Is Your Hotel Green? Tips for Making Your Hotel Eco-Friendly
Written by Madiha Boolani,Four Green Steps
Green Hotels not only help save resources but also save money in the process! It reduces energy and water bills as well as decreases costs in disposing off wastage. According to a recent study conducted by Cornell University 90% of all respondents were willing to pay a premium at green restaurants and hotels. Hence being green provides hotels with a profitable differentiating factor. Furthermore it increases the long term value of the property and hence the owners can demand a higher price when the property is sold since the value is enhanced by lower utility bills per square foot, healthier aspects and owner care.
Ways hotels can make their business more eco-friendly:
Fill your hotel with organic, sustainable and vegan products and furniture (Shop our Green Marketplace for an endless supply of items)
Implement a towel and linens reuse program. Research at Cornell University has shown that putting information cards which have statements such as "75% of the guests who stayed in this room (#xxx) participated in our new resource savings program by using their towels more than once. You can join your fellow guests in this program to help save the environment by reusing your towels during your stay" have been found to be more effective as compared to simply telling guests to reuse their towels.
Recycle stained tablecloths into napkins, and aprons. You can also make cloth laundry bags from old sheets.
Adopt a nonsmoking policy for the entire hotel.
Provide guestroom recycle baskets and bins for newspaper, white paper, glass products, aluminum cans, cardboard, and plastics. Provide recycling bins in public areas.
Use fluorescent lights instead of incandescent bulbs. Install devices that power down heating and cooling systems when guests leave the room.
Adopt the use of nontoxic cleaners by housekeepers. Adopt other cleaning practices such as cleaning the windows with vinegar instead of chemicals.
Dispense shampoo and soap from large containers instead of disposable plastic bottles.
Offer guests walking maps and information on public transportation.
Provide bicycles to guests for sight-seeing excursions
Use electric or battery operated lawnmowers. Use a mulcher to chop up the garden clippings to make your own mulch. Ban the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer. Use only organic products on the lawn and garden. Use 'Gray' water from the showers and sinks for ponds and landscaping. Compost food waste and use it as fertilizer.Use solar panels or wind mills to power the hotel on renewable energy. Use energy efficient ceiling fans and lights
If the hotel is located close to a sea, filter all waste into composting unit in order to eliminate septic tank.
Design and plan the hotel in such a way to protect the natural surroundings. Preserve the property in as much of a natural state as possible. Plant trees and flowers.
Use recycled and reclaimed materials in construction of hotel.
Create an organically-grown vegetable garden for the restaurant.
If the hotel has a pool and/or hot tub, install a solar water heating system and use pool and hot tub covers when the pool area is closed.
Use recycled paper and pens with soy ink. Use recycled paper products that are either unbleached or bleached using a chlorine free process. (brochures, menus, comment cards, stationery products)
Stock mini-bars with organic or natural snacks and beverages.
Install low flow toilets and shower heads.
Replace old washing machines with both water and energy conserving models.
Use daylight as a light source as much as possible. Use solar energy as a lighting and energy source. Install dimmers on light switches to save energy.
Sponsor environmental education programs for guests and the surrounding community.
Earn hotel 'Green' Credentials. Have the hotel certified as 'green' by an organization such as an independent, national, and state organization that certifies eco-hotels. An example is the Washington-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an architectural and building organization.
Use furniture made from responsibly harvested 'new growth' wood such as bamboo.
Use low emission paints and other material
Stock the rooms with toilet paper and facial tissue made from recycled products.
Buy products and services from eco-friendly vendors.
Make staff aware of eco-friendly practices at an environmental induction.
Install occupancy sensor lighting in public areas and washrooms
Install EcoSmart fireplaces which burn denatured alcohol to provide heat.
Start water upon request program in all food and beverage outlets.
Form a team or a committee that looks after environmental conservation and protection to help implement ways to reduce the hotel's carbon footprint.
The article outlines simple tips that when implemented could help decrease resource wastage. Some of the tips given above may be costly in the short term but in the long term provides savings in millions of dollars as well as helps protect the environment. It's a win-win situation. So is your hotel Green?
