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Publisher's Point of View

Each week, Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, will address the hottest industry topics. Sometimes hard hitting, his column will challenge the industry’s leaders to take action. At other times, he will lift up the industry’s environmental champions. “Point of View” is a column you will not want to miss. To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com

Publisher's Point of View

Home Publisher's Point of View
Each week, Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, will address the hottest industry topics. Sometimes hard hitting, his column will challenge the industry’s leaders to take action. At other times, he will lift up the industry’s environmental champions. “Point of View” is a column you will not want to miss. To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com

Don’t Throw Away Partially Used Soap & Shampoo

According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, as of 2008, there were 49,505 properties in the United States with more than 15 rooms. According to Clean the World and the Global Soap Project, organizations that both collect partially used soap for those in need, approximately 250 properties are currently participating in their donation programs—much fewer than 1 percent of those 49,505. It is clear our industry still has a lot of work to do to stop the soap waste that is sent to landfills. I first wrote about Clean the World a year ago. Based in Orlando, Fla., the...

McLennan Fascinates with Living Building Challenge at HD Expo

I just returned from the 2010 Hospitality Design Exposition and Conference. It was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. Approximately 7,000 registered for the event that featured more than 900 manufacturers and service providers. Highlights for me were Green Day—the first day of the conference—and having an opportunity to meet with so many vendors, each with their own fascinating green story to tell. If you ever want to get a sense of how the industry is faring, attending one of the annual big events is one way to do it. My conclusion after chatting...

Princeton Plus USGBC Plus CHRIE Equals Greenest Hotels Schools List?

In an effort to recognize the environmental and sustainability programs at universities and colleges across the country, The Princeton Review, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), recently released “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges.” The guide is based on a survey of hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States. The survey looked at the following: building certification using USGBC’s LEED green building certification program; environmental literacy programs; available courses; formal sustainability committees; use of renewable energy resources; recycling and conservation programs, and much more. Why should academic institutions care about sustainability? There are...

Two Hundred Columns is Just the Beginning

The trade publishing business has taken a hit in the last couple of years. Two publishing companies with lodging magazines filed for bankruptcy protection and one other one shut its lodging publication down entirely (along with 22 other magazines). That is why I feel fortunate to be celebrating my 200th newsletter this week. Yes, 200 columns. Thank you to all of you who faithfully read my publication. Thank you also to those industry suppliers who loyally support Green Lodging News. Without the support of those companies, Green Lodging News would not exist. When looking for green products and services,...

Atmosphere Uses Earth Day to Launch Adoba Eco Hotel & Suites Brand

What could be one of the biggest green hotel development stories this year is the launch of the new Adoba Eco Hotel & Suites brand. I included the article in my newsletter last week (click here for article). The brand was officially launched on Earth Day. I receive a lot of press releases on a daily basis but the one about Adoba made me stop and take a second look. As most of you know, our industry is lacking in green hotel brands—those that are truly green from the ground up. There are a few, and I have written...

LightStay Helps Reduce Hilton’s Environmental Impact, Owner Costs

Recognizing in a huge way that it cannot monitor—or improve upon—what it does not measure, Hilton Worldwide took a giant step toward reducing its environmental impact this past week with the official rollout of its LightStay program. (See article.) LightStay is an internal system used by Hilton to collect and track energy and water consumption data as well as information on paper product use, air quality, transportation, housekeeping practices and much more. Specific examples include tracking where energy-efficient lighting is installed at a property, the average flush and flow rates for faucets and urinals, and the various waste streams...

Celebrate Earth Day with Commitment to Continuous Improvement

This week, of all weeks throughout the year, is the time to unleash every bit of creativity you have when it comes to being green. Earth Day is Thursday, April 22. It will be the 40th Earth Day. Some will celebrate the entire week as Earth Week. Others are celebrating Earth Month. In the past few weeks I have heard from properties all over the world, each one detailing what they have planned for Earth Day—events such as tree plantings to community “voluntourism” opportunities to beach cleanups. I don’t know why but the movie “Oh God” came to mind as...

A Property’s ‘Sense of Place’ is Worth Rewarding

A little more than a week ago I posted an article about the launch of the Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association’s Certified Green Lodging Program (click here to read it). The program joins a growing list of city, state and regional green lodging certification programs. Those putting together the Arizona program borrowed parts of applications used in other state programs. For the most part, Arizona’s points-based system was first used in the Maine Green Lodging Certification Program. What struck me about Arizona’s program is the addition of a unique application section called “Sense of Place.” It is something I have...

Consider ‘Water’ When Formulating Your Green Cleaning Strategy

Consumer demand and demand from commercial customers have helped pressure companies like Ecolab, Procter & Gamble and The Clorox Company to green up their product lines. That is certainly good news for everyone. Meanwhile, many other smaller companies have come along to offer other green cleaning options. I have posted news about many of those products over the last few years. Type in “green cleaning” on the Green Lodging News website and 11 pages of articles are generated. It is great to have so many cleaning product choices. This past week I wrote an article about cleaning products and equipment...

Spring, Summer Packed with Conference, Trade Show Opportunities

If you are in the hunt for some spring and summer conferences and trade shows that offer an opportunity to learn about green trends, practices, products and technologies, get out your calendar and start planning your travel. There are numerous events to consider and they are all approaching quickly. Many of the events are ones we have all come to expect from year to year; others are new. Be sure to check our Events calendar for a complete list of events. From April 14 to 18, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show will be held in Chicago. Numerous educational sessions...