Let’s face it—the nature of the hotel industry as a whole is inherently wasteful. Hotel guests have expectations when traveling that, when met by the hotels, result in excessive waste. From energy and water use, to waste generation, hotel guests as a whole consume more resources when traveling than they do at home. Without conscious attention and focused efforts to reducing waste and over-consumption of natural resources, the hotel industry will continue to have a large and damaging environmental impact on the world. In evaluating this scenario, we find both good and bad news: the good news is that green lodging standards make it possible for hotels to significantly reduce the impacts of their operations; the bad news is that the vast majority of hotels have not adopted these standards. Why?
Typically the answer can be traced to one (or all) of three reasons:
Reason No. 1—The hotel executives have not recognized the impact as their responsibility.
Reason No. 2—The hotel management team believes it is too costly and/or time consuming.
Reason No. 3—The wrong hotel manager has been assigned the “task” of going green.
Let’s look at each of these reasons in detail.
Reason No. 1—Hotel executives have not recognized the impact as their responsibility. First of all, let’s make one thing clear—if you are a human, then climate change is your responsibility. To clarify, there is a big difference between fault and responsibility. You and your business may not have single-handedly caused climate change, but you are contributing to it every day. Everything we do has an impact. The question is: will the impact be positive or negative? If we go with the flow, conducting “business as usual,” we are dooming ourselves and our children’s future.
According to the U.S. EPA, worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities increased by 26 percent from 1990 to 2005. Emissions of carbon dioxide, which account for nearly 75 percent of the total, increased by 31 percent over this period (via U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). If we don’t change our ways, what will our world look like in another 25 years? What are the consequences? How do we fix this? Business leaders need to STEP UP and accept responsibility for their business’ impact. Hotel executives, managers and employees need to see that their actions today have an impact on the world.
Too Costly or Time Consuming
Reason No. 2—The hotel management team believes it is too costly and/or time consuming. This reason could be restated as, “The hotel management does not see the value of implementing green initiatives.” This seems a little farfetched considering the high costs of utilities and the all the cold, hard data regarding the ROI of retrofits (not to mention the numerous rebates and incentives available that make retrofit projects a no-brainer). Why would any intelligent manager NOT want to reduce costs and increase revenue? It must be because the methods fall outside of his/her comfort zone. I get that. But I can’t settle for that as a final answer. If green projects, procedures and markets fall outside of your comfort zone, then it is time to stretch yourself. You don’t have to get a green MBA, you just need to widen your scope of vision and be willing to learn. Ultimately, our lives do depend on it (if not our own lives, the lives of future generations), so the value is undeniable. In the end, the time invested will reap tangible benefits that go directly to your triple bottom line: financial, social and environmental.
Reason No. 3—The wrong hotel manager has been assigned the “task” of going green. Typically, this “task” has been assigned to one person—the chief engineer. Seems like a logical choice for the job, right? Well, the problem here is twofold—this is NOT a one-person endeavor; and the typical hotel chief of engineering is usually known for his uncanny ability to fix things and keep the building running smoothly, not necessarily for his inspiring personality or his unwavering commitment to organization. (Please forgive me if this stereotype has offended anyone—there is no “one size fits all” description of a hotel chief of engineering!)
While the hotel’s chief of engineering is a major player in ensuring the success of your green initiatives, he/she is not necessarily the best choice for the green team champion. Your green team leader must be organized, committed to the cause, and be respected as a leader among your employees. This person must be able to execute an action plan by holding all managers accountable for carrying out their assigned tasks, and must do it in such a way as to encourage continuous improvement and ongoing commitment. This person must be passionate about the cause, enthusiastically communicate expectations, effectively delegate assignments, and hold teammates accountable for action.
Green Should Become Part of Everyone’s Job
Some hotel executives might examine these three reasons, recognize their validity, feel motivated to take action, but still feel unprepared to successfully move forward. If this is you, don’t lose heart—you are not alone. In fact, you are to be commended for running an efficient operation where the balance of manpower does not allow for lots of extra “free time” for projects. And, yes, implementing green policies and procedures for the first time is a project—after implementation, however, it is a company culture and a way of life—it becomes a part of everyone’s job.
Getting started is always the hardest part, but it is also the key to the vehicle that will start you on the journey. A personal trainer commented, “The hardest part of your workout is often the five minutes you spend debating whether or not to do it. Once you get started, you are so glad you did.” This truth can also be applied to business sustainability efforts. Once you begin, you will build momentum, you’ll start to see results, and you will wonder what took you so long to get going!
Julie A. Baylor, CHA LEED GA, Julie Baylor Hospitality Consulting, can be reached at julie.baylor@hotmail.com.
