Mixed in the news this past week about mass shootings, demonstrations in Hong Kong, a congressional trip or non-trip to Israel, etc. was some very important news about our climate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that last month, July, was the hottest month on record for the planet. NOAA has been keeping records for the last 140 years. The year-to-date temperature for 2019 tied with 2017 as the second warmest January-July on record. During July, Arctic sea ice loss occurred at an average rate of 40,800 square miles per day, surpassing the 1981-2010 average of 33,500 square miles. Antarctic sea ice extent was 260,000 square miles—4.3 percent below the 1981-2010 average and was the smallest July extent in the 41-year record.
Contrary to what one political leader has called a hoax, climate change is real and having a significant impact today in many ways—heat waves, intense storms that destroy resorts and wipe out tourism, ocean acidification and coral reef loss, biodiversity loss, wildlife extinction, wild fires, disease growth, dirtier air, and higher death rates. Nearly seven in 10 Americans understand that climate change is happening, according to an April survey from Yale University and George Mason University. Those people are your customers.
Climate change has the potential to dramatically impact the way we live, travel and build hotels—especially hotels in coastal areas. Since 1900, sea level has risen by 7 inches. It is projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. According to The Future, the village of Happisburgh, on the east coast of the United Kingdom, is falling into the sea. A local church, once a mile from the beach, is now a 150-yard walk from the edge. This is just one example of coastal disappearance.
Where Do You Stand on the Topic?
What kind of stance has your company taken on climate change? Have you issued any formal statements? Have you incorporated climate change mitigation into your business plan for the coming years and decades? What investments have you made or are you planning to reduce your company or property’s carbon impact?
I give our industry a lot of credit for acknowledging and reacting to climate change. The International Tourism Partnership, for example, with 15 leading hotel companies as members (Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, Hilton, etc.), says it “embraces the ambition of science-based targets and encourages the wider industry to join its collaboration to develop carbon reductions at scale.”
ITP’s research indicates that the hotel industry must reduce its absolute carbon emissions by 66 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050 to stay within the 2˚C threshold of the COP21 Paris Climate Agreement; this is a quantifiable “science-based target”. Is our industry doing enough?
As serious as the threat of climate change is, there are still many companies in our industry that have been timid in their responses to it. Our industry’s leading associations have also not been vocal enough about it. Visit the AHLA website and you will find no formal statement on climate change. Similarly, it is not an AAHOA policy agenda item. One really must wonder if our industry will meet its 2030 target without a total industrywide effort and strong leadership throughout.
I will certainly continue to do what I can to push the industry forward. Your thoughts? I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Green Lodging News Welcomes FlatWareSaver to Product Directory
Green Lodging News welcomes FlatWareSaver to its Green Product & Service Directory. FlatwareSaver effectively prevents flatware, ramekins, and other valuables from accidentally entering the trash. The Original FlatwareSaver is not a magnet. It is lightweight yet durable, and operation is quick and easy. The “Original” model reduces costs between 50 and 85 percent. The FlatwareSaver contributes to sustainability by reducing both the mountains of utensils added to the world’s landfills each day and the huge amounts of pollution emitted as a result of transporting replacement items by ship, truck, train, and plane around the globe. For more information, call (877) 366-4655, e-mail mail@flatwaresaver.com, or visit www.FlatwareSaver.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 editor@greenlodgingnews.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 editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, announces the launch of Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 22,169 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 month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2019?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2019. Many excellent spots are available on our new website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2019 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 22,169. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail editor@greenlodgingnews.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,808 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 935 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
