Everyone in a purchasing position shops based on price. Very easy. Not so easy is shopping based on the sustainability of a product and the sustainable practices of the company that makes it. That could soon change if the newly launched Hospitality Sustainable Consortium is successful in creating a Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI). Led by MindClick SGM, the Consortium is in the process of creating the Index that will score the corporate social responsibility, environmental, and product sustainability performance of suppliers—first suppliers of furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) and then focusing on operating supplies and equipment (OS&E). I...

I had an opportunity this past week to chat with Karen Avery, co-owner with her husband Richard of the Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs in Ouray, Colo. While writing an article about the lodge (click here for article), an image of Jed Clampett came to mind. And no I am not crazy. For those of you old enough to remember, Jed Clampett was a character in The Beverly Hillbillies, a TV show that ran from 1962 to 1971. In the beginning of every episode, the theme song would play and show Jed hunting for some critter. Jed would...

Approximately two and one-half years ago, in the fall of 2008, the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, a coalition of 27 organizations representing the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, released the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC Criteria). The GSTC Criteria were developed as part of an initiative led by the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations Foundation, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The GSTC Criteria are comprised of 37 voluntary standards in four categories: Sustainable Management, Social/Economic, Cultural Heritage, and Environment (click here for details). The GSTC Criteria were developed to offer a...

This past week was a busy one with a visit to Las Vegas for the Hospitality Design Expo and Conference. Preceding the event was Green Day, an afternoon filled with experts chatting about trends in sustainable development and design. Be sure to check out our coverage from Green Day (see article). I spent most of my time spent at the Expo walking the trade show floor, reconnecting with industry friends and visiting with representatives of companies in attendance for the first time. It was exciting to see so many new vendors offering green products. It would be impossible to...

Leather has long been used in our industry for furniture, wall and floor surfaces, and other design elements. Looking at the leather industry as a whole, only a small portion of leather produced ever ends up in a hotel. Most leather is used for shoes, hand bags, in the automobile industry, etc. Even though the purchase of leather pales in comparison to carpeting or mattresses in a hotel, it should be considered carefully. Historically, the tanning of leather has been a very dirty one because of the improper use of chromium—a toxic heavy metal. Lax environmental regulations here in the...

It was almost exactly a year ago that the Cumberland River’s waters knocked on the doors of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville and “Tennessee Waltzed” right in. That flooding closed down the almost 2,900-room hotel until this past November. A total of $270 million was spent on the landmark property’s renovation. Just a few weeks before the flood, Andy Mims was hired as Gaylord Entertainment’s vice president of sustainability. Mims was charged with formalizing Gaylord’s sustainability initiatives—a long list of green steps now known officially as GET Green (GET is Gaylord Entertainment’s ticker symbol on...

I spoke with one of my clients this past week about social networking—Facebook, Twitter, etc. We, like everyone else in business, are still experimenting with social networking sites, trying to find the best way to use them to not only communicate but also drive traffic to our own websites and generate new revenue. Green Lodging News was recently asked to be part of a new social networking website for travel and other topics. I spent quite a bit of time setting up my community. I backed off however, when after numerous attempts, the organization would not return e-mails or...

Four is one helluva skinny number—the number of U.S organizations that have signed the tourism Code of Conduct (The Code), according to the code.org website. Four if you count Hilton Worldwide (see article), which recently signed The Code to demonstrate their commitment against the commercial sexual exploitation of children. For those of you not familiar with The Code, it is a travel industry driven responsible tourism initiative funded by UNICEF, run by ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) and supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The Code is aimed...

In my travels I have stayed at many hotels that use disposable tableware in their breakfast areas. I have never felt comfortable tossing bowls, cups, plates and utensils in the trash. I am sure there are those who believe it is good business to use disposables. If you use them, what is your reasoning? To save on labor? Water? Energy? I spoke with Steve Mogck, executive vice president and COO, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, this past week about his company’s decision to replace environment-unfriendly disposables with their washable counterparts in all 500 Country Inns & Suites by...

I spoke with Ryan Trainer, president of the International Sleep Products Assn. (ISPA) this past week about mattress recycling. It is a huge issue in our industry and throughout the world but one Trainer said his organization does not want to “take an ownership interest in.” I really don’t blame ISPA at all; getting a glove on mattress recycling is a gargantuan task. I contacted several of the leading mattress manufacturers also, wondering if they provide mattress recycling services for their customers. They all said no. One company spokesman said his company conducted a trial recycling program with one...