Environmental Policy
Throughout its history, The K Club has prided itself on being a trailblazer, a place that's not afraid to try new things, change old ways and embrace innovative and fresh, new thinking. We cherish our traditions and heritage whilst striving to not simply keep up with modern life but to be at the forefront, especially of the things that matter most.
We recognise the importance of the environment and the impact we have on it, both as individuals and as a business. We have a key responsibility to conserve the environment around us in order to ensure our legacy is not lost.
Sustainability is not simply a buzzword, it is an ethos that we want all areas of our business to live and breathe. Our Energy & Environmental Policies are founded on encouraging and supporting each and every department to make mindful changes that put the environment at the forefront of all our decisions.
We are working in partnership with the country's leading green hospitality programmes and organisations who support us in our efforts to become more sustainable and better serve the local community in which we operate. We are passionate about ensuring that tourism makes a positive social contribution so that it benefits our community as well as our guests.
The K Club in County Kildare was named as Sustainability Champion at the 2024 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala that took place in Hot Springs, Virginia, USA on 21 November.
The award was presented on the on the cusp of The K Club unveiling our new hydro-power system that has seen an ambitious resotration project that will allow the hotel to once again harness the energy generated by the estate's stretch of the River Liffey.
Some of the actions we have taken to help us reach these goals and objectives:
· In 2024 we will begin the ambitious restoration of the historic weir originally constructed in 1910 and used to provide power to Straffan House (part of our original building that has grown to become The K Club as we know it). With a shiny new pump specially made in Austria and an upgraded 90kW generator to be put in place, the hotel will harness hydropower from the legendary Liffey to become the first 5-star weir-powered hotel in Ireland!
· In 2023 we replaced all peat-based products across the resort with hardwood bales. We also burn wood from trees that have fallen naturally during storms on the resort.
· In 2023, we removed our single-use bedroom toiletry products and introduced refillable Voya toiletry products to all our guest bedrooms with 170,000 units not going to waste due to this change.
· In 2023 we purchased a fleet of lithium battery operated rechargeable Easy-Go Golf Carts for use on the golf courses. We now have 50 Easy-Go Golf Carts for our guests to avail of.
· In 2022, The K Club made a significant investment to upgrade the boiler system within the hotel. Hot water for showers, taps and kitchens is now generated by the most environmentally friendly technology currently available; CO2 Heat Pump.
· Most of the space heating and hot water generation in the Palmer Clubhouse is now generated by a Water-to-Water Heat Pump that uses the heat in the lake water on the 18th hole as a renewable source. Every unit of electricity consumed by the heat pump generates a minimum of 4 units of heat: 4 times more efficiency than modern high efficiency boilers.
· All light fittings within the Hotel have been changed to LED lighting. This has reduced our energy consumption by 20%
· All the resort takeaway cups are now biodegradable.
· All used Nespresso pods are fully recycled in the hotel.
· All our bottled water in the main hotel is made of glass or eco containers, therefore are reusable and fully recyclable
· The Hotel now has four electrical charging points for electric cars, and we have plans to expand on this.
· All staff members have received training on our Energy & Environmental Policies and initiatives through our staff induction process.
· To help us assist us with our Sustainable Tourism Management, we have implemented effective systems for monitoring and adequately managing our waste, water, and energy.
The K Club is committed to achieving the following Goals and Objectives for 2024:
· Reduce the resort’s year-on-year electricity consumption by 17%. In 2023 we reduced our electricity consumption by 1.13%.
· Reduce the resort’s year-on-year gas consumption by an additional 4%. In 2023 we achieved a reduction of 4.24%.
· Reduce our waste and aim to recycle 80% of our waste onsite across the resort. In 2023 95.40% of our waste was diverted from landfill.
· Reduce paper usage across the resort by a further 10%. In 2023 our paper usage was reduced by 27%.
· Reduce the resort’s year-on-year water consumption by 10%.
We are committed as a business and a team to taking steps to proactively reduce our impact on the environment. We’re all in this together, so we are always looking for fresh ideas and recommendations to improve our sustainability credentials. Should you have any suggestions to aid us in reaching our sustainability goals please do not hesitate to contact us directly via sales@kcub.ie.
