In coming years, will folks look back on 2013 as the year that interest in sustainability exploded in our industry? I have to wonder. What signs lead me to speculate? I see it with my own publication website which from January to April jumped from a little more than 19,000 different visitors to almost 29,000. There has been a noticeable jump in the volume of press releases that hit my in-box in recent months. It is a challenge to sift through it all.
There appears to be no letup in interest in green certification with Green Key Global recently announcing that it had signed up its 3,000th property. TripAdvisor officially rolled out its GreenLeaders recognition program two weeks ago with more than 1,000 U.S. lodging establishments already participating. Don’t be surprised if TripAdvisor quickly passes Green Key Global’s 3,000 number. Also, don’t forget hotel-friendly LEED v4 is set for release later this year. LEED, of course, is now considered the gold standard for green building certification.
It was last month that the final standard of the nine APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meetings Standards—the one focusing on accommodations—was published and made available for purchase. Our industry waited years for those standards to be finalized and already meeting centers are certifying to the standards. In the meetings world, perhaps there is no better indicator of growing interest in sustainability than the growth of the Green Meeting Industry Council which now has 15 chapters either in operation or formation.
Reporting Becoming More Common
Thousands of hotels within our industry’s leading chains are now required to report their environmental impact to headquarters, more sustainability reporting is taking place at the corporate level, and, as reported in Green Lodging News numerous times, our industry has been in agreement on how to calculate the carbon impact of hotel stays and meetings for almost a year now. These developments are huge wins for the environment.
This fall will see the launch of the Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference by the folks who run Lodging Magazine (October 1 to 3 at the Omni Dallas) and at least one other well-known event this year is going to see some significant greening. Be sure to follow Green Lodging News for more details.
In our hotel schools, at the property level, and in the corporate offices of the world’s largest chains, more attention is being given to sustainability than ever before. That is due to leadership at many levels, an incredible amount of planning, implementation and teamwork, and the fortune of having so many technological innovations available to get things done.
With the recent news that carbon dioxide levels have now reached 400 ppm on our planet—the highest level in three million years—the time could not be better to accelerate our collective sustainability efforts.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (216) 848-1406, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (216) 848-1406, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Planning Advertising for 2013?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2013. Many excellent spots are available on the website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2013 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (216) 848-1406, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Social Networking Sites
Green Lodging News now has 1,326 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 417 Facebook followers.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
