Ações ambientais em meios de hospedagem da Região Uva e Vinho da serra gaúcha - RS

Abstract

The following paper seeks to pinpoint the factors which interfere with the adoption of environmental actions within the hotel network in the Region of Vineyards and Wineries, RS, Brazil, as well as to evaluate the relations among them.In order to collect the data we have resorted to structured interviews,based on an inquiry with 16 questions encompassing issues such as electricity, water (supply), solid residues, suppliers, the sensitizing of supporters and environmental adequacy. We also used the classification of the Brazilian Institute of Tourism – EMBRATUR to guide our interviews. A total of 40 people were interviewed, i.e., hotel managers.The results have shown in which ways those hotels adopt (or not) environmental actions and which factors were determining for the adoption of such.We were able to verify the meaningfulness of the adoption by hotels of 13 environmental actions from the EMBRATUR classifying matrix.The results unveil good practices of energy management and the sorting of residues.Some rare practices still linger concerning water use, storage of hazardous materials, choice of suppliers, environmental adequacy and education.The factors which determine the adoption of environmentally friendly actions are closely related to the information regarding the environmental phenomenon, sensitivity towards environmental practices, formation (education) of hotel managers, size of enterprises, kinds of management, energy costs, water supplying costs, environmental programs, negligence to adopt environmental actions, lack of environmental policies,lack of responsability by hotel businesses and gaps in architectural projects. In short, for environmental issues in hotel management to become a reality, there must be greater sensitizing of their managers, greater diffusion of the importance of developing environmental practices, greater surveillance by environmental authorities and deeper analysis of environmental questions throughout hotel and tourism courses´ curricula.