Standing 48 feet below ground level at The Palazzo in Las Vegas—part of a Las Vegas Sands Corp. complex that includes The Venetian and Sands Expo—I was fascinated by the lesson in geology told to me by Jim Albers, assistant chief engineer. Turns out, when geological testing was done prior to construction of the complex, an aquifer was discovered 20 feet below ground level. What do you do with tens of thousands of gallons of water a day that has to go somewhere? At first, once the complex was built, that water—90,000 gallons a day—was sent to the municipal water system via the storm drain. Quickly realizing that was water that could be used on property, Las Vegas Sands invested in an on-site nano-filtration system. The filtration system removes salt and any other impurities from the water and allows the company to pump up to 70,000 gallons of water daily for irrigation use, street sweeping, and even the fountain that welcomes guests at the property’s entrance.

Now, all of the water needed for irrigation on the property comes from the filtered aquifer water. (Las Vegas Sands has zero real turf on the property—only artificial—and plants are watered using a subterranean irrigation system and a central irrigation control system that optimizes water use according to weather conditions.) The fountain uses 12,000 gallons of the water each day.

“[The nano-filtration system] wasn’t the financially smart thing to do but it is the right thing to do,” Albers told me.

Initially, the horticulture folks at Las Vegas Sands were concerned that the filtered water might somehow harm the plants but the water has worked out fine and “now they are really proud” of the filtration system, Albers said.

The implementation of the filtration system has reduced the burden on the municipal water system and reduced the amount of energy needed to move water from place to place. The system is just one of many green investments that helped the complex’s buildings earn LEED certification. To learn more about Las Vegas Sands’ Eco 360 program, click here.

Is your lodging establishment bicycle-friendly? For your employees as well as your guests? Over the past year I have learned about many hotels that offer bike racks for employees, bike racks and bicycle-lending programs for guests, and, in some cases, even showers for employees who bicycle to work. For example, the 120-suite TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Frederick, Md., which opened last fall, offers a fleet of bicycles for guest use and the 221-room Hampton Inn & Suites Miami Brickell-Downtown, which opened in 2011, offers bicycle racks, showers and changing facilities for employees who bike and walk to work. Those offering bicycle-friendly hotels are smart. An increasing number of people bicycle to work and increasingly health-conscious travelers seek out two wheels instead of four when wanting to tour around a city. Green Lodging News has run a couple of articles about bicycle-lending programs in the past. (Click here and here.)

Yesterday I had a chance to chat with Timothy Ericson, CEO and co-founder of Zagster, a company that sets up bicycle-lending programs at hotels and resorts. He told me that lodging establishments are increasingly offering bicycles as an amenity and eventually it will become a standard—especially at urban hotels.

Running a bicycle-lending program comes with its challenges. Tim told me that some hotel managers have underestimated what it takes to run such a program. That is why his company has come up with a business model that relieves hoteliers of most of the administration work involved as well as the maintenance. I will be writing about Zagster in an upcoming article for Green Lodging News. Be sure to watch for it.

Tim told me some hotels are using bicycle-lending as part of promotions and some hotels are making money from the service. Have you tried a bicycle-lending program? What challenges did you face? What successes have you had? Are you thinking about starting a program but hesitant to do so? I would love to hear from you. Please be sure to leave your comments here.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program is currently under review and a new version of LEED, LEED v4, should be up and running as early as this November. LEED v4 began beta testing last November and will continue until November this year. The public comment period on LEED v4 was from March 1 to 31, 2013 and the consensus body opt-in period—a sampling of USGBC members that vote on the passage of LEED v4—was from April 1 to 30, 2013. This summer is the ballot period for LEED v4. Only USGBC members can vote on technical changes to LEED. Changes in LEED v4 will impact the hotel sector in many different ways. There are 23 credit areas in which substantive changes are proposed. Click here to see those areas.

