Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton launches carbon offset programme

At no additional cost to customers, the Protea Hotel Balalaika will offset the carbon emissions generated by the use of their meeting rooms and conference facilities by purchasing carbon credits. In addition, the Hotel will offer guests the opportunity to also play their part by offsetting their overnight stay for just R5 per night. The carbon credits will be used to fund the Wonderbag Project in South Africa. In this way a guest's stay will end up reducing emissions and enhancing the quality of life for vulnerable communities across South Africa.

"This is in line with our hotels' commitment to environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility. This is another pilot programme where we would like to urge all hotels, not just in Sandton but throughout the country, to adopt and start making a change where we can," says Jörg Zwinscher, General Manager at Protea Hotel Balalaika.

"Both business and leisure travellers are becoming more responsible about their travel choices, and are looking for convenient ways to green their travelling as much as they can. Also, an increasing number of companies are looking for conference venues that are carbon neutral. We are excited that the Protea Hotel Balalaika has joined an ever increasing number of hotel chains across the world that are taking action against climate change", says Franz Rentel, Country Director for Climate Neutral Group, the carbon management company behind GreenDreams.

Guests will also be able to purchase an actual Wonderbag at the hotel to help save on electricity use when they get back home. The Wonderbag is a revolutionary, non-electric heat retention cooker that allows food that has been brought to the boil, by conventional methods, to continue to cook for up to 12 hours, without using any additional energy source. The Wonderbag was presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos as a real solution to many of the health, environmental and socio-economic problems faced by Africa and many other developing countries today.

The Ecomobility Festival will restrict certain streets to car traffic in Sandton for the month of October in order to promote public transport, walking, cycling and other transport options that reduce the use of fossil fuels and highlight the impact of carbon emissions on the environment.

This partnership between GreenDreams and the Protea Hotel Balalaika aims to empower, inform and engage guests about making a real difference to the planet for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

About GreenDreams and Climate Neutral Group

GreenDreams is a voluntary carbon management programme that supports South African accommodation establishments looking to promote themselves in the responsible tourism market. By participating in GreenDreams, establishments can confidently claim that they are taking action on climate change by reducing their environmental impact. GreenDreams has been developed by Climate Neutral Group, an international carbon management and offsetting company, in collaboration with the Sustainable Tourism Partnership Programme (STPP) an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

About the Protea Hotel Balalaika

The Protea Hotel Balalaika on Maude Street, in Sandton, is located in Johannesburg's economic heartland. Being the first original business of Sandton, the Balalaika was established in 1949 as a tea garden rest stop between Johannesburg and Pretoria. To this day, the hotel's two sections overlook the luscious gardens and indigenous trees that enclose the two swimming pools. The English countryside atmosphere defines this four-star hotel as a little bit of country in the heart of Sandton.