CONCORD, N.H.—The New England-wide Eco-Hospitality Expo is less than a month away. The New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association will host the event scheduled for April 14 at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua, N.H. The expo will be the first of its kind in New Hampshire and for New England. It will focus on advancing green initiatives and sustainability practices, raising environmental consciousness and promoting eco-tourism throughout the hospitality industry in New England.
Through NHLRA’s Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program, NHLRA has seen the impact the hospitality industry can have on valuable natural resources. Therefore, its members decided to bring New England hospitality professionals together with companies that provide eco-friendly products and services to encourage learning, discussion and leadership.
The expo will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include time for networking, visiting with exhibitors and attending educational sessions. The sessions will focus on “Green Meetings and Conferences,” “Marketing Your Greening Efforts and Addressing the Forgotten Piece of Sustainable Travel: Sense of Place,” “Food Purchasing: Making Sustainable Decisions,” “Addressing Energy Issues in Hospitality,” “Reducing Your Waste,” “Indoor Air Quality,” “Starting a Green Program at Your Property,” and “Innovators in Sustainability.”
Focus on Green Meetings
The green meetings session will feature an overview of existing and future government requirements for green meetings and will include presentations about facilities currently providing green meeting programs and menus. Speakers will include Rob Guillemin, Office of Assistance and Pollution Prevention, EPA Region 1, and Matt Moore, Director of Rooms and Sustainability Programs, Seaport Hotel. Rauni Kew, Marketing Director, Inn by the Sea, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, will lead the marketing seminar and offer suggestions on how to better promote a property’s “sense of place.”
At the food purchasing seminar, participants will discuss their background and experiences related to sustainable purchasing, developing local menus, creating a network of suppliers, as well as discuss the challenges and rewards they’ve experienced in the process of these initiatives. Leigh Bellanger, Chefs Collaborative, will be one of the panelists. Anne Karcmarczyk, Public Service of New Hampshire, Phil Coupe, ReVision Energy, and Steve Epstein, USDA Rural Development, will address energy issues such as auditing, utility rebate programs, solar applications, and renewable energy financing.
Eva Christensen, Earthtenders, and Mariah Roberts, Beach Pea Baking, in the seminar on food waste reduction, will address how one can transform organic waste into valuable compost for landscaping, educate and inspire staff to reduce waste, and promote a greening initiative to customers. At the session on indoor air quality, Dan Ruben, Boston Green Tourism, Don Rivard, Rivard’s Resources IPM, and Bill Scherer, Clean Green Solutions, LLC will discuss how to reduce guest and staff exposure to toxic products—specifically cleaning and pest control products.
Pat Maher, Maher Associates, will review the 11 steps the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. is recommending hotels take to become more eco-friendly. He will do so in the “Starting a Green Program at Your Property” session. In the “Innovators in Sustainability” seminar, Stacey Doll, Mt. Washington Resort, will be one of the panelists who will share their experiences in taking a leadership role in sustainable hospitality.
Individuals who are interested in attending the Expo should contact the NHLRA for more information at (603) 228-9585, or by visiting www.NEecohospitalityexpo.com.
