I recently wrote an article about the Olas Verdes Hotel in Playa Guiones, Costa Rica. One of the things that impressed me most about the property—aside from the fact that it had earned LEED Platinum—was how its trees and plants were purposely not cut down during construction. The property is an easy walk to the beach and could have had a great view of the ocean but the trees and plants were intentionally left in place to block that view. How attentive were you to tree and plant preservation when you built your property?
Mankind has done a terrible job taking care of trees on this planet. Since man started chopping trees down, the Earth has lost about half of its trees. Rainforests once covered about 14 percent of the planet; now they cover only 6 percent. If not protected, rainforests could be gone in 40 years.
I was thinking about trees this past week when writing my article about two organizations that sell carbon offsets that support tree planting programs. Be sure to read that article. The first organization featured in my article is the Arbor Day Foundation. They do incredible work and have planted somewhere around 300 million trees. Perhaps you even live in a city that has earned the Foundation’s Tree City USA designation.
Carbon Neutral Program
The Foundation offers a Carbon Neutral Program for hotels whereby hoteliers and/or guests can purchase carbon offsets to support the planting of trees. A carbon offset is a credit that is purchased to negate carbon emissions. One carbon credit is equal to 1 metric ton of carbon emissions. “Typically, it is less than a dollar per roomnight,” says Jared Carlson, Director, Innovation & Business Development, the Arbor Day Foundation. “It can be as high as $2 per roomnight.” The offset program is typically offered to guests upon check-in. Carlson says one hotel participating in the program has a 17 percent participation rate.
The funds donated of course go toward the planting of trees. The Arbor Day Foundation is currently working with GreenTrees, its carbon offset partner, as well as other public and private partners to reforest areas of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee—primarily within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.
The second organization featured in my article is LivClean Corp. Through its EcoStay Certified Program, it provides a way for hotels to purchase offsets that also support the planting of trees. Its newest project is a 55-hectare piece of designated land close to Edmonton, Alberta. The project is owned by LivClean and is called the EcoStay Motherland Forest. Trees are currently being planted there as part of a reforestation effort. According to LivClean, the planting is exclusively supported by hospitality and is one of the first in Canada to be awarded Gold Standard certification for environmental projects and transparency.
The EcoStay Motherland Forest
Christina deVries, President, LivClean Corp. & EcoStay Program, said the EcoStay Motherland Forest will include a planting that, when seen from above—even outer space—will have the shape of a turtle. Bill Helin, an aboriginal artist, was commissioned to design the turtle. The Forest will be complete with a motorist rest stop, walking path and educational signage about the project and its role in easing greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and the interaction of First Nations people with nature. Guests can take part in virtual tree planting while being recognized personally as they name their tree. The Forest will even include a live webcam and guests can post to Facebook and Twitter, sharing their tree planting with friends.
Hotels participating in carbon offsetting to support the Forest ask guests to pay an extra one or two dollars per night, or just increase room rate accordingly. LivClean, which also provides ways to support other types of programs through offsetting, has plans to add a forest planting project in the United States—probably in Texas. With all of its programs, EcoStay has had more than 3.5 million participating guests so far.
There are other organizations that support tree planting. The Arbor Day Foundation and LivClean are two, however, that have customized programs for hotels. Whichever organization you work with, be sure to get your guests and associates involved. Partnering with a local school on a tree planting project is also a great idea.
If you have gotten involved in a tree planting project and would like to share your story, advice or lessons learned, contact me at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Green Lodging News Adds Henkel as Directory Partner
Green Lodging News welcomes Henkel as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. With Henkel’s Dial Eco-Smart Amenity Dispensing system, hospitality establishments can reduce their plastic waste by up to 90 percent and their costs by at least 50 percent. The Dial Eco-Smart amenity line helps businesses be more profitable and more sustainable, while providing guests the confidence that comes from using the Dial soap brand. Henkel is currently offering a six room free trial. Contact Attila Juhasz at Attila.Juhasz@henkel.com or (480) 754-6415. Also see www.dialprofessional.com.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Planning Advertising for 2016?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2016. Many excellent spots are available on the website, in the weekly e-mail newsletter, and Green Lodging Survey. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2016 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
