CONCORD, N.H.—The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Assn. (NHLRA) announced that the Gale River Motel & Cottages (GRM&C), Franconia, N.H., is the first motel labeled as an Environmental Champion under a new program coordinated between the two organizations.
In November, NHLRA kicked off its redesigned green certification program for restaurants and lodging facilities to make them more accountable for keeping up their green practices. NHLRA began offering a tool to educate hotels and restaurants on making their businesses more sustainable. Michelle Veasey of the NHLRA’s Sustainability Program and Tara Mae Albert of the DES’s Pollution Prevention Program (NHPPP) completed a site assessment of the Gale River Motel & Cottages in Franconia, which was the final step for certifying the motel.
The recently revised certification manual now consists of a points award system that allows a facility to choose projects that best apply to them. The points system provides accountability for all projects implemented but awards a higher point value for the more environmentally sustainable items on the list. To be considered an “Environmental Champion,” a facility must receive 175 points or more out of a possible 316. Once the application is complete, a site assessment must be completed to verify the self-certification.
GRM&C, a year round family-oriented getaway, scored 251 points on its application. Motel owner, Kevin Johnson, stated, “As one of the smallest lodging properties in the state of New Hampshire, it has been a challenge to pursue the ideals of eco-friendly business practices, but it is an effort which has yielded significant cost savings and beneficial public relations.”
First Motel in State with Solar Thermal System
The most notable project described in GRM&C’s application is its solar hot water system, the first in the state for a motel. To justify the installation, Johnson used electric bills and spreadsheets to conduct surveys calculating emissions savings, which tie directly to the motel’s carbon footprint. If any business owner has questions about the system, Johnson “welcomes them to visit the Gale River Motel for a tour.” In addition, the motel has changed to energy-efficient lighting in 95 percent of guestrooms; 100 percent of exterior lighting is energy-efficient; and the owner replaced the boiler system in 2008 with a more sustainable model.
The GRM&C has also focused on water conservation by changing to 100 percent low flow showerheads, faucets and toilets and an “irrigation” system has been built for a small garden using a homemade rain barrel and a system of buried soaker hoses. Additionally, watering is only done when necessary and moisture sensors have been added to the automated systems.
To involve guests in sustainability efforts, room signs have been designed for the guestrooms to let them know about the motel’s initiatives. The owner has set up a towel and linen reuse program. In addition, there are informational signs indicating what items the hotel will recycle. This initiative alone has lead to 4,743 pounds of waste not sent to landfill.
After receiving the certification, Johnson remarked, “Certification under the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging and Restaurant Program provides an objective and standardized evaluation utilizing a uniform criteria for recognition as an eco-friendly business. I have used these guidelines as a roadmap for developing policies and practices designed to positively impact the environment and operate more efficiently as a business owner.”
Go to GRM&C.
