As the hospitality industry continues to incorporate responsible and sustainable practices, facility management programs can find a surprising ally to help navigate some of the new challenges and requirements—your pest management professional.
Energy management, water conservation, lighting, waste management, recycling, air quality, LEED compliance—today’s hospitality management has much more to consider to be successful than in days past. Pest and vermin control have always been part of providing a great environment for your guests; but many businesses don’t realize that a qualified pest management professional (PMP) can also help provide support in areas such as sustainability, green programs and LEED.
In addition to protecting your facilities from unwanted pests, professional pest management companies servicing the hospitality industry are already familiar with green building and sustainable programs. Many are members of the United States Green Building Council, and participate in eco-effective certifications, such as the NPMA’s GreenPro program. They stay current on Federal and State regulations, are familiar with industry best practices, and can become a valuable resource when questioning the environmental integrity and vulnerability of your facility.
Consider the following examples; recent studies have drawn attention to the food waste associated with hotels and lodging. This observation has prompted programs of donation and/or on-site composting of excess food products. In addition to the obvious positive benefits, these programs can also introduce unintended sanitation and pest issues. Your qualified PMP can assist you with formatting, implementing, and documenting the management of these processes. They can also work with you on minimizing the impact of pests that may be associated with storage and composting of food items.
PMPs Can Assist with Energy Management
It is estimated that the hospitality industry spends about $3.7 billion a year on energy. Lowering energy requirements for a property not only makes you a good steward of your community’s resources, it also helps your bottom line. The structural and environmental adjustments recommended by your PMP to prevent conditions which are conducive to pest activity will also help control energy loss, and address issues with lighting.
Water management is a very important element of controlling pest populations in your facilities. Maintaining proper landscape irrigation levels will reduce pests—and wasted water. Your PMP should be inspecting for and documenting plumbing and roof leaks, faulty water supply lines and faucets.
Speaking of water, did you know that it can be an effective method of pest control? Yes! Many types of insects, including bed bugs, can be treated using steam as part of the control process. Re-tasked carbon dioxide is also an effective non-pesticide method of control for many pests. Carbon dioxide that would have been simply released into the environment through manufacturing processes is used to instantly freeze pests. Creative pest control programs, such as those using steam or re-purposed CO2, can provide you with a sustainable least toxic pest management program and may even earn you additional points for your LEED certification.
Maintaining detailed and accurate reporting is also vital to sustainability and LEED compliance. The proper documentation of the pest management plan, the status of any structural and sanitation issues, along with the associated actions that were taken, demonstrate compliance with resolution hierarchies and green standards. Depending on your PMP to provide clear, easy-to-understand documentation will assist you in managing your property and maintenance budgets and keep you in compliance with third party audits.
Putting Data to Work for You
Service and action plan data are captured to provide trending, and any analytics or historical data required. Many pest management companies can store the data electronically for you, and give you direct access to the reporting system. Such systems can provide pre-configured and “push reporting” to alert you when conditions exist that are impactful to your operation. Many also allow to you to configure the information and reporting in a format that is most useful to you and your organization.
When managing multiple locations, it may be necessary to have reporting solutions that enable access to data files from on- or off-site locations. Technology enhancements in reporting capabilities also help keep on- and off-site managers informed to recognize trends and understand the history of issues, better enabling them to make the important decisions that affect their businesses. Often, best practices can be established for the whole enterprise, based on effective solutions that might not have been noticed otherwise.
Your qualified PMP can also provide training for your staff on a variety of relevant topics. They can use a variety of formats, such as written material, video and web based training, and instructor-led training at your site or theirs. As an added benefit, most PMPs will provide those services for little or no additional cost for existing customers.
It’s important to note that pest management companies differ in their levels of focus and technical expertise in the hospitality industry. Care should be taken to select a provider whose capabilities match your specific needs. When you do find the PMP that is right for your organization, you will also find a partner that can positively impact many other facets of your organization.
Contributed by Paul Curtis, BCE, Manager, Technical Services, Terminix International. For more information about green pest control call (855) 466-2578 or visit www.terminix.com/commercial.
