media & awards

gorgeous and green

May, 2007 Accor's Novotel Wollongong Northbeach - is Gorgeous and Green! Over the last 8 years Novotel Northbeach has introduced a range of programs to reduce water usage, electricity and waste to landfill. Our aim, to incorporate products of the highest quality whilst ensuring we offer commodities that enable us to avoid waste, allow recycling and minimise harm to the environment.

Novotel Northbeach is an award winning conference facility located on the beach in the heart of the Illawarra region and is one of the South Coast's most popular conference venues. Only 1 hour's drive south from Sydney Airport and 2.5 hours from Canberra, the Hotel is easily accessible yet offers a unique environment for any event, and best of all meetings at Novotel Northbeach support environmentally friendly operations and procedures.

The hotel recognises that caring for the environment is directly linked to caring for the overall needs of our guests, staff and community. General Manager, Walter Immoos is a proud supporter of these initiatives, "It is important to educate our staff and guests on the importance of the environmental issues we face today, and simple methods they can undertake."

Novotel Northbeach has proudly made the following contributions:

  • We have reduced our water consumption from 74 million litres in 1998 to 47million by 2006. This was achieved by installing water flow restrictors in all sinks and showers, dual flush toilets, installed three 5,000 litre water tanks to collect rain water for irrigation and another 5,000 litre tank to flush the staff toilets and the Beach bar toilets. Novotel Northbeach is involved with Sydney Water's 'Every Drop Counts' program measuring and controlling hotel water usage.
  • The hotels electricity consumption has been reduced by 500,000 Kwh since 1998 with a saving of 329 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This was achieved by installing power factor correction gear which improved our power factor from 0.8 to 0.98, installing an eco light system on all fluorescent light circuits that reduces energy by 25 percent and replacing 75 watt incandescent light globes with 11 watt compact fluorescent light globes.
  • Recycling and wastage disposal initiatives have reduced our waste to land fill by 60 %. Recycling is also a big part of our environmental practices. We recycle paper, cardboard, polystyrene boxes, wax boxes, paints, solvents, printer cartridges and toners, plastic chemical containers, cooking oil, glass, cans, tins and plastic wrap. Along with donating left over soap, shampoo and candles to a local charity, corks to the Illawarra cancer carers, old sheets, quilts, linen and crockery to Mission Australia.
  • At Novotel Northbeach we accept the challenge to integrate environmental considerations into all relevant aspects of our hotel operations ensuring ecological sustainability as well as economical success. Our environmental management systems are always developing and evolving to ensure continual improvement of our environmental objectives and targets.
  • Novotel Northbeach boasts a dedicated MICE floor with 12 environmentally friendly conference rooms, nine of which offer natural light and can cater for up to 660 delegates. The hotel's in-house audiovisual team supports the experienced conference team in ensuring the success of each conference. Most meeting rooms feature those unbeatable vistas of the ocean just metres away from your whiteboard. Or take full advantage of the view and stage cocktail parties on our huge private terrace overlooking the pine-lined beach. For competitive Conference quotes call Novotel Northbeach today on (02) 4224 3111.

< Read our other Media & Awards