Home Kitchen & Laundry Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. Wraps Up ‘Lodging Forecast: Green’ Conference

Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. Wraps Up ‘Lodging Forecast: Green’ Conference

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COLUMBUS, OHIO—The Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. (OH&LA) held its annual conference on Monday, November 19 in Columbus. Approximately 400 attendees met at the Hilton Columbus at Easton to learn about green industry trends and how to simultaneously save energy, water and improve profitability. The theme for the event was “Lodging Forecast: Green” and featured speakers including Joe McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA), and Chris Lane, v.p. environmental affairs for Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

McInerney was the keynote speaker during the luncheon. He commended OH&LA for its focus on environmental issues and revealed some news that could have a long-term impact on the entire U.S. lodging industry. He said AH&LA’s Engineering & Environment committee met on October 16 and formed three sub-committees to take a look at the following issues: the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program and how to make it more amenable to lodging; the establishment of a third-party, AAA- or Mobil-like green hotel certification process; and green meetings. (More details on these initiatives will be available soon on Green Lodging News.)

In his presentation on “Environmental Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry,” Chris Lane discussed why it is so important for the industry to become more sustainable. The decline in the availability of petroleum is one good reason, he said. Whereas there once was 3 trillion barrels of oil available, there is now just 1 trillion. Air pollution, deforestation, and species extinction were other reasons cited. Lane spent most of his time highlighting the many things Xanterra is doing to operate more efficiently and reduce its environmental impact.

Xanterra’s 10-Year Sustainability Goals

Xanterra set 10-year goals to increase the average miles per gallon of its vehicles to 35, decrease greenhouse gases by 30 percent, divert 50 percent of its solid waste from landfills and decrease water consumption by 25 percent. Offering advice on how to save energy and reduce costs, Lane said “lighting is the biggest slam dunk ever.”

“When you retrofit lighting with fluorescents, it is guaranteed you will increase your profits,” he said.

Lane mentioned the benefits of using variable speed hood control systems in kitchens, energy misers for vending machines, programmable thermostats, efficient hand dryers, combined heat and power systems, ground source heat pumps, and solar power. Xanterra recently announced that it will install one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems in the country—and the largest system in the U.S. tourism industry—in Death Valley National Park, the sunniest place in the country.

Xanterra’s “ecologix suites” also were highlighted. These suites, located at Zion Lodge in Utah’s Zion National Park, are designed to go beyond the widely accepted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for certification. The rooms include the following: sustainable bamboo floor entryway, recycled content carpet, dual-flush toilets, filtered drinking water faucets, organic bamboo or organic cotton sheets, all-natural biodegradable soap, shampoos and moisturizer, organic coffee and tea, key card-activated lighting controls, and more. At the session, Lane made copies of Xanterra’s 2008 Environmental Sustainability Report available to attendees.

Informative Laundry Presentation

Michael Conley, a laundry specialist with Belenky, Inc., Akron, Ohio, provided a “laundry” list of ways to save energy, water, chemicals and ultimately the environment, in hotel laundries.

“Making hot water has more environmental cost than anything you do in your laundry,” Conley said.

He emphasized the importance of selecting equipment that is sized properly. An average guestroom generates 12 pounds of towels and linens per day, and those rooms with duvets and triple-sheeting, 15 to 18 pounds.

“The more you can program the washer, the better,” Conley said. “The more water you can take out of what you are washing, the better.”

The importance of preventive maintenance was emphasized. A leaking unit can easily lose 5 gallons per hour, which ultimately will cost a hotel $720 per month in higher water and heating bills. Conley also stressed the need for employees to weigh laundry before it is loaded. Oftentimes, equipment is started without a full load. Warm or cold water can usually be used for most unsoiled linens and most drying can be done in 40 minutes or less, he said. When hot water and chemical use is minimized, the impact on the environment is less and energy costs can be better controlled.

“The cost of natural gas was 16 cents per therm in 1998,” Conley said. “The average now in the Midwest is $1.35 per therm.”

Conley, whose company sells ozone laundry equipment, touted the advantages of these types of systems. They can cut hot water use by up to 90 percent, reduce chemical consumption, reduce overall water consumption, and add useful oxygen to water entering the sewage system.

“If you wash in ozone, you will never smell bleach,” said Conley, who added that an ozone system for a 60-pound washing machine will cost about $10,000 but have a payback of about 18 months.

Conley also discussed the advantages of using water reuse systems in the laundry, as well as 99.8 percent efficient hot water systems.

Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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