When I was a child, I could not watch enough cartoons. I am dating myself here but Bugs Bunny, The Road Runner, The Flintstones and Popeye were some of my favorites. My childhood obsession with The Three Stooges? That’s fodder for another column (woo woo woo). Animated characters, whether on screen or in “real life,” fascinate children and sometimes adults, too (Avatar comes to mind). In the last year I have come across three examples of properties using themed, costumed characters to teach kids about environmental issues. I think what they are doing is fantastic. The first property is the...

For a long time I have wondered how the various green lodging certification programs address the smoking/nonsmoking issue. After a bit of research over the past few weeks, I found out. (See article.) What I really wanted to know was whether or not any programs require that a facility be 100 percent nonsmoking in order to be certified (there are two, maybe three). I also wanted to know what programs ask about the makeup of a property’s room mix when it comes to smoking/nonsmoking rooms (not many ask at all). I know there are those who believe there are...

Lodging establishments around the world will participate in two global events in the next two months: Earth Hour and Earth Day. Earth Hour is a World Wildlife Fund initiative and will take place on March 27 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour to show their support for action on climate change. The event began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. In 2008, more than 50 million people, including many hoteliers, participated. In 2009, hundreds of millions of people...

I just returned from the Sustainable Meetings Conference in Denver. It is an annual event organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). I had attended the conference two previous years. This year’s event was the most exciting of the three for several reasons. First of all, the turnout for this year’s event was strong for a GMIC event—approximately 250—and up significantly from last year when the event was held in Pittsburgh during the worst of the recession. Second, it is clear that GMIC has found a business plan that works—developing chapters to build membership. Over the last two...

In the current green hotel building world, the equivalent of an Academy Award (an Oscar) would have to be LEED Platinum—the top level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification offered by the U.S. Green Building Council for new and existing buildings. Until now, only one hotel in the United States had earned LEED Platinum—the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C. The Proximity was awarded its honor in October 2008. Phil Sherburne, owner of the Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant and Spa in Yountville, Calif., just announced that his property is the second in the United States to have earned...

I have always kind of wondered about the seriousness of the commitment of the leading online travel agencies (OTAs) in regard to promoting green lodging establishments. In the past when I have gone to their websites in an attempt to try to find the properties, I have been unsuccessful or at least had a difficult time in locating a link for more information. (Perhaps that is why the OTAs call their green sites “microsites”—so small nobody can find them.) To some degree the green hotel sections are still difficult to find, as I describe in the article written this...

In late November I wrote a column (click here) asking readers whether or not their properties’ AAA Diamond ratings had ever been affected negatively by their green initiatives. I received a number of responses—some said their green initiatives had not been impacted while others said their ratings had been affected. I was prompted to ask readers this question because I had heard a number of times from hoteliers, innkeepers and vendors that AAA inspectors sometimes had issues with what would be considered green products or programs. To clear up any confusion out there about what a property may or may...

Dryers are evil. Well, not quite, but they account for nearly 70 percent of all energy consumption in the laundry. You should do all you can to minimize the amount of time your towels and linens spend in them—not only to reduce energy consumption but to also prolong towel and linen life (and the life of duvets, robes, etc). Makers of washer-extractors agree. In conducting research for an article on washer-extractors (click here for article) I learned just how much suppliers have done to reduce required drying time—primarily through advanced controls technology and stronger mechanical spin power (G-force). Suppliers...

Happy new year! I hope that you had a relaxing holiday. I just returned from a week of vacation in Florida and it was great to see so many hotels doing so well. Here’s hoping that trend continues this year. The last couple of years certainly have not been easy for our industry, with an energy price spike followed by one of the worst recessions in U.S. history. For many the recession is far from over and that is why our industry’s experts are predicting only a modest recovery this year with better things to come in 2011 and...

If you are hesitant to purchase an environmentally advantageous product for all of your guestrooms, why not test it in just one guestroom? Better yet, place all of the green products you wish to test in that room and ask your guests what they think. That is what the Best Western Philadelphia Airport South at Widener University intends to do in January. Since the 60-room property opened a year ago, management, with student and staff support from Widener University, have been putting together what they call their Eco-Pro Room (short for Ecological Prototype). It includes items such as a shower...