In Brussels, Green Key is coordinated by Inter-Environnement Wallonie (IEW) and GoodPlanet Belgium with the support of visit.brussels, the Brussels Hotels Association (BHA) and Brussels Special Venues.
The Green Key label is spreading throughout Brussels. With 4 newly certified sites, Brussels now has a total of 44 tourism sector entrepreneurs who are actively committed to more sustainable tourism. The strong growth of the international sustainability label for tourism and leisure can be partly attributed to the Brussels-Capital Region, which has offered financial support to enable interested entrepreneurs to obtain the label free of charge. In Brussels, Green Key is coordinated by Inter-Environnement Wallonie (IEW) and GoodPlanet Belgium with the support of visit.brussels, the Brussels Hotels Association (BHA) and Brussels Special Venues.
Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region: “When it comes to protecting the environment, every action counts: big or small, individual or collective. The development of sustainable tourism is an absolute priority for this legislative term. People who work in the tourism, events and cultural sectors are very important for the image of our region. We hope that this sector, which has had a difficult time, can slowly take back its role. The Green Key sustainability label contributes to the revival of this tourism and to a better image of the whole sector."
Patrick Bontinck, CEO of visit.brussels: "The development of sustainable tourism is a priority for visit.brussels. Assisting the tourism sector towards more sustainable practices is also part of our mission. Despite the difficulties linked to the pandemic and the rules imposed on the tourism sector from the outset, several establishments in Brussels have managed to obtain the Green Key ecolabel, which highlights their sustainability efforts. The Green Key label is based on demanding criteria and quality levels, and brings real added value to the destination and its attractiveness to tourists. It also contributes to reinforcing the image of the region as a sustainable destination."
Green Key is the most ambitious sustainability label for the tourism and leisure sectors. Establishments that have obtained the label have made efforts in numerous areas: they work to reduce their water and energy consumption, focus on waste prevention and sorting, favour sustainable food and mobility, prone eco-friendly maintenance and the preservation of biodiversity, etc. They are audited every three years and must demonstrate each year that they still deserve the label.
The four new label holders
Dame de Carreau
Laurent and Philippe welcome you to a 1911 Brussels town house in Koekelberg with two LGBTQI+-friendly guest rooms. Starting with small ecological and economical changes, the owners have committed themselves to sustainability, notably through a vegetable garden and composting. With this approach, they aim to show their guests that environmental efforts can be made anywhere, even in a 100-year-old house with a small urban garden.
PentaHotel – Bruxelles City Centre
This establishment in the centre of Brussels combines elegance, comfort and an environmentally-friendly approach. In addition to their sustainable catering service, PentaHotel contributes to the cleaning of cities and beaches in all PentaHotel destinations, distributes insect hotels and participates financially in the reforestation of ecosystems with its partner 'One Tree Planted'.
Appart’ City Brussels Centre Gare du Midi
Appart'City Confort Brussels Centre welcomes guests in a modern and comfortable setting, just a 15-minute walk from the historical city centre. In its daily activities, this Green Key label holder focuses on maximising the positive and healthy aspects of its initiatives, by favouring, for example, local suppliers and offering honey, in an effort to fight the decline of bees.
MigratieMuseumMigration
MigratieMuseumMigration is an inclusive museum that welcomes a wide variety of visitors. Sustainability, ecology and health take centre stage in all of its activities. The Green Key label is an important recognition of the museum's efforts to create an open, healthy and green environment for all visitors. Examples of these efforts include solar panels on the roof, the reuse of rainwater for the garden and toilets, the use of environmentallyfriendly products only and the sorting of all waste.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
