Greening The Hospitality Industry

One of the big points I heard loud and clear was that there isn't enough "noise" about being green. Green meeting planners (Blue Green Meetings, Meeting Strategies Worldwide, Green Meetings and epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings) are challenged in finding green properties for their clients. Green hotels and conference centers struggle to find groups who express interest in a green property. Travelers strive to seek green properties with inadequate success. The problem and solution are the same for all three described groups lodging properties need to prominently promote their green-ness and haven't been doing so � at least where their target audiences can see it.

Tedd Saunders, of Lenox and Copley Square Hotels family fame, was one speaker. He shared the story of how his family moved from historic preservation to preserving the future with their various Boston hotels. Tedd founded Eco-Logical Solutions in 1992 so that he could share his success and knowledge with others wanting to attain a "green status" and preserve the future.

Arthur Weissman (Green Seal) was on a panel with Sarika Sangwan (CERES, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies), Brian Mullis (Sustainable Travel International), and Bill Meade (PA Consulting Group with a Green Glob 21 association). They shared their thoughts about moving the certification marketplace forward, getting more lodging properties involved.

The panelists noted that the U.S. is lagging the rest of the world in developing and implementing a green program. When you consider that the average hotel purchases more products/resources in one week than 100 families do in one year (according to Arthur Weissman of Green Seal from their research), you can see that the hospitality industry impacts the environment greatly. There are more than 54,000 hotel properties in the US alone; if each of them took even one step toward greening their property, not only would they save money but also would lighten their impact on the environment. Add other lodging properties to that scenario and the impact becomes even more profound. Promote green travel and tourism, raise the consciousness of travelers and thus improve the environmental situation on more fronts. Those properties taking "green steps" who don't promote that aspect of their business are missing the boat big-time; many travelers want green in their travels, and most are even willing to pay more, if necessary.

Several state environmental agencies sent representatives to the conference because those states are starting to legislate environmental protection in the hospitality industry. Evidently the Federal Government is also taking steps to make their new hospitality structures more environmentally sound. It seems to me that just as Transportation (cars, buses, planes) and Industry have been regulated, so will be Hospitality. The properties on the cutting edge of improving their operations and making them greener will benefit more and suffer less than those who wait for legislation to force them to clean up their act.

Government funding for hospitality properties that make environmental changes is available. Not only are there grants and funds available from the government but there are also vendors who participate in "performance financing"; the money saved by the alteration/change pays for the purchase of the item. These two points raised my hope that more properties can go green by utilizing such programs.

Evidence of adopting green policies is found in hospitality properties of all kinds � high-end lodging to low-end lodging, restaurants, airports, and convention centers. Pittsburgh's urban renewal project resulted in The David L Lawrence Convention Center, which is green in both its construction and operation. The Hotel Washington, National Conservation Training Center, Arlie Convention Center, Hyatt Regency Washington, Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, University of Maryland addition to the Inn and Conference Center, Sandals Hotels, Comfort Inn and Suites Logan Airport

As evidence to the growing interest, recognition, and action to the need for greening the hospitality industry, the variety of people represented includes hoteliers, meeting planners, architects, several governmental groups, developers and those in the building trade, people from convention and visitors bureaus and state tourism offices, "green consultants", and "green certification" companies. The Green Movement is not just a bunch of left-wing, tree hugging, hippies. It now consists of business people from all aspects of business.

Compact fluorescent (CF) lights have been the ugly duckling of the lighting world, but not anymore. They no longer are the ugly bulbs with the cold, blue color they were 15 years ago. You can buy them in a variety of shapes to fit any lighting fixture style. When buying CF bulbs you can also purchase according to the color balance; the Copley Square Inn found that Sylvania CF looked better in their guestrooms because of the better balance with their decor. The Arlie Conference Center is testing gold- and silver-toned bulbs to determine what rooms benefit from which color balance. There's even a full spectrum bulb that simulates sunlight. As an aside, Phillips Green Caps are florescent tubes with a lower mercury content � good for the environment in more ways than one.

The bottom line is that lodging properties save money by implementing a green program, and they build business by attracting travelers who care about protecting the environment. With financial assistance being available in a variety of ways, properties don't have an excuse to avoid going green. Do your part to green the hospitality industry before the government regulates us. It is vital that we all do our part to green the industry before the government forces us to.