WASHINGTON, D.C.—In conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is launching an Energy Slasher Challenge. The year-long challenge asks hoteliers to track their quarterly energy and natural gas consumption from April 1, 2009 thru April 1, 2011, and report the totals via www.ahla.com/slasher. Participants can benchmark their progress through GreenQuest, a Web-based service free to AH&LA members; EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager; or their own corporate benchmarking program.
Each quarter AH&LA will update an online leader board, and Green Guru Pat Maher will provide monthly strategies, assistance, and best practices to help participants in their quest to slash energy costs. The grand prize for the biggest average reduction in energy and natural gas is a day with Pat Maher, who will help optimize a property’s eco-strategy and identify areas to streamline operations.
The initiative builds on last year’s successful Green Guidelines Challenge, which urged hoteliers to track occupancy statistics, monetary and energy expenditures, and return on investment (ROI) from specific green practices. The more than 200 hotels that participated yielded an average cost savings of $56,000.
Selected success stories from the Green Guidelines Challenge will be featured on AH&LA’s website as new Green Best Practices, part of a growing list of actionable strategies, case studies, and timely green news from AH&LA members leading the way to a more eco-friendly hospitality community. For more information on AH&LA’s green initiatives, visit the Green Resource Center Website.
