The Hermitage fuels up for biodiesel trial

An iconic New Zealand hotel is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to environmental and social responsibility.

The Hermitage Hotel at Aoraki Mount Cook began trialling biodiesel, made from its own recycled cooking oil, in its vehicle fleet today (1 December).

The hotel, one of the first to achieve Qualmark’s Enviro-Gold rating last year, is strongly committed to reducing the region's carbon footprint and enhancing Aoraki Mount Cook’s clean green credentials, particularly because of its national park and UNESCO World Heritage Area location.

The hotel’s rubbish truck is the chosen test vehicle and it will be monitored for fuel consumption and performance for three months. If results are good, the hotel will then gradually roll biodiesel out to the rest of its 16-vehicle fleet. It is also investigating whether biodiesel will run in its diesel-fired hot water and heating boilers, and if so, will see how feasible it is to convert them as well.

Hotel Operations Manager David Kidd is leading the trial in association with Biodiesel New Zealand Ltd, a Solid Energy business. He says the scheme will hopefully sit alongside other hotel initiatives like waste minimisation and energy efficiency and is excited about the possibilities of having a reliable and sustainable fuel source “on tap”.

“With three restaurants on site, we’re using about 1,000 litres of cooking oil a month so it’s fantastic to find a way to recycle a waste product and be ecologically self-sufficient.

“If the trial is successful, I think there could be significant environmental and economic benefits for us. Biodiesel has a low carbon footprint, is clean burning, it’s biodegradable if spilled, and because of its high lubricating properties it’s easy on engines.

“We just need to ensure there won’t be any downstream maintenance or cost issues before committing ourselves fully.

"We’re aiming to make our business as sustainable as possible and if we can save money doing it then that’s a bonus."

Mr Kidd says Biodiesel New Zealand has been extremely helpful and supportive of the trial.

“We’re both really passionate about sustainable practice so we’re on the same page. They understand what we want to achieve and are helping us make it happen,” he says.

Biodiesel New Zealand’s high-quality fuel is produced mainly from recycled canola-type cooking oils at a plant in Christchurch. In the future the business also plans to increase the use of locally grown oilseed rape crops as another source of oil.

The Hermitage trial has started with an 80/20% biodiesel/mineral diesel mix and the biodiesel content will be increased progressively to 100% in relation to fuel consumption and performance. 

The Hermitage and Mt Cook community employ many sustainable practices including:

·         Recycling all materials where possible, such as newspapers, untreated timber and old products – including donation schemes. For example, newspapers and untreated timber can be burned in fireplaces, left property items (after 3 months) and old uniforms go to the Salvation Army, furniture goes to retirement homes, old hotel carpet goes to local sports clubs, and towels become kitchen rags.

·         All plastic, glass, cans, cardboard and newspaper are separated and are compacted in the village.  When there’s enough for a truckload it is sent to Christchurch or Timaru to be recycled.  Beer and wine bottles go to Christchurch in 200 litre wheelie bins on a return system.  Tin can ends are removed, washed, squashed and compacted into bales.

·         The hotel runs a paperless office system wherever possible and recycles paper to make notepads.  The paperless office policy is reviewed regularly.

·         Water turbidity meters have been installed to monitor the clarity of Aoraki Mount Cook water.  The UV treated water is some of the purest in the world – so much so that tea guru Mr Dilmah himself said when visiting last year that the tea was some of the best he’d ever tasted and was keen to learn how to make the water so pure!

·         As part of its contribution to conservation, a gene stock programme has been instigated which works up to five years ahead of time.  Under the programme, seeds are harvested from existing native plants, propagated and sent to Motukarara Nursery near Banks Peninsula for nurturing.  They are then returned to Aoraki Mount Cook for winter acclimatisation prior to being planted.

·         Sustainable design features include the use of stone, timber and glass throughout the village and designated colour palettes.

·         A 20 year native gene stock planting programme is nearing completion.  All exotic trees (except a few historic ones) are being removed from the Aoraki Mount Cook area and some have been recycled into building materials for the village.  A great example is the shelter at Blue Lakes.

·         Putrescibles (all food, recyclable waste) are compacted then trucked to Twizel’s Resource Recovery Park every three days.  Here, the compacted waste is composted to become “Mackenzie Black Compost” which is then on-sold.

·         The Hermitage buys in bulk by the pallet where possible and is careful to choose products that produce the least possible waste.  The Hermitage restaurants and bars use almost no condiment sachets which saves an estimated total of more than 65,000 empty sachets a year.  This prevents the potential for one sachet to contaminate a wheelie bin of compostable material.  Large jars and bottles are used to dispense jams and sauces. 

·         Local sourcing of food supplies is an art form at The Hermitage: Salmon from the Aoraki Salmon Farm near Twizel, local Otago wine, and local cheese from Geraldine.  Coffee is UTZ certified, ensuring a socially and environmentally responsible production method.

·         Sandwich boxes are made of corn starch and serviettes are brown recycled paper.  All bags and bin liners used are now biodegradable.

·         All hotel appliances are rated energy-efficient and induction technology has been introduced to the kitchens to produce instant efficient energy only when needed. 

·         Sensors and timers are used to turn off heating and lighting.  Low energy light bulbs and fluorescent tubes are used throughout entire hotel complex, including staff quarters.  Pipes, ducts, wall and roof spaces are insulated, and doors and windows have been weather stripped to reduce heat loss/gain.  Energy-efficient underfloor heating is installed in newer bathrooms.  Most energy-inefficient areas are closed down in winter.

·         The Hermitage has completed a 10 year insulation best modern practice programme last year.

·         Volunteer conservation programmes such as the Lake Pukaki to Tasman/Hutt Valley trapping programme, which several staff are part of, aim to return the natural habitat to pre-European times.