A Skipton hotel has become the latest in a string of Bradford businesses to make huge savings by becoming more environmentally aware.

The Coniston Hotel has notched up savings of around £20,000 a year thanks to a special survey undertaken by Business in the Community's Green Business Support Organisation (GBSO).

Prior to the organisation's involvement the hotel was suffering major wastage from perishable food stuffs but dramatically reduced this by installing chiller units.

The hotel has made significant reductions to the amount of water it used and now recycles half of its packaging rather than sending it to landfill sites.

Guests and staff were also encouraged to participate in ongoing measures to save energy by switching off lights and other equipment when not in use. The hotel also looked at other energy conservation measures including the installation of insulation materials.

Ironically the savings coincided with a period when the hotel enjoyed a major upsurge in business.

BITC promotes corporate social responsibility among companies as well as the benefits of environmental awareness. It commissioned the government-sponsored energy saving group Envirowise to carry out the survey. An action plan was drawn up by Rosewood Management Services and implemented by hotel accountant Graham Whaites, who was so enthused he implemented similar energy-saving measures in his own home.

Rosewood consultant John Keen said: "The savings achieved by this company have been quite remarkable. The waste minimisation audit identified potential savings of £11,500, but the hotel tackled the project with such enthusiasm and attention to detail that the £20,000 mark has been achieved."

BITC Environmental Project Manager John Mark Zywko added: "Environmental management is a proven business tool in increasing profits, reducing risk of prosecution and securing competitive positioning, but many small emerging enterprises cannot afford environmental specialists.

"Yorkshire Forward recognised this and launched the GBSO with £1m funding in 2003, to help 300 small businesses achieve a 10 per cent reduction in energy or waste costs."