SUSTAINABLE LODGING
Session 12
The environmentally conscious companies are not only helping to
avoid further environmental degradation but are also saving
themselves money while being good corporate citizens
Ecoefficiency, also generally termed green, is based on the concept of
creating more goods and services while using fewer resources and
creating less waste and pollution.
Ecoefficiency helps hotels provide better service with fewer
resources; reducing the materials and energy-intensity of goods
and services lowers the hotel’s ecological impact and improves the
bottom line
A Model for the
Implementation of Sustainable
Lodging Practices
Triple Bottom Line or 3P
Approach
PEOPLE PLANET PROFIT
IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT ECOLOGICAL AND
SOCIETAL PERFORMANCE IN ADDITION TO
FINANCIAL.
TODAY, QUANTIFIABLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
INCLUDE CONSUMPTION OF FINITE RESOURCES,
ENERGY USAGE, WATER QUALITY AND
AVAILABILITY, AND POLLUTION EMITTED. SOCIAL
IMPACTS INCLUDE COMMUNITY HEALTH, EMPLOYEE
AND GUEST SAFETY, EDUCATION QUALITY, AND
DIVERSITY.
BEING GREEN IS ALSO FINANCIALLY GOOD FOR
CERTIFIED PROPERTIES. BY SAVING ENERGY AND
WATER, REDUCING WASTE, AND ELIMINATING TOXIC
CHEMICALS, GREEN PROPERTIES LOWER THEIR
OPERATING COSTS, WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO
PROVIDE ENHANCED SERVICES TO THEIR GUESTS
AND A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT FOR BOTH THEIR
GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES
REDUCING ENERGY NEEDS BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:
INSTALLING MOTION SENSORS IN PUBLIC AREAS AND
OCCUPANCY SENSORS IN GUESTROOMS
INSTALLING ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHTING, DIMMERS,
AND TIMERS TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION
INSTALLING LED (LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE) EXIT SIGNS
INSTALLING ENERGY STAR APPLIANCES
INCREASING BUILDING INSULATION USING NATURAL
DAY LIGHTING WHENEVER POSSIBLE
TIGHTENING THE PROPERTY SHELL, WITH
ADDED/BETTER INSULATION, ELIMINATING LEAKS,
REPLACING WINDOWS
CONSERVING WATER BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:
INSTALLING AERATORS ON FAUCETS
INSTALLING WATER DIVERTERS ON EXISTING TOILETS
OR
INSTALLING LOW-FLOW TOILETS
INSTALLING LOW-FLOW SHOWERHEADS
IMPLEMENTING TOWEL AND LINEN REUSE PROGRAMS
LANDSCAPING WITH NATIVE PLANTS
USING TIMERS/MOISTURE SENSORS IN LANDSCAPE
WATERING
CHANGING LAWN WATERING TO ENCOURAGE DEEPER
ROOT GROWTH
REDUCING WASTE BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:
PROVIDING RECYCLING AREAS FOR
GUESTS AND STAFF
PURCHASING POSTCONSUMER RECYCLED
PAPER AND BUYING IN BULK
SERVING MEALS WITH CLOTH NAPKINS AND
REUSABLE CHINA AND DINNERWARE
USING REFILLABLE SOAP/SHAMPOO
DISPENSERS IN BATHROOMS
RECYCLING USABLE FURNITURE AND
OTHER ITEMS AT “DUMP STORES” OR
THROUGH CHARITY
REUSING OLD TOWELS AND LINENS AS
CLEANING RAGS
ASKING VENDORS TO MINIMIZE PACKAGING
RECYCLING COOKING GREASE
COMPOSTING FOOD AND LAWN WASTE
REDUCINGHAZARDOUS WASTE BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:
PROPERLY DISPOSING OF FLUORESCENT
LIGHTING, COMPUTERS,
AND OTHER ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
PARTICIPATING IN LOCAL HAZARDOUS
WASTE COLLECTION DAYS
USING LOW-VOC (VOLATILE ORGANIC
COMPOUND) PAINTS,
CARPETS, AND GLUES
USING RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES
USING ENERGY-EFFICIENT SHUTTLE VANS
USING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
CLEANING PRODUCTS
Greening
the Guestroom
Give guests an option to have the towels and
linens changed every other day, or less
frequently, rather than every day. Surveys have
shown that more than 90 percent
of guests like the option
Encourage staff to close drapes and
turn off lights and air conditioning when
rooms are unoccupied.
Install water-efficient fixtures, such as
showerheads, aerators, and lowflow
toilets in each room.
Use refillable soap and shampoo
dispensers.
Encourage guests to recycle by
providing clearly marked recycling bins
for cans, bottles, and newspapers
¨Install energy-efficient lighting fixtures
in each room.
Compact fluorescent fixtures can be
screwed into many existing lamps and
ceiling fixtures. To prevent theft, many
hotels are installing new fixtures
with compact fluorescent lamps
hardwired into the fixture.
¨Consider purchasing Energy Star–
labeled TV s and other
energy-efficient appliances.
¨Clean rooms with environmental
cleaners to improve
indoor air quality and reduce emissions
of VOCs.
¨Use placards in the room to inform your
guests about
your green efforts. Why not tell them a
hotel can save 13.5 gallons of fresh
water by choosing not to replace bath
towels and linen daily?
¨Use an opt-out approach to linen and
towel reuse (this
can save a 250-room hotel more than
$15,000 per year).
