Mr. Fears

Meetings & Conventions

Meetings: Five Simple Ways Operations are Going Green and How it Affects the Bottom Line

By Bruce Fears, President, ARAMARK Harrison Lodging

"It's not easy being green" may be the tagline for everyone's favorite frog, but it does not necessarily ring true when it comes to environmental responsibility. As the green trend moves away from an overnight fad into an actual movement, companies from clothing distributors to the meetings industry are taking serious action to ensure that Mother Earth is still around for future generations.

Going green is especially imperative to the meetings and hotel industries. While hotel and conference customers may not think twice about using a new towel with every shower, leaving the lights on when no one is in the room, or printing out more copies than are needed, companies like ARAMARK Harrison Lodging are taking their environmental responsibility seriously. It is important to keep in mind that the average hotel purchases more products in one week than one hundred families typically do in a year. Add to this the products and services used for learning and training events and it is easy to see why conference centers can have a huge impact on the environment.

According to the Convention Industry Council, "A green meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment." Meeting planners recognize the importance of environmental responsibility and are now choosing venues not only based on location and price but also like sustainable cuisine and recycle-friendly properties when planning their next gathering.

Conference centers are helping planners with the dirty work, and it's not just about recycling these days. ARAMARK Harrison Lodging (AHL) is committed to promoting environmentally-friendly practices and is now holding its more than 50 properties accountable for minimizing their effect on the environment. AHL's Environmental Steward program, led by Karen Wittig, vice president of sustainability and environmental education of AHL, represents one of the industry's most comprehensive plans to reduce the impact professional services has on the environment. AHL's environmental expertise helps clients create a competitive advantage in the marketplace through a demonstration of corporate social responsibility and thought leadership in the green meetings arena. It also has the potential to deliver financial and operational results that streamline event execution and help clients achieve their business goals. This expertise can provide customers with the benefits of an eco-friendly event while minimizing the impact their purchases and consumption have on the environment.

In-house environmental stewards designated at each ARAMARK Harrison Lodging conference center and park property help implement and develop these standards. The stewards are responsible for researching local suppliers and establishing relationships with environmental agencies to help understand the available resources and how they can be integrated into operations. The ultimate goal is to show continual improvements towards a long-term objective of reducing dependency on natural resources.

As part of its Environmental Steward Program, ARAMARK Harrison Lodging offers environmentally-friendly operating guidelines and practices in five key areas: ** **

Sustainable food

The movement toward the greening of the conference center and hotel industry has also come to include improving the health of meeting attendees as well as sustaining our natural resources. In one such effort to support a more environmentally-friendly approach to food preparation, ARAMARK has partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, which raises awareness about the importance of buying sustainable seafood.

Sustainable seafood comes from sources, either fished or farmed, that can exist over the long term without compromising the species' survival or health of the surrounding ecosystem. Through Seafood Watch Guidelines, the Monterey Bay Aquarium recommends which seafood to buy or avoid, helping consumers become stronger advocates for environmentally-friendly seafood.

A commitment to sustainable practices includes increasing purchases of organic and locally-grown or sourced products; offering supplemental catering menus that promote the use of grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs, dairy produced without antibiotics or hormones, organic wine and beer and fair-trade coffee. This also means eliminating trans-fats, incorporating dairy products free of added bovine growth hormones (BGH), and obtaining locally-grown and produced products when possible to help reduce fuel consumption in the delivery process.

At Skyland Resort and Big Meadows Lodge at Shenandoah National Park, an ARAMARK-managed property in Virginia, Executive Chef Terry Sheehan highlights traditional Southern cuisine native to the Shenandoah region and showcases the locally produced wines of some of Virginia's finest wineries and vintners. Shenandoah National Park Lodging hosts sustainable cooking workshops throughout the year that showcase the unique culinary approach to using the highest quality foods that sustain the environment.

