How to Be More Eco-friendly Whilst Increasing Profits

Hi and welcome back to the Boostly Podcast. This is a podcast that gives you the listener, the tools, the tactics, the trainings, and most importantly, the confidence so you can go out there and get yourself more direct bookings. This is the miniseries on the Boostly podcast where we shine the spotlight on businesses, services, things happening, news in the industry. And today I'm really excited because we've got a special guest and we're shining the Boostly spotlight on Vanessa d', Souza, large for the CEO of Sustonica. Now, there's lots of things in the media about being green and about the things that we can all do, but as hosts, really, what does that mean? You know, what, what is our responsibility? What can we do? And what are some of the wins that we can do to actually be more eco friendly, more green and all these things that you can do as a host that funnily enough will also help your pocket too, which is, is, you know, two, two fold. So welcome along. Vanessa, thank you so much for joining me today.

Thanks for having me. I'm delighted.

So, first question, I know I've given a bit of an introduction, but can you really just give the elevator pitch, you, you, your history and the business. Anything you want to tell us?

Sure. So I'm Vanessa, this is Ella and I've been in the industry for about 17 years. First as a, as an online travel agent type Airbnb, but sadly not as successful. And then as a channel manager. I was a co founder of a channel manager called Rentals United. And about two years ago I decided to found this company which is called Systonica. And Systonica is the first certification for sustainability for short term rentals. It came at a time when owners and property managers of short term mentors needed a standard, a path, you know, to follow in order to become more respectful of the environment, more respectful of the community. People are wondering, sustainability is a big scary word. What do we do with it? What can we do? What are the simple steps and complicated steps? And so we came with a criteria, with a standard that everybody can follow.

Nice. And of course as hosts, we're always looking to get more direct bookings and the things which are the best practice. And I know we're going to dive into that shortly. But how and why did you get into this as a host? Why did what made you so passionate about Sustonica and about the eco friendliness?

What do you mean? Apart from obviously my education. So I was educated with sustainable lifestyle in mind. So I knew it from very early on in my life. And I followed those principles throughout my life and influenced many of my friends. And so being a vegetarian and looking at the future, and obviously now, recently, all the news, you know, something like 75% of UK adults have eco anxiety. You know, we are faced with terrible news about, about the environment. And I felt it was time to step up and do a business that, that is more mission driven, you know, something that will help hopefully change millions of vacation rental homes around the world. And I guess the even bigger mission with it is that we have a very special place in hospitality. We're able to influence so many people because they go through our homes, right? So if we show that we have implemented sustainable amenities, that we are taking care, more care, and with that, we're able to influence the guests that go through our homes so that on their return home, they may implement these things as well.

Okay, so this is going to be a bit more of a loaded question. How do we know guests care about.

Sustainability so we know they care? Thanks to very large surveys that have been done by the giants, the OTA giants in this industry, both booking.com and Expedia have done large surveys. And the one booking.com stat that really stands out is that 80% of travelers want to travel more sustainably. 68% of them would feel more comfortable. This is a really good stat for us. It's Estonika. Obviously, 60% of them would feel more comfortable traveling in an accommodation that has a certification.

All right, that's really good. So, I mean, from a host's point of view, obviously we're always after market share, more occupancy and that side of things. So having these sustainable features and being able to be certified makes you stand out. I mean, we talked to Chris Mulhern from IPRAC talking about trust marketing and being certified. Certifications do make a big difference to decision making. You know, this is why in the training industry, if you're certified, you know, if you've got a CPD accreditation, if you're in uk, that is, then you know, it's trusted. And this is a really important thing. And when guests see that, it might be subconsciously, but they're more likely to trust it, aren't they? So I guess, how does Sustonica solve this problem then for hosts?

