This Quebec City hotel uses solar power. With the help of energy efficiency experts Groupe Ecosynergie, we have installed photovoltaic panels that are converting sunlight into electricity to help power our top floor and exterior L.E.D. lights. Placed beside our rooftop garden, the panels are also conveniently providing shelter for our beehive.

We use a heat exchanger to capture and reuse heat from drain water to pre-heat incoming water. This technology reduces our primary energy consumption for water heating.

We are proud to be part of the Miel Urban or 'Urban Honey' project. There are several objectives to this project: -The promotion of beehives in areas that are free of insecticides, GMOs and mono cropping. - Public education on the importance of bees and the urgent need to protect them (bees polinate 70% of the food we consume). - Increased pollinating of urban gardens (25-30% increase in fruit and vegetable production when a beehive is present). -The production of local honey.

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Hôtel du Vieux Québec is a carbon neutral operation. We purchase Gold Standard carbon offsets from ‘Planetair’ (www.planetair.ca) to compensate for all of our operations green house gas emissions. Gold Standard offsets adhere to the most widely accepted quality seal for voluntary offsets currently available. Through Planetair we only support renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. All projects must produce demonstrable contributions to the sustainable development of their host communities.

Hôtel du Vieux Québec has installed two green roofs. Our rooftop gardens grow an assortment of organic vegetables, flowers, herbs and other plants. This helps to keep part of the hotel cool in the summer thereby lowering our energy consumption, sequesters carbon and captures runoff rainwater. This also enables us to provide fresh organic produce for staff and clients. Les Urbainculteurs

Hôtel du Vieux Québec has been awarded 5 Green Keys from the Hotel Association of Canada’s Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program. This is the highest rating given. The rating description by the Hotel Association of Canada for 5 Green Keys is: A hotel that exemplifies the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility throughout all areas of operations. The hotel employs cutting edge technologies, policies, and programs that set the international standard for sustainable hotel operations.

Award of Excellence for Energy and Environment. Hôtel du Vieux Québec is pleased to announce that on February 15^th 2010 it became the first hotel in the province of Quebec to receive an award from the Hotel Association of Canada (a professional industry association representing the lodging industry in Canada). This Quebec city hotel was the recipient of the Hotel Association of Canada’s Award of Excellence for Energy and Environment for the work it has done to lessen its environmental impact. The Energy and Environment Award “recognizes lodging properties that have developed a culture towards integrating environmental management practices that improve everyday operations and the bottom line, while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations.”

All new furniture is custom made by local Quebecois craftsmen using materials that are consistent with the highest standards of LEED building. We also exclusively use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood in all renovation and capital projects.

We have converted more than 75% of the hotel lighting to energy efficient lighting. Including: conversion to low mercury compact fluorescent light bulbs wherever possible and the installation of LED lighting systems in our guest rooms, meeting room, hallways and other facility rooms in the hotel. This saves us an average of 66,580 KWH yearly. We insure the conscientious disposal of used bulbs.