Eco-Speak
One of the world's strongest and clearest voices on the subject of sustainable practices in the hospitality industry, Lyndall De Marco, formerly executive director of the International Tourism Partnership, a leadership organisation founded by HRH The Prince of Wales, has established a consultancy focused on the belief that sustainability and profitability can work hand in hand. Ray Burger, president and founder of Pineapple Hospitality Inc., has over 30 years of experience in the lodging industry and has provided the lodging industry with environmental products, programs and services for over 12 years. These two leaders speak out on best practices, as well as the challenges and opportunities for hotel companies to become environmentally responsible businesses.
Green Hotelkeeping Can Be Habit Forming
Hello. My Name is __________ and I am a Green Hotelier. I met Ms. Hema Patel, president of Courtesy Management this past year at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference in Atlanta. She approached me after we concluded a panel discussion regarding sustainability in hospitality and said that her company was building a Holiday Inn & Suites in Columbia, South Carolina, and that she wanted it to b ...... Read More
Comments (1)Questions About LEED
The Bardessono is now California’s first and only LEED Platinum hotel and only the second in the world. The other LEED Platinum hotel is The Proximity in Greensboro, North Carolina.This brings to mind some questions: 1) Why are there only two LEED Platinum hotels thus far? 2) Why are they smaller independent properties vs. larger branded hotels? 3) Which other “certi ...... Read More
Comments (1)Who's on First? I Don't Know's on Third!
Here is a video of Abbott and Costello performing their classic “Who’s on first?” baseball sketch in their 1945 film, “The Naughty Nineties.” Okay now, let’s see if we can tie this into two of the “basic C’s” of green: Consistency and Communication. In the past couple of days, we have learned that Walmart, which has a significant Comm ...... Read More
Comments (0)Seaport Hotels Wins BOMA EcoRace Recycling Challenge
Seaport Hotel Boston recently won the 2009 EcoRace Recycling Challenge for mixed-use buildings under 500,000 square feet, as well as the 2009 EcoRace Innovation Award for mixed-use multi-buildings from the Boston chapter of the Building Owners and Management Association. The hote earned these awards by diverting 41% or 33.82 tons of material from the landfill in September and October. Their overa ...... Read More
Comments (0)A Cleansing Experience
Pet Rocks, Chia Pets, Beanie Babies and The Heavenly Bed. Every once in awhile an idea or product comes along which causes you to slap yourself in the forehead and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”Well, in my opinion, you can add Clean The World to that list. I have to admit that when I first read of this idea which involves sending used hotel soap to Third World Countries, t ...... Read More
Comments (0)Green Your Holiday Lights
At any given time, I usually have about three or four entries for this blog in the queue. This morning a subject came to me that jumped to the top of the list: holiday lighting. Has anyone thought about “greening” their holiday lighting? I know I have seen some news reports about various cities switching to L.E.D. holiday lighting, but I don’t recall seeing any stories ab ...... Read More
Comments (4)Green Hospitality Education Opportunities
This fall several opportunities are available for Green Education. I would encourage you to attend one or more as your time and budget permits. In Chronological order please see below: Cornell Sustainability Roundtable Presented by the Center for Hospitality Research October 29-30http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/events/roundtables/documents/SustainabilityRoundtableAgenda_000. ...... Read More
Comments (0)C’s Of Green (Continued)
When you have a consistent commitment to the green continuum it makes it easier to communicate – both internally and externally — when opportunities are presented. Fairmont Hotels, inspired by documentarian Ken Burns’ latest PBS project "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea," is launching nature-related packages and making charitable contributions along with th ...... Read More
Comments (0)The Green Bar Has Just Been Raised
Yesterday, I went out to buy myself a birthday present and came back with both the gift and a copy of the September 28th edition of Newsweek. It may prove to be a memorable errand. On the very green cover of Newsweek: “The Greenest Big Companies in America- An exclusive ranking.” I must admit that I opened the issue with some trepidation. Would I find any lodging companies in ...... Read More
Comments (6)Environmental Champion Mrs. Wilma Maples
During the past couple of decades it has been my privilege to meet some of people that I consider to be Environmental Champions. It has been a pleasure to talk briefly with Ray Anderson, Ed Begley, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at different events and to see the passion in their eyes and to hear it in their voices. I just added another name to my brief list of Champions: Mrs. Wilma Mapl ...... Read More
Comments (0)Revisiting The Smoke-Free Option
I don’t think a lot of consumers have given much thought to whether a hotel that markets and/or positions itself as green should also be 100% non smoking, but they may in the future. I do think it is fairly safe to say that more consumers are interested in staying at a 100% non-smoking hotel than at a green hotel, but both trends are continuing to strengthen. In the 2008 J.D. Power North A ...... Read More
Comments (0)Guests Noticing Hotel Sustainability Efforts
The J.D. Power 2009 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study has just been released and a couple of notable highlights include: Guest awareness of property-initiated “green” programs has increased significantly in 2009, with 66% of guests stating that they were aware of their hotel’s conservation efforts, compared with 57% in 2008. Among these guests, 72% say they p ...... Read More
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