NEW YORK—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) launched its green strategy at its board of directors meeting on Sunday, November 9. The strategy focuses largely on minimum environmental guidelines, which are culled from a total of 88 overall guidelines targeting effective energy, water and waste management. The guidelines will be continuously added and built upon, with the next set focusing on design and construction, materials and resources, chemicals and cleaning, and indoor air quality.
Each of the minimum guidelines includes case studies, business cases, and resources for general managers to implement. In addition, the AH&LA board of directors will discuss the program mechanics, including how to recognize hotels that successfully implement the minimum guidelines. The completed guidelines and supporting materials will be launched via the AH&LA website by the end of December.
The AH&LA’s 11 guidelines include:
• Each hotel should form an Environmental Committee that is responsible for developing an Environmental Green Plan for energy, water and solid waste use.
• Manage your hotel’s environmental performance by monitoring the electric, gas, water and waste usage information on a monthly and annual basis.
• Replace incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps wherever possible.
• Install digital thermostats in guestrooms and throughout the hotel.
• Implement a towel and/or linen reuse program.
• Install 2.5-gallons-per-minute or less showerheads in all guestroom baths and any employee shower areas.
• Install 1.6-gallon-per-flush toilets in all guestrooms.
• Implement a recycling program—including in public spaces—to the full extent available in your municipality; document your efforts.
• Implement a recycling program for hazardous materials found in fluorescent bulbs, batteries and lighting ballasts through licensed service providers.
• Purchase Energy Star labeled appliances and equipment.
• All office paper products should have 20 percent or more post consumer recycled content.
In addition to extensively surveying members, the association’s overall green strategy was crafted largely by the AH&LA Green Task Force, which convened in August and is comprised of the environmental point persons from a dozen hotel companies as well as AH&LA’s green consultant, Pat Maher, formerly of Marriott International. The group created an environmental policy statement, recommended AH&LA track state and national legislation, and advocated the need for supporting educational materials. The Task Force is an extension of the AH&LA Environmental & Engineering Council, which has made a green strategy for the lodging industry a priority over the past 13 months. In that time, nearly two dozen certification programs were researched in the hopes of partnering with a third party to offer AH&LA members a certification program.
Guidelines Reflect Existing Standards
When no program was readily available or affordable, the Green Task Force recommended identifying the most important pillars—including energy, water and waste—and have hotels report on progress against the pillars in terms of benchmarks and baseline numbers. The guidelines were created based on the criteria of existing state and national certifications.
“We’ve exhaustively researched this important topic to determine the best way the association can assist our members who want to create an environmentally-friendly and sustainable hotel,” said AH&LA president/CEO Joseph McInerney, CHA. “With so many certifications already out there—many of which are through the property’s state and a necessity for government business—the biggest feedback we received was the need for guidance on how to green properties effectively in various areas. Not all hotels will be able to achieve these guidelines, but we want to make sure we set a bar and goals now so hoteliers receive direction for immediate action. These guidelines—which address back-of-the-house and interfacing with guests—will be continuously added to in our ongoing effort to provide green resources in a broad spectrum of areas.”
The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) has integrated environmental information into its popular housekeeping operations textbook and Certified Hotel Administrator certification. EI is also showcasing a new resource at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show—High Performance Hospitality: Sustainable Hotel Case Studies—in both print and CD. Content is being updated in its front office, leadership and management, and resort development and management textbooks. Other educational resources are also being developed around the AH&LA environmental guidelines.
Green Building, Meetings Prioritized
Other green environmental priorities of the association include working with the U.S. Green Building Council via a Hospitality Advisory Group, and working closely with two meeting planning organizations, including the Convention Industry Council, to create eco-savvy standards for green meetings that are ASTM-certified. The standards are set to be released in May of 2009.
AH&LA also served on the steering committee of the United Nations Foundations Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria program, which is adopting universal sustainable tourism principles.
The association launched a green section on its website in January, which serves as an online resource offering cost-effective and eco-savvy tips and strategies, information on certifications and government funded programs, suppliers producing environmentally-friendly products, as well as an RSS feed from Green Lodging News. In addition, a new component is coming later this week—Ask AH&LA’s Green Guru—through which Pat Maher will answer members’ questions to all things green.
Go to the AH&LA website.