Some examples of categories in which changes have been proposed include: Heat Island Reduction, Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy, Green Cleaning—Equipment, and Purchasing—facility and maintenance. In the category of Purchasing—facility and maintenance, where two points can be accumulated, one can achieve one point if 75 percent of furniture and furnishings meet one or more of numerous criteria. One criterion: Wood products must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or USGBC-approved equivalent. Another criterion: Low emissions of volatile organic compounds. Products must have been tested, following ANSI/BIFMA Standard Method M7.1–2011, and must comply with BIFMA e3-2010 Furniture Sustainability Standard, Sections 7.6.1 and 7.6.2, using either the concentration modeling approach or the emissions factor approach.

Yes, figuring out whether or not one qualifies for points can get pretty technical. That is one of the reasons consultants are hired. LEED v4 was built to be more hotel project friendly. It will be interesting to see whether or not the pace of projects registering for LEED certification will accelerate after the release of LEED v4. Be sure to continue to follow Green Lodging News for more updates on the progress of LEED v4.

If you are looking to green up your lodging establishment and are looking for ideas, you may want to visit homes in your area that are known to employ the latest green products and technologies. I had a chance to do that recently when I was invited to visit the home of Organic Spa Magazine founder and publisher Beverly Maloney-Fischback. Beverly and her husband, David Fischback, recently completed the renovation of their eco-luxury home in Northeast Ohio. David is the president of the Cleveland, Ohio-based construction firm, The Krill Co. The home features just about every green-build design element available to homeowners today. Here are just some of the green features of the home: natural wool carpet, on-demand water heating, solar photovoltaic panels on the roof, bamboo flooring and paneling, and bamboo sinks.

Also included: a built-in recycling storage area, FSC lumber, low VOC paints and coatings, fireplace that uses non-toxic bioethanol as a fuel source, solar-powered attic exhaust fan, and solar power shades. The home also has a multi-zone heating and cooling system with integrated smart thermostats that sense when the home is unoccupied, white EPDM roofing on the flat roof area, energy-efficient windows, Energy Star appliances, radiant heat sauna, LED lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, whole house water purification system, and high-efficiency insulation.

Two of the most interesting features are a grey water plumbing system for the second floor bathrooms and a rainwater harvesting system. Water is captured from hand sinks and showers and then filtered and reused in the irrigation system and in the first floor toilet. The rainwater harvesting system collects rainwater from the roof gutters and downspouts and then stores it for later use for irrigation. I thought the home was just incredible and I know the owners invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in it. To access a blog detailing the home’s progress, click here. To access photos of the home, click here.

Especially for anyone considering developing a green B&B or inn, the eco-luxury home provides some great examples of what is possible. Oh, if I could only afford such luxury.

If you would like to contact Beverly Maloney-Fischback directly, her e-mail address is bev@organicspamagazine.com.

Here’s to the power of the pen. In February of last year I published an article entitled, “There’s Much to Consider When Pondering Purchase of Amenity Dispensers.” Last October, a graduate student at Harvard University, Jaime Pepper, came across that article and decided to write her final paper for her Eco-tourism course on the barriers stopping hotels from switching to dispensers. When presenting her final paper as part of her online course, a fellow student, Sola Adenekan, was watching from Baja, Mexico. Sola informed Jaime that she makes biodegradable eco-friendly products and was looking to start a dispenser amenities business. Because Jaime’s paper analyzed the cost and environmental benefits of switching to a dispenser solution, Sola was able to use Jaime’s paper to pitch her dispenser business idea to her friends.

To make a long story short, Jaime and Sola are now business partners, their new business name is Dhyana Eco Essentials, and Sola has already signed up five hotels in Mexico. The company is planning to expand to the United States in the coming months and already has reserved a booth at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show in New York City in November. Jaime told me she believes Sola is the first female and minority owner of an amenities business in the world.

It is exciting that I have somehow helped to inspire a couple of students to launch a new business. It is especially exciting that the business is aiming to be a sustainable one. I will be sure to keep you updated as I learn more about Jaime and Sola’s venture. And, I will try real hard not to get a big head about the whole thing.

