I have often heard speakers cite figures about the number of green certification programs available to businesses. Typically the inference is that there are too many of the programs. That may very well be true but there should always be room for one more in our industry if it has been thoughtfully developed, is innovative, of value to the user, and of benefit to guests.
This past week I spoke with Debra Duneier, Founder and President of New York-based EcoChi, LLC about her company’s EcoChi 180° certification program (see article). It is just beginning to be adopted by hospitality businesses. What interested me about EcoChi 180° is that it addresses some issues that other lodging certification programs do not address—ergonomics and electromagnetic fields, for example. It also puts a heavy emphasis on green design and bringing nature indoors, and even incorporates Classical Feng Shui and environmental psychology.
Weaving nature into hotel design helps bring a sense of calm into a space, Debra contends. She told me, “We know our brains act a certain way when we see nature. Symbols of nature affect our brain in the same way.” How items are arranged in a space is also important and that is what Classical Feng Shui addresses. According to EcoChi, LLC, Classical Feng Shui is the art of purposefully arranging an environment so that it has a positive effect on the people who live, work or visit there. I can think of many examples of hotels where the energy of the space has been positive because of the efforts at bringing nature into the space. Anyone who has visited a Gaylord hotel knows what I am talking about—huge open spaces and lots of trees, plants and flowing water. On the flipside I have been in many meeting spaces that have been the opposite of energetic—funereal, if you will.
Guidelines Vary Per Project
Certification hardliners may not like the fact that the 18 guidelines that make up EcoChi 180° vary per project. For the most part, guidelines cover topics one would find in other certification programs like LEED—energy efficiency, non-toxic materials and finishing, improved lighting, indoor air quality, green cleaning, etc.
EcoChi 180° can be applied to new construction, renovation or finished spaces. There is currently just one level of certification, unlike other certification programs such as LEED, but one more level may be added. In addition to direct benefits, completed EcoChi 180° properties receive a stone plaque to display on site, a press release detailing the 18 completed guidelines, and a marketing brochure featuring professional photos and a description of the space. Those properties pursuing certification receive an on-site visit to verify the guidelines have been met. There is also a questionnaire and documentation to provide. Properties can get recertified after three years.
There has been a lot of chatter in recent years about better connecting nature with hotel design. Biophilia, the suggestion that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems, is addressed in the Living Building Challenge 3.0 certification requirements. Also, biomimicry, an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies, has been utilized to develop buildings, showerheads, and even wood glue.
It is refreshing to see someone like Debra take a fresh look at hotel design and certification. Be sure to check out her website. And, as you develop and renovate your properties, consider making nature a strong design element. Your guests and employees will love it. Debra told me that in one meeting space her company designed, the employees don’t want to get up and leave; it is that relaxing. Of course you want your employees to get up and go…but your guests, not necessarily.
Green Lodging News Adds Best Hotel Products as Directory Partner
Green Lodging News has added Best Hotel Products to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Guestroom/Energy Management” category. Best Hotel Products enables one to reduce in-room PTAC energy consumption by around 40 percent with a thermostat using a combination of motion and thermal sensing technologies. The system, according to Best Hotel Products, is easy to install and allows one to track the health of PTACs. Buyers of the system can get up to 50 percent of the costs covered by a local utility. Best Hotel Products will finance the rest. Call (847) 749-0800, e-mail sales@besthotelproducts.com, or go to www.besthotelproducts.com for more information.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
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