I recently blogged twice about a new online Electric Vehicle (EV) Travel Guide put together by the Arizona Office of Tourism. The guide provides multiple suggested itineraries that combine statewide destinations with available charging locations and includes an Arizona state map, emergency contact information, weather averages, and elevation charts to help EV drivers plan their Arizona road-trip adventures. The guide also includes a list of hotels that make charging available to overnight guests.
I blogged first about the guide because I was impressed by the fact that such a marketing tool was published. I blogged again about it because I heard from Jennifer Miller, the author of the Arizona Office of Tourism’s EV materials. She informed me that she included the Travel Guide in a white paper she completed as part of her graduate studies at Arizona State University. I highly recommend reading her white paper. One of the highlights of the paper—advice on how to get the most “mileage” out of the EV charging stations installed at your property.
I do not often hear about research coming out of our industry’s academic institutions. Cornell probably does the best job communicating but I rarely hear from anyone else. That is why I was excited to hear from Jennifer. Knowing that at least one person outside of Cornell is working on sustainability-related research was refreshing.
ICHRIE Conference Filled With Green Topics
Interestingly, a day after I heard from Jennifer, I visited the International CHRIE (Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education) website to get details on the organization’s Annual Summer Conference—held this year at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina July 30 to August 1. Turns out that Jennifer is just one of many people doing research and writing about almost every aspect of green lodging imaginable. I strongly recommend taking a look at the ICHRIE conference schedule to see the kind of research taking place.
Here are some examples of conference session topics: Predicting Green Hotel Behavioral Intentions Using a Theory of Environmental Commitment and Willingness to Sacrifice for the Environment; Consumers’ Motivation to Patronize Green Lodging Facilities; Predicting Customers’ Participation in Green Practices When Staying in a Hotel; Sustainability Initiatives and Financial Performance: A Multidimensional Scaling Approach; Green Trends in Hospitality Academia, 2000 to 2013; Social Responsibility: How Organizational Commitments are Communicated on Facebook; and Examination of Interactive Drivers of Tourists Experience in Environmentally Friendly Hotels.
If you are in academia and are a participant in the type of research described above, do keep me informed about it. I would love to share findings with my readers. It may even make sense to create a space on the Green Lodging News site to house academic research papers related to sustainability in hospitality.
For this year’s International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show in New York I am planning six educational sessions related to green lodging—one of which will be education focused. I am still putting together the topic and list of speakers for that panel. If you have a suggestion for the focus of that panel or would like to suggest a speaker, contact me at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or by phone at (813) 510-3868. My intention is to create a session that will be of great interest to students and others attending the show.
One of my greatest joys as editor and publisher of Green Lodging News is being able to cheer on and publish the work of students—the future leaders of our industry. It is greatly encouraging that so many students (and others in academia) have an interest in examining the many aspects of green lodging.
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.
Planning Advertising for 2014?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2014. Many excellent spots are available on the website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2014 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,479 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 566 Facebook followers.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