Planners of the Green Meeting Industry Council Sustainable Meetings Conference, which was held April 7 to 10 in Chicago, hit a home run with the selection of Eric Ryan as the keynote speaker. For those of you not familiar with Eric, he is the co-founder of Method, the fast-growing producer of environmentally friendly cleaning products. Eric is both an excellent speaker—thanks to his use of humor and fascinating anecdotes—and a highly creative and savvy entrepreneur. Eric detailed the growing pains of a company taking a radically different approach to cleaning products and how it is making progress taking on the goliaths of the cleaning chemicals world. Eric tells his story in his book, “The Method Method: Seven Obsessions That Helped Our Scrappy Start-up Turn an Industry Upside Down.”

Listening to Eric speak, I could not help but wonder if his company had attempted to penetrate the hospitality market. During the Q&A portion of his presentation, Eric was asked that very question. He said that Method at one point was working with Starwood and Ecolab to help bring Method products into hotels. Unfortunately, the deal was killed by Ecolab. Too bad. Time and time again, I have seen young cleaning product companies be unsuccessful taking on the Ecolab-size companies in our industry.

Method has a lot of fun with its marketing and its approach to employment is unique. Every employee has to spend some time as the company receptionist.

In his speech, Ryan, whose company is based in San Francisco, said it is important for companies to seek progress, not perfection. “With sustainability, everything is a beta test,” he said. “The bigger we get, the smaller we act,” he added.

Method’s actual company name is now “People Against Dirty,” after being acquired by Europe-based Ecover last year.

If you are looking for a great example of a company that is making the pursuit of sustainability fun, check out Method.

International tourism organization Global Business Travel Association recently rewarded Madrid, Spain-based NH Hoteles with its Icarus Project Gold Medal for the sustainable services it offers its guests during their business trips. NH Hoteles is the first hotel group in the world to obtain this accolade at the global level. The prize reflects the group’s ongoing investment in innovative sustainability measures as well as its work to integrate its sustainability efforts into the environmental, social and economic dimensions of the hotel chain’s everyday operations. Since embarking on its 2008-2012 Environmental Action Plan, NH Hoteles has undertaken a series of innovative sustainability initiatives which have enabled it to deliver all its targets—namely energy savings of 25 percent, water savings of 30 percent and reductions in carbon emissions and waste generation of 44 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

NH Hoteles provides its clients with a series of products, including laundry bags, pens and bathroom amenities, made using a plastic additive that enhances the materials’ natural degradation process. The towels in the hotel chain’s guestrooms come with the ECOLABEL, the European environmentally-friendly seal that analyzes a product’s impact on the environment throughout its entire lifecycle.

All NH Hoteles guests who want to minimize the carbon footprint generated by their travels and stays at the group’s hotels can do so by using the emissions calculator hosted on the chain’s corporate website. Moreover, thanks to the Ecomeeting concept, clients can request meeting rooms that use all manner of ecological, sustainable and fair trade materials. Thanks to this innovative initiative, the group more than 2,000 tons of carbon emissions in 2012.

Also, NH Hoteles’ restaurants have added in its “Antiox” breakfasts a range of organic foods to its gourmet offering. These products satisfy the demands of the group’s most environmentally-conscious guests. The company’s establishments also serve fair trade coffee, thereby contributing to social and economic development in depressed economies and guaranteeing compliance with ethical and environmentally-friendly agreements that are beneficial to both parties.

Those interested in learning about green building certification programs around the world should check out “Simply Green,” a new book funded by the Swegon Air Academy. The book presents an overview of the main global and some national environmental assessment systems. According to the authors, green building certification programs have had three main impacts on building. The first concerns technological innovation and design. “In many cases, systems of certification have changed how buildings are designed, constructed and managed,” the authors say. The second area is the way certification carries in its wake new skills and design methods. “In effect, certification has brought the design, engineering and construction fields together in the common pursuit of sustainable building,” the authors say. The third impact has been on the actual occupants of the certified buildings. Green buildings are healthier work spaces that can result in better productivity.

