Noticias

New thesis subject: The carbon footprint of tourist accommodation in Brabant (The Netherlands): tools for emissions reduction

Publicado en
20 de junio de 2012

Ongoing research by the Breda University of Applied Sciences (NHTV) has shown that more than a third of all CO2 emissions attributable to Dutch tourists is emitted by tourist accommodations (de Bruijn et al. 2010)

Globally, this share is around 25% and on the rise (UNWTO-UNEP-WMO, 2008). There are no signs of the tourist accommodations sector implementing measures to drastically reduce emissions. The potential for such cuts, however, is large. In a technical sense, the built environment lends itself very well for substantial reductions.

Data on energy use by tourist accommodations tends to be scarce and relatively unreliable, which is problematic for estimating carbon footprints. As part of the research project Travelling Large 2.0, NHTV intends to assess the carbon footprint of the tourist accommodations in Brabant, and to simultaneously and in close collaboration with the sector develop tools that contribute to behavioural change by tourists and businesses.

The student we are looking for will help develop a carbon footprint benchmark for the sector and will provide advice on how this footprint can be reduced by behavioural change and/or the reduction/removal of (institutional) barriers. The student has an interest in tourist accommodation and enjoys working in a team. Some knowledge of carbon footprinting (of buildings) and behavioural change would be helpful.

When: starting 1 September 2012 or before; minimum duration 6 months

Where: NHTV Breda, Academy of Hotel management

Supervision: Dr. Frans Melissen and Drs. Bert Smit (NHTV), Dr. Bas Amelung (WUR-ESA)

Financial allowance: 360 euro per month + expenses

Language: since all participating hotels are located in the Dutch province of Noord Brabant, a Dutch-speaking student is preferred