So we offer a sustainability certification. It's a program that you enter. It's as I said, sustainability has this really scary aspect to it. So people often think, I have to do structural changes, I have to put solar panels on my roof, I have to Replace the heat pumps, etc. So it's not that. So they are very simple changes that everybody can make that you can make at home and that you can make in your vacation rental. For example, changing not offering the small shampoo bottles in the bathroom with the shower gel and the shampoo, instead offering dispensers, making sure that the shampoo and the shower gel that you offer is free of microplastics, Offering toilet paper, I'm giving you very simple examples here, offering toilet paper that is from recycled paper as opposed to the normal toilet paper, then if you really want to have a little bit much more of an impact, really, because the whole situation with the planet is our dependency on fossil fuels. So the best thing that you can do is give a phone call to your electricity company, your energy company, and require them, ask them to change your electricity to 100% renewable energy. Now, in some areas of the world this is harder, in others it's easier, but it's definitely worth a try. And this in our program. So once you have these things that we put together a criteria and there's about 40 points, let's say. So you go through the criteria and you say what you have, what you don't have, and whatever you have, you would have to prove it. So in the example of the 100% renewable energy electricity you would have to upload to our dashboard, the invoice that proves that you have 100% renewable energy. So there's part documentation for things that we can't see in the flat and then there's part photo tour. So the owner would go with our app, which is geo localized. So we know that you are where you say you are, you can't cheat. And, and then you would take photos of, let's say if you have an induction cooktop, the induction cooktop, the double glazed windows, the model of the fridge, and all of these proofs that you put together based on our criteria would then be sent to an external auditor automatically. And the auditor then validates all of these points, all of these photos and the documentation, and then gives us the go ahead to issue the badge. Now important again. It doesn't have to be scary and it doesn't have to be complicated. It's 20% of our criteria. In order to get in and in order to receive your badge this year, then every year in order to renew the badge, you need to increase a little bit. You need to increase on this percentage and that is a scaled percentage, depending. If you have 50% today, then you only need to increase by 2%. But if you have 20% today, the need to increase by 4%. So we really think of it as a program. You know, you're not going to do it perfectly from day one, but we give you the good tips and the good advice to keep on improving.

I mean, that's really cool. And some of these tips you're sharing is stuff which me as a host need to implement. And I'm sure there's people listening to this where they could make that phone call to the supplier, the power supplier. I wasn't even aware before we spoke last, I wasn't even aware of what green energy was. I was just like, doesn't that just cost more? Isn't that the same thing? But it is the fact that the electricity company has to source that power from a renewable or a certain percentage of it at least from a renewable source, which is no extra work apart from that one phone call. Then all of a sudden you've, you've got that.

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Some of the other things you've mentioned, I mean I'd love to just deep dive a little bit on there. I mean toilet paper, we all need stacks of toilet paper and some of our guests need much more than others and complain if you haven't left enough and all that sort of stuff. Like what do you think of these? So you mentioned recyclable paper and there's, there's a great brand called like who gives a crap? I don't know if really nicely designed, they look really good in hosting place, you know, in hotels and str places. So that's, that's one, the other one which comes to mind, I use bamboo based stuff. What is your thoughts around it? Is bamboo good, bad? It seems to be a middle sort of price point. Is that right?

Yeah, bamboo is great. Absolutely. Also. And now you say bamboo also in linen you can get bamboo. Linen which is much better than what's usually available. So we look for eco linen, eco cotton linen or, or bamboo in terms of sheets and towels.

Just diving in on that eco. I literally ordered some linen two hours ago for, for our STRs and there is from the places you order from that does say eco on some of them. And actually the eco ones aren't that much more and in some cases they're similar thread counts and they're a little bit cheaper. They can be. So ultimately what, what is an eco cotton? What, what does that mean? You know, like because. But for me as a, as a, as a host, I'm like, well yeah, towels, but what does that, how does that help?

It's sourced in an ecological way. So the, the cotton industry wreaks havoc among many communities and with underpaid staff and lots of chemicals being pumped in. So an ecoculture is ethically sourced and also uses, doesn't use harmful chemicals. So that's what you, that's what you're after. And hopefully that will be the only cotton available in a few years.

It makes sense. It makes sense. I mean all this stuff is little nudges in the right direction, isn't it? But there's a lot of us and this is the thing that, because there's so many hosts, so many guests and you know, when guests go on holiday, they don't always, they're not as always as eco aware as they could be. More people have takeaways and chuck stuff in the rubbish and stuff like that. So it's really important that us as hosts, you know, educate guests, but also do what we can at a host level to control this and to help with this one.

