Green Lodging News will turn 16 this July. It was approximately three years after the launch of Green Lodging News that Clean the World was launched. Many of you have worked with Clean the World over the years by donating money or new or partially used soap bars and amenity bottles. If, because of the pandemic, you stopped donating, please start again. The need is just as great or greater, especially with the attack of Ukraine by Russia. (Volunteers in Arlington, Va., and Seattle are in the process of assembling 200,000 hygiene kits for victims of the war there. Hygiene kits include a variety of products such as soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, socks, or lotion.)
I have supported the work of Clean the World over the years for different reasons but mostly because its work really saves lives. According to the organization, diarrheal diseases kill approximately 1.8 million people per year. Globally, approximately 2.5 billion cases of diarrhea occur among children under 5 years old every year. About 80 percent of those cases are in Africa and South Asia. Clean the World’s work is reducing those numbers by simply giving the vulnerable—especially kids—soap to wash their hands.
I recently spoke with Robert Montgomery, Clean the World’s VP Product Development, to get an update on the nonprofit’s activities, including how it fared because of the pandemic. (See my article.)
As you might imagine, if guests are not even checking into hotels, soap is not being used or donated. That happened during the worst of the pandemic. Even today, donations are down because hotel business is currently primarily leisure. Families tend to use up soap because they stay longer. Short-stay corporate business (a higher percentage of unused or partially used soap) is still climbing back to where it was pre-pandemic.
Pandemic Led to Cutbacks
“The donation drop off was more than 75 percent during the pandemic,” Montgomery told me. “Clean the World laid off 80 percent of staff. We almost had to close our doors.” Corporate events, at which groups assemble hygiene kits, came to a complete stop. Volunteers could no longer visit Clean the Word facilities.
Even during the most difficult of times, Clean the World still managed to distribute 9 million bars of soap to those in need. Like many in the industry, Clean the World pivoted and developed its Soap Saves Lives Box program—an opportunity for individuals or groups to remotely box hygiene products for donation to a local charity or even a neighbor in need. That program is still available.
The biggest, good news today is that, like the hotel industry, Clean the World is coming back strong and rebuilding. Staffing is at about 60 percent of where it was. More and more groups are assembling hygiene kits and Soap Saves Lives boxes at in-person events. That niche of Clean the World donations, as well as soap donations from lodging establishments, is still not where it needs to be, but it is growing as corporate travel and meetings come back.
Montgomery says Clean the World is working hard to bring back those hotels that left during the pandemic. Still, Clean the World participation is significant. “We are at 7,000 U.S. hotels participating,” Montgomery says. “Ten percent of all U.S. hotels are participating. Pre-pandemic, the company was on a huge growth trajectory. We are now seeing new adds like before. Our goal is to bring back those hotels that left.”
One of the strengths of Clean the World over the years is its ability to send to where the need is the greatest. Its soap has ended up in 127 countries and it has distributed 68 million soap bars and 5 million hygiene kits since its launch.
Four States Have Fresh Start WASH & Wellness Programs
Going beyond soap, amenity bottles and hygiene kits, Clean the World in 2017 launched a mobile shower program for individuals experiencing homelessness. Called the Fresh Start WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) & Wellness Program, the program also incorporates COVID-19 testing, HEP A/HEP C vaccinations, and illness prevention services. Clean the World now has Fresh Start WASH & Wellness Programs in Florida, Nevada, Washington, and Colorado. Montgomery says more than 33,000 people have gone through the program and Clean the World is looking to expand to more locations.
As Clean the World has grown, so too has its efforts to support donors with impact data. Last July (see article), it announced it had enhanced its impact reporting for partners in its Hospitality Recycling Program. Thanks to Greenview, at any given moment, a hospitality partner can now review, track, and report on the impact they are having on the environment and in the lives of people in need.
With all that is going on at Clean the World, Montgomery says it is a high priority to find a solution for all the plastic sent to the organization in the form of amenity bottles. The problem with the bottles is they usually consist of two or three different types of plastics, have contaminants in them which makes them unfriendly for sorting machines, and the tiny bottles fall through the screens that do the sorting.
“We are working with plastic recycling companies for a solution,” Montgomery says. “I am working with a company on de-watering. We are in the final stages of that. We are working with two companies for that cleaned plastic. It is a major commitment, and we are in the final stages of getting to a plastic recycling solution.”
“Only 8 percent of world’s plastic is being recycled,” Montgomery adds, emphasizing Clean the World will soon reach its goal of recycling 100 percent of the plastic it receives.
Green Lodging News Adds Insight Energy Solutions to Product & Service Directory
Green Lodging News has added Insight Energy Solutions to the Energy Savings Agreements category of its Green Product & Service Directory. Insight Energy Solutions is a thought leader in building energy reduction and sustainability (ESG focused) programs and development. Hotels and resorts are highly seasonal and variable in load and consumption for energy. This makes them ideal candidates for energy conservation measures. Insight Energy Solutions’ approach to hospitality is maximizing energy savings without negatively impacting guest experience and comfort. The company can provide 100 percent of the investment in the technology and equipment (no capital outlay—no risk) to provide a hotel owner with the most energy efficient facility possible while virtually eliminating the financial hurdles associated with investing in the future. For more information, call (615) 922-0773, e-mail scott.stephens@insightac.com, or visit www.insightac.com.
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 greenlodgingnews@gmail.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 greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 22,036 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each week, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2022?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2022. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2022 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
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