{"id":1005,"date":"2020-01-28T06:27:10","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T06:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unruffled-jemison.185-55-85-19.plesk.page\/about-us\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T13:23:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T13:23:00","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/en\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1588091922644{background-color: #aedea8 !important;}&#8221;][vc_column]<section class=\"sohohotel-clearfix sohohotel-call-to-action-1-section\" style=\"background:url() no-repeat center top;\">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"sohohotel-call-to-action-1-section-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t<h3><b>The first carbon-neutral hotel chain in Finland. <\/b><\/p>\n<p>At GreenStar we monitor, reduce, and offset our greenhouse gas emissions.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/en\/book\" class=\"sohohotel-button0\">Book<i class=\"fa fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/a>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/section>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;]<div class=\"sohohotel-title3 sohohotel-title-color\"><h4>GreenStar \u2013 The green urban hotel chain<\/h4><\/div>[vc_column_text]The first plans detailing the GreenStar concept were drafted in the early 2000s. We wanted to create a hotel chain that would be environmentally friendly by design: through saving energy and using resources efficiently, we would protect nature as well as save money. This way, we can offer our customers a high-quality, yet cost-efficient accommodation in Finnish city centres.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GreenStar\u2019s core principles include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Putting sustainability and the well-being of our customers first when it comes to, for example, our breakfast selection and the materials used in our hotels<\/li>\n<li>Enabling our customers to live conveniently and ecologically by, for example, allowing them to bring their own food and snacks along \u2013 and offering services to support emission-free ways of getting around<\/li>\n<li>Partnerships with local businesses that share our green and responsible values<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;10px&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;40px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1005 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-thumbnail'><div class='gallery-item'><div class='gallery-icon'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/pyorat.jpg\" data-gal=\"prettyPhoto[gallery-1]\" title=\"bikes\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/pyorat.jpg\" alt=\"lainapy\u00f6r\u00e4t hotellin edess\u00e4\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class='gallery-item'><div class='gallery-icon'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/aamupala.jpg\" data-gal=\"prettyPhoto[gallery-1]\" title=\"breakfast\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/aamupala.jpg\" alt=\"Aamiaistarjottimet p\u00f6yd\u00e4ll\u00e4\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class='gallery-item'><div class='gallery-icon'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/aula.jpg\" data-gal=\"prettyPhoto[gallery-1]\" title=\"lobby\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/aula.jpg\" alt=\"yhteistilat ja vastaanotto Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class='gallery-item'><div class='gallery-icon'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/sahkoauto.jpg\" data-gal=\"prettyPhoto[gallery-1]\" title=\"e-car\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/sahkoauto.jpg\" alt=\"henkil\u00f6 kytkee s\u00e4hk\u00f6autoa latautumaan.\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both;' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;899&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_tta_tabs][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Ecological&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1579129671411-a03063d2-4251&#8243;][vc_column_text]<strong>Each one of our hotels is on its own unique, green journey.<\/strong> Since we favour local partners, some details of our offering vary from one location to another. You can read more on every hotel\u2019s dedicated page.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Developing sustainability is work that will never be finished.<\/strong> Each of our hotels continues its unique green journey towards a feel-good, do-good accommodation service that doesn\u2019t burden the environment but rather creates a positive impact on it. Our oldest hotels have already gone a long way down this path, while our newer additions are only just getting started.<\/p>\n<p>One of our goals is to improve the way we communicate our sustainability. <strong>We want to be transparent and prove that our operations don\u2019t just look green, they truly are green.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Carbon neutral&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1579129671411-0c046957-c8a3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<strong>GreenStar is the first carbon-neutral hotel chain in Finland.<\/strong> In 2018, environmental engineer Matias Sivonen created a roadmap for us regarding how GreenStar could achieve carbon neutrality. Based on this, we commissioned Sweco to calculate the emissions created by our operations in 2019. Working towards reducing CO2 emissions has always been an integral part of our environmentally friendly business model, and we will continue working towards reducing our emissions in the future as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We offset the greenhouse gases we emit based on Sweco\u2019s calculations.<\/strong> As recommended by Matias Sivonen, we selected the Finnish company CO2Esto as our offsetting provider. Through their service, customers can offset their emissions by preventing an equal amount of CO2 from being made in the EU that year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find more information on all this on our Documents and certificates page.<\/strong> Information regarding carbon emissions, reductions, and offsetting in 2019 will be added to the page soon.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;Documents and certificates&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1579129677331-b0e594de-b3b1&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Environmental engineer Matias Sivonen\u2019s roadmap for GreenStar to achieve carbon neutrality<\/li>\n<li>Emission calculations (in accordance with the GHG Protocol) from 2019: Joensuu, Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, Lahti \u2013 the calculator was created for us by Sweco<\/li>\n<li>The environmental impacts of staying one night at GreenStar Hotel, Life Cycle Assessment by Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, 2017<\/li>\n<li>Certificate of origin of the electricity we use (Nordic Green Energy)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_tabs][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<section class=\"sohohotel-about-us-block-wrapper sohohotel-clearfix sohohotel-about-us-block-wrapper-right-align-image\"><div class=\"sohohotel-image-wrapper\" style=\"background:url(https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SR1_9531_tree_cut-3.jpg) no-repeat center top;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/SR1_9531_tree_cut-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><div class=\"sohohotel-about-us-block\"><h3>Our story<\/h3><p>Although GreenStar is an independent concept and business idea, it is impossible to describe its birth without telling about the circumstances in which it was born.<br \/>\nKristian Ikonen, CEO of GreenStar, is the son of Reijo Ikonen, a hotel and restaurant entrepreneur in Joensuu. Reijo Ikonen&#8217;s company began operations in the 1960s. In the past, the hotel and restaurant industry was often quite inefficient and wasteful, whether it was food waste, the condition of buildings, or work processes\u2026<\/p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/en\/about-us\/our-story\/\" class=\"sohohotel-about-us-block-button\">Read more<i class=\"fa fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/div><\/section>[vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1588091922644{background-color: #aedea8 !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]The first plans detailing the GreenStar concept were drafted in the early 2000s. We wanted to<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/en\/about-us\/\" class=\"sohohotel-more-link\">Read More<i class=\"fa fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-modules.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1005","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>About us - GreenStar Hotels<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstar.fi\/en\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About us - GreenStar Hotels\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1588091922644{background-color: #aedea8 !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]The first plans detailing the GreenStar concept were drafted in the early 2000s. 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