Home Publisher's Point of View Cuts in Florida Green Lodging Should Concern All State Program Participants

Cuts in Florida Green Lodging Should Concern All State Program Participants

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In case you did not catch the news, as part of the 2009 Florida Legislative Session, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was asked to submit plans to reduce expenditures by a minimum of 10 percent. (The DEP runs Florida’s very successful Green Lodging Program.) As it turns out, 10 percent was wishful thinking. The Florida Green Lodging Program was actually reduced in size from $337,000 and four workers to $63,000 and one employee. The two founders of the program have been reassigned. That’s right, just one person will be charged with managing a program that currently has 520 designated Green Lodging properties and a very long list of applicants.

In a letter to Florida Green Lodging applicants, the DEP stated the following: “Evaluating and deciding where reductions could be made was a difficult task. Recognizing the tremendous positive environmental impact the Florida Green Lodging Program is achieving, it was determined that reducing program operating costs versus eliminating the program would allow DEP to continue assisting the hospitality industry in its conservation efforts.” Thankfully the program was spared but I sympathize with Deas Bohn, director of sustainable initiatives at the Florida DEP. She will be the only full-timer running the program.

What has just happened in Florida should be a warning to any green lodging program dependent on government funding. Programs can be cut and will be cut when times get tough. I recently spoke about green lodging certification programs at an event in Boston. At the end of my presentation I read a list of questions one should ask when considering participation in a program. Here are a few of them: Does the organization running the program have a solid business plan? How is the organization doing financially? How many individuals are employed? What is your gut feeling? Do you get a sense that they will be around for a long time?

Mandatory On-site Audits Cut

I trust that Florida’s program will continue on but it will not be the same as it once was. As detailed in an article I wrote about the budget cuts, an on-site audit will no longer be a requirement for certification. Only “selected facility assessments” will be done. Certification programs can certainly function without a mandatory on-site audit but the absence of one will weaken Florida’s program. Nothing can replace having an expert at your property to help you with your green initiatives and to verify that you are doing what you say you are doing.

After what just happened in Florida, one has to wonder if there are better ways to fund state green lodging programs. Perhaps a “pay to play” business model would make more sense—one reasonably priced and based on the number of rooms in a property. Assuming simple changes are made to an operation (e.g., introduction of towel/linen reuse program, low-flow showerheads, compact fluorescents, etc.), one could then easily recover the dollars spent. Too much time and energy has been invested in getting programs like Florida’s up and running. All of that investment should not be jeopardized by the budget cutting of a legislature. Florida, you deserve better.

While the budget cuts impacting Florida’s Green Lodging Program may make it more difficult for Florida hoteliers to get the government help they need, it is certainly no excuse to stop making the operational changes necessary to reduce waste, save energy and conserve water. Any smart business person knows the economic benefits to going green.

What do you think? Send your thoughts to editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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