ARAMARK's commitment to sustainable, healthy and delicious food is proof positive that national park cuisine doesn't mean hot dogs and hamburgers anymore. Guests from Alaska to Arizona are now experiencing the difference that sustainable and organic cuisine can make for meeting and conference events at Mesa Verde National Park, Denali National Park & Preserve and Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, for example.

Adding a bit of healthy culinary flair can also help generate more enthusiasm among attendees for the meeting's purpose and might even inspire those break-through, ah-ha ideas that make the extra thought in the planning process worthwhile to your business' bottom line.

Earth-friendly procurement

Through purchases of environmentally sound goods and services, including bio-based products, earth-friendly procurement is key to minimizing the environmental footprint of a meeting or event. ARAMARK Harrison Lodging properties boost the purchase of post-consumer content recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-approved office paper and stationary; recycle ink cartridges through approved recycling sources; and utilize cleaning products recognized as environmentally safe and non-toxic.

Building design and operations

For a property to be completely green, its facility structures must reduce environmental impact and be able to show actual progress and results. Guest rooms can feature dozens of environmental and energy-saving enhancements. ARAMARK Harrison Lodging's EcoRoomsTM, for example, incorporate more than 50 sustainable items. The EcoRooms, introduced at AHL's Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, are part of ARAMARK's wider green environmental management system. Elements of the EcoRooms include battery-powered alarm clocks, bath flooring made from recycled glass and select ceramic materials, carpet made from 25 percent post-consumer and 25 percent post-industrial content materials, sliding glass door featuring energy savings and appliances including water-efficient toilets.

Energy and water conservation

An effective green meeting conserves and reduces water and energy consumption. By simply not pre-filling water glasses at banquet tables during three days of lunches for 2,200 attendees, 520 gallons of water can be saved. (1)

When purchasing new or replacement equipment, ENERGY STAR equipment is the most energy efficient. The Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF in San Francisco uses Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) in all its light fixtures to conserve energy. According to ENERGY STAR, CFLs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. Each light bulb saves about $30 or more in electricity costs over the bulb's lifetime and produce 75 percent less heat, making CFL bulbs safer to operate.

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging is purchasing more than 15 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, which is enough to meet all of the company's electricity use. ARAMARK Harrison Lodging purchased renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Renewable Choice Energy and Bonneville Environmental Foundation.

As a result of these initiatives, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently ranked ARAMARK Parks & Resorts No. 29 on its Fortune 500 List of Green Power Purchasers because of its strides to reduce its carbon footprint through the purchase of green power.** **

Waste management

Using recycled products, recycling and reusing items and reducing materials can significantly lessen the environmental impact of an event. If a five-day meeting serves 2,200 people snacks during breaks, breakfasts, lunches and receptions using dishware instead of plastic disposables, it prevents 1,890 lbs. of plastic from going into a landfill. That's nearly one ton. (1)

AHL recommends to its environmental stewards the following easy ways to cut down on waste from meetings including recycling glass, plastic, paper and other materials where local municipal and facility guidelines allow. It also encourages organic waste composting and other practices in conjunction with facility practices; the increased use of biodegradable service ware and 100 percent recycled napkins; and a decrease in the use of packaged condiments.

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging strives to responsibly address issues that matter most to its clients, customers, employees, and communities by focusing resources that make a social and business impact in the areas of employee advocacy; environmental stewardship; community involvement; and health and nutrition. The company's environmental stewardship efforts offer expertise and practical solutions that help clients reduce their environmental impact. The meetings industry is moving towards making environmentally-friendly practices the norm, not the exception.

(1) Statistics courtesy of Green Meeting Industry Council website

As President, ARAMARK Harrison Lodging, Bruce Fears is responsible for operations at over 50 conference centers, corporate training centers and specialty hotels in educational environments, as well as 14 state parks and other resort operations. He assumed his current position following the integration of ARAMARK’s conference center, corporate training business with its parks and resorts business. Mr. Fears received a BA from Bridgewater College and participated in programs at University of London’s School of Economics and University of Florida’s School of Management. Mr. Fears can be contacted at 425-957-9708 or fears-bruce@aramark.com Extended Bio...

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