Home Publisher's Point of View

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

A Habit Worth Breaking? The Use of Toilet Paper Made from Trees

While researching for my article on toilet paper (TP) made from bamboo and bamboo and sugar cane this past week, I thought of the articles I have posted in the past on whether paper towels or hand dryers are the better option in public restrooms. Why so? In both cases there are stakeholders wanting to stand their ground in support of what they sell. In the bamboo TP scenario, you have the entrepreneurs who make bamboo toilet paper stating that the making of traditional TP results in the destruction of tens of thousands of trees each day. Makers of traditional...

Host Hotels & Resorts, a Heating Planet, Legionnaire’s Disease & More

A number of items of note this past week. First, I posted the promised article on Host Hotels & Resorts, based on my interview with Michael Chang, Vice President of Energy and Sustainability for the company. Be sure to give it a read. Second, scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that 2023 was the world’s hottest on record. Averaged across last year, temperatures worldwide were 1.48 degrees Celsius, or 2.66 Fahrenheit higher than they were in 1850. (Records began in 1850.) The amount of heat stored in the upper layers of the ocean also reached a...

Host Hotels & Resorts Resets Goals with Eye Toward Net Positivity

I had an opportunity to interview Michael Chang, Vice President of Energy and Sustainability for Host Hotels & Resorts this past week. Be sure to watch for the article soon on Green Lodging News. A little more than seven years ago, I featured Michael in the Personnel Profile section of my site and have frequently posted about Host Hotels & Resorts since. For those of you not familiar with Host, it is a Bethesda, Md.-based Real Estate Investment Trust with a portfolio of 77 hotels with 42,000 rooms in the top 20 U.S. markets. Notably, Host owns the New York...

A Quick Snapshot of the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative

Over the years the events industry has agreed upon several versions of steps it should take to reduce the environmental impact of events. On December 11 at ExCeL London, the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) initiative published seven best practice guidance and methodology documents to aid the global events industry in reducing carbon emissions and achieving net-zero goals. The documents range from 12 to 93 pages in length and include links to many helpful resources. Be sure to review these documents and support the efforts behind them. The seven documents include: Smart Production & Waste Management Guidance—This document is divided into...

The Top 10 Most Read Articles Posted in 2023

In Green Lodging News’ 18th year, 2023, there were many important articles published. The following are the Top 10 most read articles that were posted in 2023. 1. Car Free Las Catalinas Announces Completion of Beach Town Neighborhood. In 2006, the innovators behind a car-free town aspired to create a better way of life connecting people to nature in a place where 1,000 acres of a 1,200-acre property would remain undeveloped as a tropical dry forest reserve. After 16 years of planning and construction, that vision is now a reality with the completion of the neighborhood of Beach Town in...

Sensor Technology Makes Catching, Documenting Guestroom Smoking Easy

Growing up, it was common for my father to have a couple of his buddies over for a card game. Sometimes I would join them. My father and his friends would all be smoking like chimneys. When my father joined the air force during World War II, the military gave enlisted men cigarettes for free. (Today I wonder, sarcastically of course, whose side the military was on.) Eventually, our ceiling turned quite dark from the toxins. Maybe you had a similar experience as a child. Today, when I travel, I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke in hotels. My wife...

Two Industry Examples of a Giving Spirit Throughout the Year

Each day I receive a newsletter from the Good News Network highlighting the good news of the day. There could easily be a hospitality version of this newsletter given the volume of news I receive about hotel companies doing great things in their communities and around the world. The heart of our industry is big and that is one of the main reasons I have stayed in it for so many years. Compassion and giving are not just a holiday thing but something that happens year-round. It is ingrained in the DNA of so many companies. I try to post...

‘Lawn Care Goes Electric’ Report Makes Case for Giving Up Toxic Liquid Fuels

Here in Florida, I know too well the sound and fury of the gas-powered lawn mower and other gas-powered lawn equipment. Fortunately, we have hit the dry season, and it will be quiet for a while. In a new report entitled, “Lawn Care Goes Electric,” the authors address the problems associated with gas-powered mowers and other equipment and highlight the advantages of their electric counterparts. Be sure to give the report a read. In the report’s Executive Summary, the authors get right to the problem of gas-powered mowers. “The inefficient engines in gasoline-powered lawn equipment can emit as much pollution...

A Few Nuggets from My Annual Visit to Boutique Design New York

I attended Boutique Design New York (BDNY) this past week. As usual, the folks behind the trade show and conference—Emerald Expositions—did a great job putting together the event. The trade show floor included about 650 exhibitors and that was the highlight for me—speaking with the exhibitors, learning about their cool products, and hearing the stories behind the products. Numerous exhibitors said the quality of the traffic to their booths was strong—a reflection of the post-pandemic strength of our industry. The number of green or “greener” products has increased significantly in recent years and that was reflected on the show floor....

A ‘Simple’ Fix to Dryer Lint Issues That Can Easily Snowball

I never knew laundry dryer lint could create so much havoc, but it makes a lot of sense and if you have an on-premise laundry, you understand better than I do. The lint dust easily spreads, causing a cleaning and indoor air quality issue. Each lint screen needs to be cleaned daily or more and if the lint is exhausted on your rooftop or other problematic spot it can be sucked right back in by your HVAC system. Hardened lint on HVAC coils is not what you want to see. If lint is not removed in a timely manner, it...