Milan to get its very first zero-emission hotel in spring

Milan, one of the most polluted cities in Europe, will open its first zero-emission hotel next spring betting on Japanese technology and local green energy to trim its carbon footprint, according to the project developers.

The new hotel located in the heart of Italy's financial centre will help avoid emitting nearly 420 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year. That may seem a drop in the ocean, but every effort counts in a city with annual CO2 emissions of about seven million tonnes.

"We are the first zero-emission hotel in Milan, one of the most polluted areas in Italy and probably in Europe... We will not contribute to pollution," Vittorio Modena, the author of the €12 to €15 million project, told a news conference. The hotel will be CO2-neutral thanks to technology developed by Mitsubishi Electric which does not burn fuel for heating because it combines making hot water with air conditioning, and will be powered exclusively from renewable sources, Mr Modena said.

The four-star Hotel Milano Scala will seek to line up environment-friendly suppliers for all its needs, from soap to furniture, its general manager Maurizio Faroldi said.

With an average price of €400 a night for a double room, the hotel would target well-heeled clients, mostly foreigners, hopefully sharing ideas of environmental responsibility with its creators and managers.

"We want to communicate diversity, commitment to save the environment and we want to be chosen for these values,"Mr Faroldi said.