Can I react to that because.

Go ahead.

I mean the education part, you know, for us it's really. We come from the side of saying we want to make our homes consume less. We don't want to involve the guests really in that process. We should remove all of the opportunities for the guests to over consume. Apart from the recycling, obviously, we'd like them to help us recycle and for that what works really well is communication to children. So stickers that are for children, we have some available on our website. That's the only thing that works. Telling people what to do doesn't really work. But apart from that, we really want to remove that over consumption. That can happen in a home, from fridges that are on all the time. They're wonderful tools as well that you can implement like tech that you can implement which is for example, the sender Occupancy sensors, I don't know if you have that, but they're wonderful because as the guest leaves, instead of repeatedly asking them, putting notes everywhere, please turn off the aircon when you leave, et cetera, or the heating. These sensors, they actually do that for them. So they leave the apartment or the villa and everything gets shut down. And that has a huge impact on the electricity bill and the gas bill. If you have gas heating, so highly recommend. I mean, just looking at the criteria, I think people find lots of good ideas to reduce the consumption. Yeah.

And I think that a lot of the time, I mean, we haven't dived into it, but it really does help everyone's pocket, you know, in the long run, especially if you can cut down on energy costs in any way. I was speaking to a host based in Columbus, Ohio in the usa and he said that one of the things he does is, you know, the simple WI fi plugs. That plug, basically they'll allow a plug to go through it and it just hooks to the WI fi. So it means that from any time on your phone, you can press a button and switch everything off. So whenever this an empty unit, and of course we do get gaps, especially in the off season, you can just literally switch everything off. And the other bonus of that is if you need to reset a router or reset anything, you can just do it from afar. You can switch it on and off from afar. So it serves two purposes, energy saving as well as a quick reset for people, which is, is amazing.

Very cool. It'll be nice to know the name of that company.

Yeah, I will.

So smart thermostat, I mean without, you know, these are readily available on the market. The smart thermostat.

Thermostats, yeah. I'm a big fan of the smart thermostats because two, two things. You can turn it on just before the guest arrives and you can 100% make sure it's off the second that they leave. And energy saving wise, again, good for your pocket, good for the planet, which is, which is fantastic. What would you say is the biggest challenge for Systonica at the moment?

We need to scale faster than we, than we are already. It seems to be the year of sustainability finally got to our industry. It's a number one topic at all the conferences I've been to and spoke to in the last few months. So we're scaling really, really fast and obviously the planet has an emergency going on, so I feel this strong drive to make it happen even faster. So scaling is a Challenge for me, obviously, we're business and scaling fast is always a challenge. And yeah, apart from that, no, we're extremely happy. One thing you might not know is that, and I know we're on a book direct podcast, but we got accepted by booking.com so now you can see our badge on their website. Everywhere that gets vetted through us gets level three plus in the filter, in the booking.com filter. So that gave us a really another amazing push and we hope the other big OTAs will follow because meanwhile, since the beginning, you know, we said, this is a really good product for your own website. This is a really good thing you want to put on your website because it's not just about, you know, adding sustainability to your values on your website and saying, yes, we do care of the environment. Now you have a way to prove it. You have done an effort, you have implemented things and you've gone through an audit, which is only €49 per property per year, and you've done all of that and you can show off to the world. Also, people tell me that they feel that they've been doing things already and they had no way of communicating it, and this gives them the opportunity to do so.

There's a lot of unsung heroes out there who do eco bits and pieces without, like you say, without getting recognized. So it's a great way to be recognized for something you're either already doing, but it also, I mean, believe it or not, at Boostly, we do like the OTAs because they give really good examples of what to do and how you should be considering to raise trust and the type of ease of use that you should have on your own website. I mean, for, for Boostly, for the websites we build is two of the most important things is creating trust and what things help them to trust and to make their decision to come and book with you. Well, certifications, do, you know, making sure the website is laid out in the right way and celebrating the stuff that so many hosts who are working tirelessly are already doing well. And yeah, that's just a great way to look at it.

