The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has awarded a 6-Star “Green Star SA Existing Building Performance (EBP)” rating for Hotel Verde Cape Town, Africa’s greenest hotel.   This puts the hotel at ‘World Leadership’ status according the to the GBCSA’s certification tools.

Working closely with their membership community to champion a collective cause, the GBCSA strives to accelerate the development and adoption of best green building practices so that all buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way. Dorah Modise, CEO of GBCSA, says, “The EBP rating is achieved through assessing the environmental performance of any existing building in operation – items such as energy and water monitoring, management policies and plans are required in order to achieve the rating.”

Dorah adds that the evaluation also addresses the relationship between landlord and tenants, but that the focus is on making the operations and management of the building efficient in order to maintain optimal performance.

The ratings given for this system are between 4, 5 and 6 stars:

4 Stars            : “Best Practice”
5 Stars            : “South African Excellence”
6 Stars            : “World Leadership”

“Hotel Verde Cape Town Airport was awarded the highest score achieved for Green Star SA EBP v1 in South Africa to date,” Modise exclaims, “which further emphasises their comprehensive sustainability strategy, implemented from the ground up, across all elements of the hotel operations.”

Commenting on the rating at Hotel Verde’s 6th birthday celebration and gala awards ceremony held on 27 September, Mario Delicio, founder of Verde Hotels and passionate advocate of sustainability, said how fitting it was to be awarded this prestigious accolade whilst celebrating their sixth year in hospitality and sustainability.  “I am immensely proud of the team at Hotel Verde Cape Town Airport – this is a phenomenal achievement – everyone’s input, ever-improving performance and a passion for operating green hotels has resulted in the ultimate reward. May we continue to grow, contribute and prosper in all things sustainable,” he concluded.

Andre Harms from Ecolution Consulting, who consulted on the project, adds, “Here you have a building that is literally green from the ground up.   Almost every possible sustainable initiative option was considered at the time of design and construction. What is truly remarkable is the commitment to a holistic thrivability journey, with a view to creating a hospitality offering that is sustainable at every level, and increasingly so over time.  Continued eco-friendly operations have resulted in this, our second award from the GBCSA, and we are immensely proud of this achievement.”

Hotel Verde Cape Town Airport showcases some of the most advanced, environmentally-conscious technological installations and construction methods in addition to procurement and operational practices in the world.  Verde Hotels remains committed to growing a portfolio of luxury green hotels and green buildings in Africa, and around the world.