California has been a hub for green hotel activity for quite some time. Two of the first U.S. hotels to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification are located there—The Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco and the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon. The first hotel in the United States to obtain LEED certification for an existing building (LEED-EB) is The Ambrose in Santa Monica. There are many other properties in the state that have been the first to do great things operationally and from a design and build standpoint.
Soon, all new hotels built in California will have to be just as green—or close. Just a few weeks ago, the California Building Standards Commission adopted a green building code that will change how all new commercial projects are built in the Golden State. The first of its kind in the United States, the code, which will be voluntary until 2010, sets targets for builders to reduce energy use by 15 percent and landscape water use by 50 percent beyond currently mandated levels.
The code sets specific targets for dual plumbing systems for potable and recyclable water, diversion of construction waste from landfills, and use of environmentally sensitive materials in construction and design. Materials include eco-friendly flooring, carpeting, paint, coatings, thermal insulation and acoustical wall and ceiling panels. California joins a number of cities around the United States, including its own San Francisco and Los Angeles, in strengthening building requirements.
A Reality Check for Designers, Developers
Anyone out there in our industry who is involved in the design and building of hotels who is not currently preparing for the types of building codes being mandated in places like California needs to wake up and smell the coffee—Fair Trade Certified, of course. Green building is not a trend that is going to go away.
In a statement following the building code announcement, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had this to say: “By adopting this first-in-the-nation statewide green building code, California is again leading the way to fight climate change and protect the environment. This is literally a groundbreaking move to ensure that when we break ground on all new buildings in the Golden State we are promoting green building and energy efficient new technologies.”
Several of those involved in the establishment of the new building code said it “sets a floor, not a ceiling” for developers. Builders, cities and counties are encouraged to exceed the standards which are comparable to those required for a LEED “Silver” level building.
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, which established the LEED program, buildings account for 39 percent of the energy used in the United States, 71 percent of electricity use and 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. The new building code will be welcome news to those Californians interested in reducing their collective carbon footprint. Here’s hoping what has started in California will spread across the country. Our energy infrastructure will be burdened less, fewer new power plants will be needed, and our environment will be cleaner for future generations.
Green Lodging News Adds Caroma Case Study to Website
Green Lodging News has added its tenth case study to its Vendor Case Studies section. The case study focuses on the 480-room Hilton Palacio del Rio hotel and how it was able to reduce its water consumption by 6 million gallons in the first eight months after Caroma’s Sydney dual flush high efficiency toilets were installed. The hotel worked with the San Antonio Water System as part of a trial program.
Caroma’s efficient dual flush toilets, which use 1.6 gallons of water for solid waste and 0.8 gallons for liquid and paper, replaced models that were using 5 gallons per flush. Approximately 35 percent less water is being used each month. During peak occupancy periods, the water savings has been more than 45 percent.
To read the complete case study, click here. To learn more about Caroma toilets, call (800) 605-4218, e-mail info@caromausa.com, or go to www.caromausa.com.
Plan Now for Fall, 2009 Advertising
If you are a supplier selling green products and/or services, be sure to call me at (440) 243-2055 to discuss your advertising plans for the fall and winter. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
