the implementation of their sustainability plans. Some examples are:

Maastricht: 10th position in Local Sustainability Measurement
Swimmingpool “Geusselt”: a leading project in the Netherlands on sustainability
For further information about this project (in Dutch), click here.
Sustainable power plant in Belvedère Maastricht
Green computers for the city council of Maastricht
Electric busses in taxi's in Maastricht in 2012
Taxi company Brull Personenvervoer has started driving with its first electric taxi. In 2012, there will be six to eight charging points throughout the city, which will lead to more electric taxi's.
Fair Shopping with the Trade Shopping route
Click here to download the brochure in Dutch.
Foundation Extraordinary Ones helps individuals in other countries who are in need of food
Visit the website of Extraordinary Ones for more information.
Reuse of cooling water within different companies in Maastricht
Residual heat from companies is being used to heat houses in Maastricht
More seperation of waste in Maastricht compared to the rest of the Netherlands
Plenty of bicycle parkings to stimulate people to come to the city by bike
Maastricht: excellent living environment for animals.

For a full description of these sustainable projects in Maastricht, click here.

For further information, please visit the website of the local government of the city of Maastricht.

Click here to read an article about Sustainable Maastricht.

Sustainable organisations in Maastricht & surrounding area

Many of our partners take outstanding measures regarding Corporate Social Responsibility. Doing business with these partners means doing business in a responsible way. Below, you find an overview of our partners and their sustainable measures:

Apart Hotel Randwyck (Silver Green Key* certificate)
Bastion Deluxe Hotel Maastricht/Centre (Silver Green Key* certificate)
Brull Personenvervoer (Electric taxi’s)
Crowne Plaza Maastricht (Golden Green Key* certificate)
Golden Tulip Apple Park Maastricht (Silver Green Key* certificate)
Château St. Gerlach (Golden Green Key* certificate)
Château Neercanne (Golden Green Key* certificate)
Hotel van der Valk Maastricht (Golden Green Key* certificate)
Kruisherenhotel Maastricht (Golden Green Key* certificate)
MECC Maastricht (convention center) (Golden Green Key* certificate)
NH Maastricht (Golden Green Key* certificate)

* The Green Key was created to raise the awareness of owners and managers of tourism and leisure establishments on the necessity and possibilities of running a responsible business. Getting awarded with The Green Key means that an establishment has fulfilled more sustainable requirements than is required by law. Besides pure environmental demands, the criteria inclide demands on policy actionplans. Click here for more information about The Green Key.

How to organise a sustainable meeting

A green meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment.

10 tips for a green event:

let delegates travel climate neutral
use public transportation
choose local suppliers
communicate without paper
make sure the venues you use have a green policy regarding water, energy and waste
make sure airco, heating en lights in the meeting rooms are not turned on unnecessary, and that audio-visual equipment is turned off when possible
for your dinners, use regional season products
ask your caterer to not use individually packed meals and plastic bottles
prevent the use of disposable forks, knives, spoons etcetera
work with venues and suppliers who acknowledge the CSR-rules

Calculate your CO2 emission:

By becoming climate neutral you will inspire others to do the same. Climate Neutral Group aims to make it easy for people and organisations to become climate neutral. In this way global warming can be countered. On the website of Climate Neutral Group you can calculate your CO2 emission. For conventions and special events you can contact Climate Neutral Group to make a measure made calculation for you. For more information, please visit their website.