BOSTON—When you host the annual conference of a national environmental organization, there is a good chance you will make some changes to your operations—whether to impress or to meet the demands of the group you are hosting. That is what happened at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel earlier this year when it hosted the Ceres annual conference. Ceres is a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change.
According to David Keamy, director of sales and marketing at the 456-room property, Ceres event organizers required that the hotel offer green programs such as recycling. Without this type of program in place, the hotel would not get the Ceres business. Fortunately, the hotel had already been doing some recycling but staff stepped up its efforts by instituting a composting program. Led by Greg Griffie, executive hotel chef, hotel associates have collected more than four tons of food waste for composting.
Kitchen preparation byproducts and buffet food waste is collected and emptied into a compost bin that is hauled away every one to three days by a company called Save That Stuff. That organization mixes it with yard waste to form useable mulch.
Composting is just one of the initiatives put in place around the time of the Ceres event. The purchase of local food ingredients was also emphasized. In fact, Griffie says 90 percent of the menu for the 600-attendee Ceres event included local, organic ingredients.
More Waste-Saving Efforts
Since opening at the end of February, and even prior to its opening, those managing the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel have implemented many programs and technologies to reduce waste and to save energy and water. The steel used in the hotel itself is 95 percent recycled steel. A baler is used to bundle cardboard and a newspaper collection unit is stationed in the lobby. Carpeting and wall coverings have recycled content, grease is recycled in the kitchen and unusable grease is sold to a local company for recycling for five cents a gallon. A recycling committee meets once or twice a month to discuss progress and ways to improve operations.
“Both of our dishwashers recycle steam and our garbage disposal uses recycled water,” Griffie adds.
In every area of operations, Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel employees are working hard to weed out waste. Wallace says they are working to eliminate bottled water at meetings and bottled water already has been replaced with a water filtering system in the fitness center.
According to Richard Wallace, director of engineering, low-VOC paints are used throughout the hotel, and compact fluorescents are common in guestrooms and corridors. In the entrance of each guestroom, a master switch allows the guest to turn off bathroom and entryway lighting. Outside, on the fifth floor level of the hotel, a green roof provides green space and helps to insulate the hotel from the cold and heat. Occupancy sensors in closets and offices turn lights off when they are not needed and a sophisticated air handling system that uses carbon monoxide detectors ensures that fans do not run unnecessarily. Guests are given the option whether or not to have their towels and linens washed each day.
Being part of the Marriott organization, a company well in tune with how to save energy, Wallace says he can easily pick up energy-saving tips from colleagues. He is on an energy committee with other Marriott representatives. They meet monthly.
Go to the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
