The fourth edition of the “Responsible Beach Bars Awards”, an initiative promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, maintains the objective of promoting the development of activities that promote the care of the environment and sustainable business activity in hospitality establishments on the beach.
 
The activities, developed with the dual objective of turning these establishments into responsible beach bars and protecting, in turn, the coastal areas, are divided into categories focused on customer awareness, adaptation of environments, training of employees and dealing with suppliers.
 
Within each of them, different initiatives can be carried out in order to save water and energy, reuse waste and achieve a social and environmental commitment. Thus, actions such as the use of taps with diffusers or cisterns with controlled discharge, the installation of solar panels, the use of sunlight or LED lighting stand out.
 
The beach bar ‘Bonavida’, in Alicante, awarded in the last edition of these awards, launched an initiative that made mobile chargers with renewable energies available to its customers and ‘ElXiringo! del Prat’, in Barcelona, awarded in the first edition, carried out exchange campaigns in which it gave a soft drink for each glass full of cigarette butts.
 
In addition, these establishments are committed to the development of a sustainable activity that encourages the consumption of local organic products, the use of containers for the selective recycling of waste and the employment of vulnerable groups.
 
Thus, the ‘Kiosko Bitákora’, in Murcia, awarded in the second edition, makes natural soap with recycled oil through a certified company and ‘La Moraga’, in Almeria, also awarded in the second edition, maintains a social commitment to local employment by hiring personnel from the area and at risk of exclusion.
 
Beach bars interested in participating in this year’s edition can submit their applications before June 22. To do this, they must adhere to the Decalogue of Good Environmental Practices, a commitment to which 640 beach bars throughout Spain have already adhered.