Sustainability in Tourism: Study on the Environmental Management of a Lodging Facility in Southern Brazil

The concern with the environment and its preservation has been extended to the tourism sector, in particular the lodging facilities, which are seeking to deploy actions of environmental management, taking into account sustainability principles. As an environmental management instrument, the diagnosis step is essential to map all the activities from the hotels, and their respective environmental aspects and impacts, to establish goals and objectives of improvement. This study aimed to obtain an environmental assessment on a lodging facility in Southern Brazil. Forms, questionnaires and direct observation were used to collect data. It was found that the hotel has environmental management actions from its design and construction, such as using solar panels to heat water. As for the employees, those responsible for the direct management of solid wastes did not have training for that function. Some initiatives, such as energy efficiency, contribute to the advance of environmental sustainability. However, other aspects, as the management of wastes, require reformulation, aiming at continuous improvement of environmental management in the lodging facility.