Using Less To Do More: How We Conserve Water & Energy at Numa stays

At numa, we love keeping things simple and we know our guests are all about this too. We love doing more with less and this also shows in our first steps towards creating more sustainable stays.

From installing water saving shower heads and toilets across 80% of our locations (and in 100% of our new buildings!) to powering everything our guests need with renewable energy at a majority of our German, Spanish and Austrian stays (plus more countries coming soon)–we’re working to save and improve wherever we can.

But we can’t do it alone and we know numa guests want to do their part too. That’s why we make sure to give them all the facts and tips they need to make easy choices that reduce their environmental impact, one flush or towel at a time (which really adds up when you consider we currently welcome hundreds of thousands of guests per year).  🛎🧖‍♀️

Sometimes you just need a sign from the universe to show you how you can do a little extra good. At our locations in Spain, that sign is an actual sign, located in every room, reminding guests of all the ways they can save water during their stay with us. And you might think, “Is that really necessary…how much water could you even use in a hotel room?” Well, it turns out that traditional hotels can have a staggering water usage of 1,500 litres per room per day¹, which is surprising when compared to the average 144 litres of water per person per day used in European households.² 

This sign campaign began in Barcelona, where the city, in collaboration with the tourism council, was raising awareness of the ongoing drought and asking residents and visitors alike to only use the water they need for activities like dishwashing, showering, and laundry. Recognising the importance of water conservation and knowing that the drought was an issue throughout all of Spain, our Spanish team not only introduced the signage (zoom in on the full sign here 🔍)across all our Barcelona stays but also at all our locations throughout the country.

While it’s probably not the first thing you would think about when considering what can increase the impact of your stay, the amount of towels you use during your stay probably have a bigger environmental footprint than you would think. Washing and tumble drying 5kg of laundry generate approximately 2.4 kg CO2e and can use up to 50 litres of water per load.³  

So while towel reuse signage might sound a bit silly at first, once you start to consider how many emissions and how much water can be saved if a single guest reuses a set of towels for multiple times, rather than just once.

These signs are just the start! Beyond turning off the tap and reusing towels, we're planning even more initiatives to encourage guests to use only what they need for things like air conditioning, lighting and more.

Our long term goals aren’t just about what happens within our own walls–we want to see a whole hospitality industry where everyone is committed to sustainability and engaging with guests to make more environmentally-friendly choices when they travel. As we continue growing in the hospitality industry, we understand that our actions set an example and we want to be a positive force for change. By promoting the importance of saving water and energy, we want to show our fellow businesses that adopting eco-friendly practices can start with simple initiatives that are not only good for the planet but also help to save on costs. So keep your eyes peeled at your next numa stay, to see how you can do you part to help reduce on water and energy usage! 🚰💡👀 

Sources:

1.  Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (2020), Water scarcity and the hospitality industry, available from https://sustainablehospitalityalliance.org/our-work/water-stewardship/
2. European Environment Agency (2023), Water use in Europe — Quantity and quality face big challenges, available from https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals-archived/signals-2018-content-list/articles/water-use-in-europe-2014#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20144%20litres%20of,differs%20from%20region%20to%20region.
3. The Guardian (2010), What's the carbon footprint of … a load of laundry?, available from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/nov/25/carbon-footprint-load-laundry