Simply Green gives special attention to the more well-known programs such as the British BREEAM Assessment Method, the U.S. LEED Rating System, the German DGNB Certification System, the Australian Green Star Rating System, the Swedish, Miljöbyggnad system, and the French Effinergie system. In total, the book describes 13 certification systems and particular attention is given to the energy portions. In their introduction, the authors conclude, “…certification systems are here to stay in the foreseeable future. If developments continue at the same rates as they have done, the majority of future buildings will be certified as a natural part of the building process.” Be sure to check out this new book.

In response to my recently posted column on Earth Hour, I heard from Katarina Tesarova, executive director, Global Sustainability for Las Vegas Sands Corp. Katarina filled me in on how her company will be marking Earth Hour on March 23 at 8:30 p.m. local time. In case you are not familiar with Earth Hour, it is an annual program developed by the World Wildlife Fund that asks organizations and individuals around the world to turn off non-essential lights for one hour to show a dedication to protect the planet. Las Vegas Sands has participated in Earth Hour for the past three years, and its properties (including those in Las Vegas; Macau, China; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Singapore) have shuttered as many lights as possible during the hour, making a dramatic gesture toward environmental sustainability.

This year, Las Vegas Sands is increasing its participation by joining the World Wildlife Fund’s “I Will If You Will” campaign, an extension of Earth Hour to encourage positive action for the environment, beyond the hour. “I Will If You Will” invites participants to share their commitment to the planet by issuing challenges to others, and in return, promising to take ongoing actions for the environment.

As just one example, Sands Cotai Central’s Conrad Macao, having already promised to turn off its non-essential lights for one hour once a month in 2013, has offered to increase that to twice a month if 10 other Macao hotels agree to join once a month. A total of 13 hotels have met the challenge, including one as far away as South Africa. The Sands property in Marina Bay Sands has promised to shut off non-essential lighting once a month for an hour for a year if 20 buildings in the Marina Bay area pledge to switch off on Earth Hour.

To expand the impact of Earth Hour and I Will If You Will even further, Las Vegas Sands has also issued a challenge to its 40,000 team members worldwide. The company has asked all team members to pledge to take Earth Hour home and turn off lights there.

Las Vegas Sands’ participation in Earth Hour and “I Will If You Will” is one part of the company’s comprehensive and holistic sustainability program. Called Sands ECO360° Global Sustainability, the strategy is designed to help minimize the company’s environmental impact, and comprises four pillars: green buildings, environmentally responsible operations, green meetings, and stakeholder engagement. To learn more about Sands ECO360°, click here.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of a smoke-free environment for patrons and employees of Colorado’s 40 casinos located in the cities of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek. According to the nonprofit Smoke-Free Gaming of America, more than 9,000 people are employed by Colorado’s casinos. “By not promoting smoking and keeping indoor air uncontaminated from secondhand smoke, the gaming industry and its employees benefit in the short and long run,” says Stephanie Steinberg, founder of Smoke-Free Gaming of America, Greenwood Village, Colo. “Keeping casino customers healthy and not smoking could also result in 14 years of additional gaming revenue per non-smoker gambler.” (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smokers die an average of 14 years sooner had they not smoked.)

Of course many hotels house casinos and have yet to kick the smoking habit but there are now 20 states where casinos are entirely 100 percent nonsmoking. The states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. Puerto Rico, a U.S. Commonwealth, also prohibits smoking in casinos.

In Mississippi, only the Palace Casino in Biloxi is smoke free (a company policy). In Nevada, only the Fernley Nugget in Fernley is smoke free (a company policy). In New Jersey, gaming floors are 75 percent nonsmoking and the Revel Casino is smoke free (a company policy). In Pennsylvania, gaming floors are up to 50 percent nonsmoking. In West Virginia, 12 counties and the City of Parkersburg are nonsmoking. The Greenbrier Casino Resort is smoke free (a company policy).