EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—Artists For Humanity (AFH), whose 23,500-square-foot Epicenter is Boston’s first LEED Platinum certified building, has combined its commitment to sustainability with its dedication to art and design—and ensured neither stops outside the restroom doors. The organization provides Boston teens with opportunities for creative expression, mentorship, and paid work experience on an array of client art and design projects, all while they prepare for college and their careers. Now, thanks to a partnership with Excel Dryer, AFH has installed first-of-their-kind XLERATOR Hand Dryers customized with artwork designed by local teens in its facility bathrooms. “When we learned about the amazing work AFH was doing,...

NATIONAL REPORT—Choosing the right brand of toilet paper may not top your list when it comes to greening up your supply chain but maybe it should. Just ask suppliers of toilet paper made from bamboo or sugar cane. They say that by switching to their alternatives to traditional toilet paper, you can say no to cutting down trees, no to harmful chemicals and bleaches, and no to plastic. According to HeyBambu, a supplier of toilet paper made from bamboo, “Traditional toilet paper is made using hardwood and softwood trees that are cut down, stripped off their bark, and pulverized into...

Cutting down on laundry volume has been the focus of our industry for decades now with the now standard towel/linen replacement opt-out programs. Only recently, however, has there been chatter about eliminating some towels entirely. In the past year I have run across several suppliers that are aiming to do just that. At this past fall’s Boutique Design New York, Magic Stone introduced its antibacterial bathmat made from natural stone that goes from wet to dry in seconds. According to the company, it can reduce annual expenditure on traditional floor towel bathmats by over 80 percent annually. The bathmats can...

NATIONAL REPORT—Cold and flu season is here, which means facility managers face the dual challenge of helping promote a healthy environment for facility occupants while maintaining sustainable efforts. Although flu season occurs in the fall and winter seasons, its peak activity is now until February. As a facility manager, you play an important role in helping ensure your facility stays clean and occupants stay healthy during this time. Here are several sustainable considerations you can incorporate in your facility’s cleaning routine to help your occupants stay healthy. Focus Your Cleaning Routine During this period, many facilities see an uptick in foot traffic...

Many people look forward to dreamy hotel pools and spas to destress and relax while on vacation. In the winter, hot tubs and spas can be a great attractor for guests looking for a chilly weather escape; however, they can also be a risk to visitors and pool and spa managers if not properly handled. These much-beloved amenities can be breeding grounds for bacteria like E. coli, giardia, and algae, making using pool and spa chemicals, including salt, imperative. If these chemicals are mishandled, they can cause respiratory problems, chemical burns, and eye irritation. Managers of these amenities must be...

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND—Sweeply, a leading innovator in housekeeping and task management solutions for the hospitality sector, announced its strategic partnership with Hotels for Trees, an eco-conscious initiative dedicated to global reforestation efforts. This collaboration signifies a significant leap forward in fostering sustainability within the hospitality industry. With a presence in over 12 countries and serving more than 150 clients, Sweeply is an industry specialist in housekeeping and task management. Hotels for Trees, founded in 2021 by industry veterans Linde Borger and Floris Licht, is committed to counteracting the hospitality sector’s environmental impact by planting trees for every stayover room cleaning skipped...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc., a global sustainability leader offering water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that protect people and the resources vital to life, announced it has again earned a place on the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). Ecolab ranks on both the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) for its continued competitive sustainability performance. Out of more than 13,800 companies invited to participate, Ecolab is one of roughly 300 companies across all sectors and one of 26 companies in the chemical sector named to...

Growing up, it was common for my father to have a couple of his buddies over for a card game. Sometimes I would join them. My father and his friends would all be smoking like chimneys. When my father joined the air force during World War II, the military gave enlisted men cigarettes for free. (Today I wonder, sarcastically of course, whose side the military was on.) Eventually, our ceiling turned quite dark from the toxins. Maybe you had a similar experience as a child. Today, when I travel, I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke in hotels. My wife...

NATIONAL REPORT—Even though guests may sign a waiver acknowledging that smoking is not permitted in the guestroom, that policy is increasingly being violated—by cigarette smokers, marijuana users, and by those who vape. In fact, currently 24 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 years and older, while 38 states have legal medical marijuana programs. Fortunately for hoteliers, there are now smoking detection systems that can send an alert immediately if smoking is taking place and that can provide time-stamped, scientific proof that a room has been smoked in—critical information when a guest or even...

If you own a building, be it a hotel or the site of another business, chances are you’ve toyed with the idea of reducing your energy costs by installing solar panels. Maybe you’ve already taken this step. This strategy makes a lot of sense, as solar energy is more cost-effective than the conventional power grid, allowing you to start saving money from the very first gas bill after installation. Since solar systems pay for themselves after only a few years, yet have very long lives, they keep money in your pocket for each additional year. Solar energy also has the advantage...