And if I can answer that, I would say, you know, your communicating your values is becoming more and more important in a world where, you know, there's so, so many, so much competition. You want to, you know, be very honest about who you are and what you represent and, and people will really appreciate this transparency, you know, and the higher values that the company has or the person has. It's a way to relate on emotional basis, but also you know, to get trust, you know, which is what is hard to get these days. To get trust.

Yeah.

I also think as a host, there's lots of things that can get our attention and you know, we're diverted in different directions all the time. Sometimes it's having a place where you can go to and get the answers you need. You know, like you mentioned those little toiletry bottles. I, I've, I still use these biodegradable mini toiletry bottles. But the only reason being is, I don't know, the best kind of solution for the push kind of stuff that you see in say a premier inn and stuff like this. So having that, that pool of knowledge and people who are solving this problem, not just in my city and my location, but actually, you know, from, from a region or globally, you know, like what is the, what are the standard ones to go for? And as soon as companies know there's a demand for that sort of stuff, they're more likely to, to create them and it's then likely to get cheaper, which is better for us. And, you know, it just works across the board, doesn't it, for eco and for your pocket. Yeah.

I mean, you, you would get the points for your single, your single not plastic. Use the shampoo bottles. It works for our criteria and it's okay if you don't have the space, we understand.

But yeah, yeah, it's good to, good to know. And it sounds to me as though this ideal, because it gives you an idea of where you are versus what the ideal is and it's not forcing you to push towards it, you know, like, hey, you need to go and install solar panels. Like we mentioned at the start. It is really a gentle nudge in the right direction, but also one which will help the host's pocket. So I know there's going to be lots of people who will want to get in touch with Estonika. And I see you're at the amazing talks. Just, just talk us through some of the places you've been, some of the shows and some of the, the things that you've done this year.

I know I'm, you know, I'm so chuffed that everybody's inviting me and to speak about sustainability. It's wonderful. So I guess one of the biggest events that we had to say was just a few weeks ago, two weeks ago, three weeks ago in Orlando, which is the largest vacation rental conference in the world, is two and a half thousand people that go. And it was in Orlando, which is Walt Disney, which is not the most sustainable kind of place. But they invited me to speak at the grand opening. So that was really good because last year at the vrma there was not one panel about sustainability. So from not one panel to being at the grand opening on stage, you can really see that there's a shift in mindsets and that people are really needing the education, needing the information and the standards that comes with it. So I was very happy about that. And obviously we had the vacation, went to a world summit in Barcelona just now, Vitor in Malaga, where else? Gosh, it's been a big year.

It sounds like you've been everywhere. Yes. And who knows, next year you can get them to go to more sustainable places and things like that as the message spreads.

Well, you know what I did on the way back, because people talk about offsetting and planting trees and stuff. We don't believe in offsetting, but we do believe in giving back in terms of community work. So on the way back from Orlando, we stopped by in New York and worked at a soup kitchen for a morning. Right? Yeah, it was really nice. It was the most fulfilling experience, actually. And it took me forever to find that opportunity in New York. It was a lot of research. And so part of our criteria is to give these volunteering opportunities in your local area to your guests. And you will find that very many are going to go for it. And just imagine, you know, if all our guests would help our local community in one way or another, a few hours while they're there. All the good that we could do in the world.

100%.

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Just going back slightly, you mentioned not offsetting. There's a guy called Ollie, I think Whitmore, I stole an idea from him or he inspired me, I should say. I didn't steal the idea, but to we plant a tree or use the one tree planted for guests who stay, basically is the number of guests who stay. We plant a tree. And this is an idea which he put into practice. I thought it was great because if we can plant more trees, fantastic. But my worry is do they plant the trees? You know, like we're donating to them and all that sort of stuff. But talk us through, you mentioned, you know, you don't believe in the offsetting side of things. Talk us through the, the reason why and what would, what is better for people to do.

