NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE—Approximately 240 representatives of the hospitality industry in the New England area gathered at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua, N.H., on Tuesday, April 14 for the first New England Eco Hospitality Expo. Almost 60 exhibitors participated in the event that was part conference, part expo. Educational sessions focused on topics ranging from green marketing to sustainable food purchasing. Exhibitors featured products such as guestroom energy management systems, window film and environmentally friendly amenities. A ribbon cutting ceremony featuring sponsors, representatives of the various New England state green lodging programs and other environmental officials opened the expo.
In the “Innovators in Sustainability” session, presentations were given by Stacey Doll, director of Mount Washington Resort’s sustainability program, Bretton Woods, N.H., Scott Cowger, owner, Maple Hill Farm Inn, Hallowell, Maine, and Chris Hartzell, general manager, element Hotel, Lexington, Mass. Elaine Strunk, director of green at The Lenox in Boston, moderated the session.
Strunk summarized some of The Lenox Hotel’s efforts to conserve energy, water and reduce waste. At that 214-room boutique property, low-flow toilets and showerheads, heat pumps, a highly efficient boiler, an ozone laundry system, in-room recycling, rainwater capture, waterless urinals, amenity dispensers, a water filtration system on each floor, and vegetable oil recycling all help to reduce the hotel’s environmental impact.
First element Hotel Represented
Chris Hartzell explained all of the initiatives in place at Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ element Lexington, the first of many of the brand’s new extended-stay element properties in the United States. Hartzell presented two videos that explained the element concept. All element hotels are being built to earn LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Lexington property’s green features include energy-efficient stainless steel appliances and lighting, water-efficient faucets and fixtures, and bins for paper, plastic and glass recycling. Filtered water in guestrooms and amenity dispensers in the showers reduce plastic bottle waste. In addition, ELEMENT hotels use low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints and carpets with up to 100 percent recycled content. Hartzell says the hotel holds green educational nights every Wednesday to teach guests and staff how to reduce their environmental impact at home or on the road.
Mount Washington Resort’s Stacey Doll summarized that property’s sustainability efforts. Unique to the resort is a sustainability awards program for staff and its interdepartmental team that defines sustainability policies and goals for resort staff, guests and visitors. Scott Cowger talked about his eight-room Maple Farm Inn’s solar and wind installations and all of the favorable public relations buzz they have generated.
“We are seeing people select our inn because of our environmental initiatives,” Cowger says.
In a session on sustainable food purchasing, four speakers shared the steps they have taken to successfully bring local, sometimes organic food to their operations.
“Dollars spent locally tend to get re-spent locally,” said Leigh Bellanger, Chefs Collaborative, Boston.
John Stowell, director of fresh meats and sustainable programs for Dole & Bailey, Inc., Woburn, Mass., emphasized that purchasing local goods on a consistent basis—not just for special events—is important. What is local should also be clearly defined by the inn or hotel, he said. Also understand what Natural, Certified Natural and Naturally Raised mean, he added.
Harraseeket’s Local Commitment
Theda Lydon, representing the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, said the inn includes its mission statement on its menu to help guests understand the property’s stance on supporting local farmers. Lydon said one of the things she enjoys most about her work at the inn is visiting farms and farmers’ markets. To help local farmers understand what needs the inn will have in a coming year, annual “planting meetings” are held with them. In 2008, the inn spent $700,000 purchasing food items from local farmers.
In a session on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Dan Ruben, Executive Director, Boston Green Tourism, presented a long list of steps hoteliers and innkeepers can take to positively impact IAQ. Some of the items he mentioned: proper ventilation, keeping the intake of make-up air away from combustion sources, minimizing the introduction of VOCs, developing a plan to properly dispose of items with mercury (CFLs, for example), and avoiding countertops, furniture and other items that contain formaldehyde.
Ruben was joined in his presentation by Don Rivard, Rivard’s Resources IPM, and Bill Scherer, Clean Green Solutions, LLC. Rivard discussed integrated pest management (IPM) and how to treat pest infestations with minimal use of toxic treatments, and Scherer focused on the upside to using bio-based (plant-based) cleaning products.
For more information on this year’s expo, click here.
