Environmental protection has become a top priority for the future of our planet and its inhabitants. Green purchasing has gained in popularity, as the consumers are more and more aware of the environmental impact of their choices.

Environmentally friendly lighting, cars, cosmetics, cleaning products, taps… And why not environmentally friendly tourism? Your business trip and holiday stays can also be green.

For more than 10 years the Foundation for Environmental Education has been awarding the Green Key label to the tourism accommodations that respect the environment. More than 650 campsites, hotels, bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, holiday residences and youth hostels have been awarded in the year 2010. 

Choosing a Green Key awarded accommodation is your guarantee of staying in an environmentally friendly accommodation and at the same time an encouragement for the rest of the tourism sector to implement greener practices.

Furthermore, labelling of environmentally friendly accommodations contributes significantly to the awareness-raising on environmental protection. The French office of the Foundation for Environmental Education has carried out the Green Key programme for more than 10 years with a goal of spreading the ideas of environmental education in the general public. The awarded accommodations are of key importance as they raise awareness among their employees and clients.

In a study carried out by the polling agency TNS Sofres, 86% of French expressed a need of a label in order to identify products and services that respect the environment.

It’s exactly what the Green Key has to offer, so don’t wait anymore! We are sure you will find among our 653 successful candidates the accommodation you are searching for.

For further information on the Green Key label and to find Green Key accommodations in other countries, conect to our international website www.green-key.org

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is an international non-governmentalorganisation with national branches in 60 countries on all five continents. For more than 25 years the FEE has carried out various environmental education programmes. In 1985 it created the first eco-label in the world, the Blue Flag.

Since then, other programs have emerged and the FEE has gained international support from the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Tourism Organisation.

     * For further information on the international structure: http://www.fee-international.org/

     * For further information on Green Key international: http://www.green-key.org/

The Foundation for Environmental Education runs the following 6 programmes:

	Eco Schools (Eco Ecoles) Website : http://www.eco-ecole.com/
	Young reporters for environment Website : http://www.jeunesreporters.org/
	Stockholm Junior Water Prize Website: http://www.juniorwaterprize.fr

Programs for local communities and tourism sector:

	Future Energies (Energies d’Avenir) Website : http://www.energies-davenir.com/
	Blue Flag (Pavillon Bleu) Website : http://www.pavillonbleu.org/
	Green Key (Clef Verte)

HISTORY OF THE GREEN KEY

• Created in Denmark in 1994 by the professionals of the hotel business
• In 1998 adapted by the French office of the Foundation for the Environmental Education as a label for campsites
• In 2005 extended to hotels, in 2007 to bed and breakfasts and guesthouses and in 2010 to holiday residences and youth hostels.

The Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe carries out the program in cooperation with the professional organisations, consumers and the Ministries of Environments and Tourism.

OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND AWARENESS-RAISING FOR AS MANY AS POSSIBLE

• Hotel and accommodation managers who apply to be awarded the Green Key label
• Employees through trainings
• General public and clients of the awarded accommodations

The Green Key is a voluntary label intended for the environmentally friendly accommodation such as campsites, hotels, bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, holiday residences, and youth hostels. An independent jury awards the label annually and asks for a monitoring of progress and improvements of the candidates.

The criteria are established at international level and common to all countries running the Green Key programme. They are reviewed and updated annually in order to keep up with the developments and to meet the environmental requirements of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

This review is carried out through joint work of all national coordinators of the Green Key label. The French office that coordinated the programme at international level between 2002 and 2008 handed over to the Netherlands.

The criteria encompass different fields of environmental management:

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY:
General environmental management, training of employees

WATER MANAGEMENT:
Resource management, sewage, plumbing, watering

WASTE MANAGEMENT:
Waste sorting, waste reduction

ENERGY MANAGEMENT:
Resource management, heat, domestic appliances, lighting

RESPONSIBLE PURCHASING
Food and beverages, maintenance, other purchases

ENVIRONMENT
Outdoor environment, indoor environment

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS-RAISING
Awarness-raising of clients, nature activities

For further information, please download here below the sets of criteria or visit the international website www.green-key.org.

The jury is composed of our partner organisations and of organisations strongly involved in the fields of environment and tourism. Its membres' expertise and reputation in the field of sustainable tourism are a guarantee of quality and credibility of the label.

Members of the jury:

• National Camping Federation
  

• Union of Catering and Accommodation Industry
  

• Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Lodging
  

• French Agency of Tourism Development
  

• French Federation of Camping and Caravaning

• National Union of Residential Leisure Parks and Campgrounds

• Liaison Committee on Renewable Energy

• Assembly of French Chambers of Commerce and Industry

• French Tourist Office Consultants

• Eco-Emballage (Green Dot licensing company in France)
  

• Guide Bel Air

• Francois Tourism Consultants  

• Altea Consultants