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2/3/2012
Starwood’s Element hotel brand is proof that green done right can catch on. As of February 9, there will be 10 Element hotels open in the United States. There are currently at least four other Elements in the pipeline, according to the Element website. It is great to see Element’s success. Unique to Element is its requirement for its hotels to be LEED certified. Our industry has been waiting quite some time for another green hotel brand to come along with a similar commitment to LEED. Hilton’s Home2 Suites properties have many green features but the brand lacks a brand-wide LEED requirement. This past week, however, Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based Atmosphere Hospitality Management announced its first Adoba Eco Hotel property—a conversion of a full-service hotel in Rapid City, S.D. The hotel will be LEED certified.
1/27/2012
This past week I reported on a few of the environmental initiatives recently rolled out at the St. Louis-based Drury Hotels Company. Be sure to read the article. One of the most compelling things Drury is doing is installing amenity dispensers in all of its 123 Drury branded properties. The move is expected to save the purchase and disposal of at least 1.8 million amenity bottles a year. (Drury will still offer a facial bar soap at the bathroom sink.) Congratulations to Drury for taking this environmentally responsible step. I will be writing an article about amenity dispensers in the coming weeks, offering vendors the opportunity to chat about their latest products and trying to get input from those who have used dispensers at their properties and those who have not for whatever the reason may be.
1/20/2012
Should continuous improvement be a requirement for carrying on a green certification from one term to the next? I posed this question in a recent blog entry and then proceeded to contact spokespersons for the various leading green certification programs to learn whether or not continuous improvement is indeed a requirement. The spokespersons represented the following certification programs: Green Key Global, Green Globe Certification, Green Seal, EcoRooms & EcoSuites, LEED, and Sustainable Travel International’s STEP. Attempts were made to include the Audubon Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program and Energy Star but representatives of Audubon and the U.S. EPA had not responded as of press time. Why is continuous improvement important?
1/13/2012
I had an opportunity to chat with Bennett Thomas this past week. Bennett is vice president of Finance & Sustainability for Hersha Hospitality Group. Hersha Hospitality Group has over 80 hotels totaling nearly 11,000 rooms in its portfolio. Be sure to watch for a profile of Bennett soon on the Green Lodging News website. One of the most unique things about Hersha is its environmental program called EarthView. It was officially launched a little more than a year ago but was piloted starting in 2009. The initial goal of EarthView is to reduce the carbon, water and waste impact of Hersha’s hotels that are primarily located in urban and major metro centers along the Northeast Corridor of the United States from Boston to New York City to Washington D.C. to Miami and Los Angeles.
1/6/2012
A new LEED Pilot Credit introduced in October as part of the LEED Pilot Credit Library is for the birds—literally. The Credit allows a LEED building project to earn one point if efforts are taken to deter bird collisions. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), an estimated 1 billion birds die annually in the United States as a result of striking buildings, bridges, and other manmade structures. Many factors play a role, including lights, vegetation, and water. But glass is the main culprit. Because birds do not perceive conventionally formulated glass as a solid barrier, they fly into it. They may mistake reflections as continuous space and be attracted to trees or other objects in, or visible through, a glassed-in space. Have you ever found dead—or even stunned—birds alongside the exterior walls of your property?
12/29/2011
In the words of Jeff Hanulec, director of engineering at the Sheraton Boston, “It was a no brainer to participate in the program.” What Jeff is referring to is an LED lamp giveaway program offered by Massachusetts utility NSTAR in partnership with Munro Distributing Company, Inc. The program, which began in the fall of 2011 and officially wrapped up at the end December, is expected to be continued in 2012. Boston area hotels are the first to participate in the program that is already generating huge chunks of savings in energy and dollars. The NSTAR/Munro program is proof that it pays to maintain steady communication with your utility regarding rebate and other incentive programs. The program is also a testament to the viability of LEDs in hotel applications. The Sheraton Boston already has received 1,600 bulbs.
12/22/2011
I have always kind of wondered why I hear more in our industry about the dangers of mercury in compact fluorescents than the danger of mercury produced by coal burning. Perhaps it is just one of those problems that is difficult to get one’s arms around? Or, we all just don’t want to admit that we contribute to the problem? Here in the United States, 50 tons of mercury is released into the air (and eventually the water, too) each year by coal-fired power plants. (Approximately 50 percent of our nation’s electricity needs are met by the burning of coal.) Power plants that burn coal also spew out toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide. Here in Ohio where I live, power plants released more than two tons of mercury into the environment in 2010—the second most in the country.
12/16/2011
With just two columns remaining in 2011, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very safe, healthy and happy holiday season. This was a big year for my family as many of you know with the addition of our son Benjamin in August. He is doing great and, as they say, “growing like a weed.” That is Benjamin at the top of this column. Only 21 more years until he takes over as publisher and editor. Thank you for reading Green Lodging News this year. Your readership loyalty is one of the reasons Green Lodging News has had another successful year. In addition to your help, I have been fortunate to also have the assistance of my website designer, Jesse Ewanko, and the assistance of Brenda White who helps with circulation. Thank you especially to our advertisers.
12/9/2011
This past week I updated the State & City Green Lodging Programs page on the Green Lodging News website. I removed several links to pages for programs that are obviously inactive. For example, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation continues to run a page for its Green Hotel Certification Pilot Program when in fact the program has been over for quite some time. Why confuse people? After scouring the Web for new programs, I found one. The Idaho Bed & Breakfast Association now has a Green Lodging Program. I spoke with Brian Scott, president of the association this past week and posted an article about the six-month-old program. Based on my count, there are now 29 states, three cities and one region that either have an official green lodging certification program or offer related assistance to hotels.
12/2/2011
Just before Thanksgiving, Syracuse-based Woodbine Group informed me that its 58-room, boutique-style Hotel Skyler had earned LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). I spoke with two representatives of Woodbine this past week and posted an article about the property that was once Temple Adath Yeshurun, a building first constructed in 1921. Congratulations to the team at Woodbine Group for achieving a distinction shared by only two other hotels in the United States—the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., and the Bardessono in Yountville, Calif. What sets Hotel Skyler apart from other LEED projects is its highly creative re-use of an existing structure and its investment in a geothermal heating and cooling system.
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