Raquel Noboa.
THE STORY
Meet Raquel, the woman with a “pure love for a challenge” who has successfully ‘greened up’ over 300 hotels. At seventeen she closed her eyes, put her finger on a map and left Spain without a lick of English. She landed in Ireland where she started off her career in hospitality making beds in a hostel in Limerick.
Fast forward to 2012 when she was tasked with making Hotel Doolin the greenest hotel in Ireland. Racquel didn’t let her lack of knowledge in sustainability hold her back and created a simple 50 step programme to reduce resource usage and minimise carbon emissions. "I figured out how sustainability made sense for the business, so it wasn’t just a nice thing to do but the smart thing to do".
Not satisfied with just one hotel, Raquel now uses her knowledge and expertise to support others to “green up”. She is the CEO of Fifty Shades Greener, an educational company with the mission to help build and educate a carbon conscious society. Her Sustainability Management programme has been delivered in fifty colleges and she has a Masters in Sustainable Hospitality in the pipeline.
THE WHY
I was working in the Maldives in 2014 when the Boxing Day tsunami hit, killing hundreds of thousands of people. It all became very real for me. I developed eco anxiety before it even had a label. Taking climate action reduces that anxiety and I want to share those tools and techniques with other people.
THE IMPACT
We are a training company that wants to embed sustainability into the curriculum from primary school all the way to third level and further education.
THE CHANGE
Be a kickstarter! When the right group of people get together, you can achieve amazing things but you always need one person to get things going. Be that person!
THE CHALLENGE
Look at your utility bill. Take note of your usage of waste, water, electricity and gas and commit to reducing them. You’ll save money and reduce carbon emissions.
THE HOPE
Seeing nature revive so quickly in my own back garden! I believe if we just leave things alone and make the right decisions there will be a brighter future for everyone. We just have to make those right decisions.
THE RECOMMENDATION
PERSON - Clover Hogan, Australian Youth Climate Activist.
To find out more visit fiftyshadesgreener.ie Or follow them on Instagram @fifty_shades_greener or on Twitter - @FiftyShadesGree