Developing sustainable travel means environmental action every day of the year

Kaksi ihmistä suolla keräämässä risuja.

Three years ago, on 1 June 2020, Hawkhill had the honour of being one of the first Finnish companies to be awarded the Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) certification. It is a mark of our commitment to sustainable practices and principles.

In June 2023, we were granted the same certification for the third time. Over the past three years, we have worked hard to promote sustainable and regenerative travel, and our journey on this path continues – stronger than ever!

Fighting climate change through land restoration

During the past year, we have developed our environmentally friendly practices in several ways. Here are a few concrete examples:

  1. Our customer-specific emissions have decreased by 30 percent compared to 2019. How was this achieved? You can find more information about that in our previous blog post.
  2. The restoration of our own Haukansuo bog into a carbon sink was completed in April 2023. It is a significant measure through which we fight against climate change and protect biodiversity. For experiences and tips on bog restoration for the benefit of the climate, you can read our earlier blog post.
  3. We have planted small flower meadows in our areas to support biodiversity and provide a habitat for pollinators.
  4. We acquired four new electric vehicle charging stations in April 2023 and replaced all three of our cars with electric ones in November 2022.
  5. The growing of herbs used in our restaurant and catering operations began in our own garden in May 2023.
  6. We initiated a project to restore old meadows in June 2022.
  7. All waste generated by our restaurant operations is sorted appropriately. Our visitors sort 80 percent of the waste generated by their activities.
  8. We reduced food waste by approximately 30 percent during 2022.
  9. We installed four new AI-controlled systems to measure and monitor our water consumption.
  10. Together with our visitors, we have built several insect hotels, birdhouses, and deadwood fences to support biodiversity.

The work continues!

We have already accomplished a lot, but responsible entrepreneurship requires tangible actions and the right choices every day of the year. We still have many ideas to implement to further develop our environmental responsibility.

However, for us, sustainable tourism is not just about minimizing our environmental impact – Hawkhill also wants to take good care of travellers, our employees, and the local community. In my next blog post, I will share the measures we have taken in the past year to promote our social responsibility.