Environment

Policy Statement

To protect the local and global environment and to minimize environmental impacts concerning our activities, products, and services.

Quality Objectives

• • To comply with all obligations related to our environmental aspects.
• • To provide our employees and anyone associated with our organization, with constant support, direction, and encouragement to meet the requirements, depending on their role.
• • To integrate the environmental management system into all the activities of our business.
• • To protect the environment, prevent pollution, and fully meet all relevant commitments.
• • To minimise waste to landfill by reducing our waste generation and by seperating and recycling waste where economically and operationally feasible.
• • To use energy, water, materials, and other natural resources as efficiently as possible, giving particular regard to the long-term sustainability of consumable items.
• • To work with local businesses, neighbours, partners, or suppliers toward encouraging commitment and improvement in our local environment.
• • To support other relevant management roles to demonstrate leadership as it applies to their areas of responsibility.

Our Vision

To educate all parties involved in our organization (employees, customers, external partners, etc.) about the importance of environmental protection and encourage them to consume less energy and use as few contaminants as possible. 

Our Mission

To operate our organization in a way that leaves the smallest possible environmental footprint to help maintain a healthy and clean environment.

Our Commitment

We commit ourselves to complying with all the legal regulations and requirements of our customers by improving continuously the effectiveness of our environmental management system and providing the necessary resources for this purpose.

Our Values

• • Teamwork 
• • Innovation 
• • Knowledge 
• • Excellence 
• • Integrity 
• • Honesty 
• • Loyalty 
• • Respect 
• • Reliability 
• • Adaptability 
• • Accountability 
• • Passion

• Tzarakis Georgios
• General Manager
• Ostria Resort & SPA

Our actions

Atmosphere Pollutants

To reduce pollutant emissions into the atmosphere, we:

• Use electric vehicles for the transportation of guests and goods on our premises.
• Provide a comfortable, free-of-charge, guarded parking area to avoid unnecessary vehicle movements.
• Strive to make the best use of mild energy sources and have almost achieved zero oil consumption through the use of new technology units, such as air conditioners and heat pumps for cooling and heating, solar energy and heat pumps for hot water, and LPG for the ovens and stoves in our kitchens.

Recycling

Our recycling program includes:

• Paper recycling with the use of a paper press, and collection by a certified recycling company.
• Glass and bottle disposal in specific recycling bins, and collection by a certified recycling company.
• Iron and aluminium collection by a certified recycling company.
• Battery & light bulb disposal in specific recycling bins and collection by a certified recycling company.
• Waste electrical appliance collection by a certified electrical appliance recycling company.
• Used cooking oil collection by a certified company.

We also:

• Have placed recycling bins in all hotel areas including our Blue Flag awarded beach and encourage our guests and staff to contribute to our effort.
• Have installed air hand-drying systems in the hotel's public toilets to reduce paper consumption.

Water

In our continuous effort to reduce water consumption, we:

• Have selected succulent plants for our gardens that require relatively small amounts of water. To further reduce unnecessary water consumption, we have installed an automatic watering system with the lowest possible water consumption that operates during the evening hours.
• Use automation (inverters, etc.) whenever possible and motivate our guests to consume water wisely.
• Provide continuous training to our staff toward that goal.
• Have shower cabins instead of bathtubs in the majority of our rooms.
• Have trained our kitchen and bar staff to operate the dish and glassware washers only when fully loaded. The same directive is applied by laundry staff for washing linen.
• Have instructed our housekeeping staff to use the least possible amount of water when cleaning guest rooms and common areas.
• Have applied the "save water - go green" project for linen replacement in all our rooms; an information card instructs our guests on how to request linen replacements when they wish.
• Have set the toilet flushes in the room toilets to consume the minimum amount of water required.
• Are in the process of replacing the old sink taps in public toilets with electronic ones equipped with photocell control.

Energy

To save energy, we:

• Monitor monthly our energy consumption and keep records allocated per person per night and per department.
• Have installed solar panels in several parts of the hotel to exploit solar energy to the maximum for the production of hot water.
• Use heat pumps to concentrate hot water in triple energy boilers with full exploitation of solar energy, thus achieving zero oil consumption.
• Use energy-saving bulbs and modern technology LEDs in over 80% of our lighting systems.
• Use photocell sensors to activate indoor lighting in public areas, such as toilets. For greater energy reduction, we use the state-of-the-art BMS system to manage outdoor and part of our indoor lighting. The hotel areas that are not connected to the BMS are equipped with timers.
• Have installed magnetic master power switches in all guest rooms that cut the lights and air-conditioners off automatically when guests leave their rooms.
• Have installed smart window sensors that stop automatically the air-conditioners when balcony doors or windows are open.

Hygiene and use of Chemicals

• The daily inspection and cleaning of all hotel areas are carried out by housekeeping staff who possess all the necessary skills and qualifications to use chemicals correctly.
• We use professional eco-friendly laundry/dishwashing detergents, cleaning products, sanitizers, and disinfectants produced by certified manufacturers.
• Waste collection is frequent and thorough, with a special emphasis on recycling.
• We run chemical, microbiological, and legionella water checks once a month.
• Drinking and pool water chlorination is made by automatic pool chlorinators to reduce the use of chemicals.
• Air-conditioner and ventilation filters are cleaned thoroughly regularly.
• We run a monthly disinfestation and rodenticide program by a certified company.
• PH, residual chlorine, and other quality indicators in our swimming pool waters are tested three times a day by specialized staff with the use of an electronic photometer. All measurements are recorded and filed electronically.
• In all hotel rooms, we implement the "save water - go green" program, which aims to reduce the amount of linen washing, and the use of detergents.
• We have installed automatic detergent and chemical dispensers in all our washing machines (dishes & linens) to reduce their consumption.

Coastline

• Our coast has received a "Blue Flag" award. The waters, according to the measurements of the Water Directorate of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, have the best possible quality (3 stars).
• In compliance with the Blue Flag program, especially during the swimming season, we carry out regular cleaning of the coast with specialized personnel and equipment, and we urge our customers to keep the coast clean and take part in its cleaning.

Subsoil

• To maintain the hotel's gardens, we are under the constant guidance of a certified agronomist on how to use only organic fertilizers and eliminate subsoil & groundwater pollution by pesticides and heavy metals.
• The entire hotel wastewater undergoes a four-degree Biological Treatment through which it is collected and processed following the specifications of the Greek and European Directives and then used for watering our gardens.
• Room painting is made with Eco-friendly paints that are not classified as dangerous according to Directive 1999/45/EC and its amendments.
• It is forbidden to use shampoo in the beach showers and swimming pools.

Education

• Our staff gets regular targeted training to adopt and maintain a strong sustainability culture and use mechanical equipment, water, energy, and chemical products judiciously as well as on hygiene and recycling issues.