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Haven’t you heard? Being green
goes directly to your bottom line. Being green goes
directly to a higher long-term value of your property.
Being green goes directly to your front doors which
open wide to bring guests back again and again. Being
green goes directly to keeping staff long-term because
management clearly cares for their health and well-being.
How does being green translate to
your bottom line? When energy-saving measures are introduced,
such as energy management systems, fluorescent bulbs,
ceiling fans, linen cards, lights out cards, motion
sensors for public rest rooms, meeting rooms, exercise
rooms, etc., energy bills are much reduced.
When water-saving equipment and techniques
are introduced, such as low-flow showerheads, 1.5 gpm
aerators, serving water on request only in restaurants,
1.6 gpm dishwashing valves, low-flow toilets, waterless
urinals, toilet tank fill diverters in older toilets
and linen cards, water bills are reduced dramatically.
A California GM received an award for reducing water
usage at his property by two million gallons in one
year. How? He fired the chef! The chef was well known
for having water running in 4 or 5 sinks at a time defrosting
food.
Waste hauling is a huge expense for
a hotel which can be lowered drastically through recycling
and avoiding wastefully-packaged products. Hoteliers
can ask vendors to deliver products in minimal wrapping.
Vendors can be asked to deliver products one day, and
pick up the packaging materials the next day. The New
Orleans Intercontinental started a recycling program
and hired staff to separate the materials. Management
was absolutely astonished to find that these employees
were pulling $1,000 a MONTH of hotel property out of
the waste stream—napkins, towels, spoons, etc.—all
of which had clearly been discarded prior to recycling.
A Chicago Hyatt reduced their waste hauling by 80%!
They had the same experience as the New Orleans hotel,
except their staff was pulling $3,000 to $10,000 a month
of hotel property out of the waste stream.
Being green means guests, staff and
management are healthier. There’s just no doubt
that when odors, fumes, soot, droplets and residues
of toxic, poisonous chemicals are not in the air, on
our food or on anything we touch, we are not absorbing
or breathing them. Sooner or later all properties will
be sold, and any green property will demand a higher
price because it’s value is much enhanced by lower
utility bills per square foot, its healthier aspects
and owner care.
None of us can be really green without
the smart, innovative vendors who provide green products
and services. Being green means supporting green vendors,
listening to their sales staff, purchasing their products
and services and cheering them on.
Get help with greening by calling
city, county, state and Federal entities that will be
helpful to you. Seek out rebates, subsidies and tax
credits. BECOME A PROUD MEMBER OF OUR ELITE CORPS OF
GREEN HOTELIERS TODAY! See www.greenhotels.com/memship.htm
to learn more.
For further information, contact
"Green" Hotels Association® at P. O. Box
420212, Houston, TX 77242-0212, 713/789-8889, Fax 713/789-9786
or green@greenhotels.com.
Hotels
that are environmentally responsible Click
Here
LEED: US Green Building Council
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design, and is a system of "green building"
strategies that was developed by a broad coalition of
building industries: architects, designers, manufacturers,
construction and regulators. -- USGBC:
LEED Program.
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