So yeah, I believe in, which is the whole idea of this criteria is that we need to fight it at the source, right? We need to consume less and not excuse ourselves with over consumption and then planting a tree, especially when we talk about, you know, if tree planting offsets is a complicated matter, let's say, because I think very many companies have not being very truthful about what they've done with their, with the money that they've collected. And there is also the danger that even if they did plant the tree, that the tree at the end may not grow to be an adult tree and we don't know how long it's going to be there. And also it might not be the right tree for the right region. So if you going to do, and I'm not saying, you know, don't plant a tree, but really do an extremely good research as to who is planting that tree for you. And you want that company to have an accreditation. In fact, you want them to have a really good accreditation, that they've been audited as to how they do their tree implanting and that they're doing it respectful of the environment that they're in. So yeah, and the issue with that is I think that very many companies have taken advantage of everybody wanting suddenly to plant a tree.

This is the worry, isn't it, that you don't want companies doing it. I mean, if, if I see some of the large companies, like, I mean, I don't want to mention any names right now, some of the great big companies that we all see adverts for with the color, you know, red around to Christmas and stuff like that, you know, you see some of these and then they talk about being sustainable and you think, yeah, but what about all the stuff you've, you've, you've done before? So it's definitely a hot topic, isn't it?

This is about to end there. You're not going to say that anymore. We have a new law in called the EU Greenwashing law that came out in April and the directives are now being implemented in every country in Europe. We'll take about two years and it's Literally that law says that you cannot use the word green, you cannot use the word sustainable and that you can't profit from, you know, sustainability in the wrong way.

Selling effectively, isn't it, you know, like if that's not what they're doing. So yeah, I want to get you to share your details shortly. I want you to, you know, give everyone a chance to come find out more about Systonica. But before we do, just a couple of fun questions just to put it out there. So where do you go for your time off from the world? Where are the places which you love to visit or love to see?

Love to visit. Ibiza.

Nice. Why?

I happen to have a place there. So. And it's in the countryside and in the middle of fields and that's where I go and it's very, I'm very lucky because I live in Barcelona and it's only half an hour away. You know, if I jump on a flight, which is not so sustainable to jump on a flight, let's agree. But we're not going to stop traveling, are we? So.

And who has been great influence in your life, Eva? It can be books, podcasts, people, whoever, whoever you want. It can be related to Stonika or it can be just general.

Yeah. So lately I've been like this massive fan of a person called a woman called U Ibrahim and she is a very amazing voice for sustainability and hospitality, particularly for hotels. She's a strong and I just so strong and so well spoken. I just, you know, I really look up to her. I wish I was like her and I want her on my board in case she's listening.

Awesome. Well if she's out there then pick up the phone. Cool. Cool. So let's throw the mic open. How can we get in touch? How can we learn more and come and follow the journey?

Thank you. It's systonica.com we have a very transparent website. I hope everything is out there, how we do it, what it is, every point is explained. Um, I'm hoping it's really easy to understand. And there's a test, a freely available test that you can take and you take what you have and then it tells you at the end how many percentage you would have on our standard and, and with that you can sign up and provide your proofs and, and there you have your badge and if you wanted to contact me directly, I'm really open, really happy to answer any questions and give you my email. It's vanessa.com.

Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing this and Just while I thank everyone, there's going to be one last question, which always a nice way to end, but I just want to say thank you to you who's listening to this podcast, watching on the YouTube. We know there's a lot of places you can put your attention. We really thank you for putting it with Boostly. I've certainly learned something in this episode. I hope you have, too. And yeah, we'll. We'll obviously see you on the next one. But before we do, Vanessa, before you go, is there any advice mantras or mottos which really resonate with you that you'd like to. Like to share?

Yeah, well, actually, it's in the back of our T shirts. It's vacation rentals. You see it?

I can see it, yeah.

Vacation rentals as a force for good.

Oh, nice, nice. And, and we can be, you know, we can be as a, as a, as hospitality is a great big community, isn't it, in general? So, yeah. Thank you so much. And if you do want to carry on this conversation and you listen to this on the podcast or YouTube, you can come and carry on talking about this in the hospitality community on Facebook. Come and share what you're doing to be sustainable and go and check out Sustonica. Thank you very much for watching and we'll see you on the next one.

Thanks.