Mr. Weissman

Eco-Friendly Practices

A Complete Overview: What is a Green Hotel?

By Arthur Weissman, President and CEO, Green Seal, Inc.

We begin by examining what it means for a hotel to be "green." The word is, of course, shorthand for being environmentally responsible (or sustainable) so as to minimize environmental impacts in purchasing, operations, and plant management. That means, not coincidentally, enhancing the health and well-being of guests and staff, because many of a property's environmental impacts are on-site; improving the world at large is an added bonus. That means, also, reducing waste, toxicity, and overall costs, because operating in a sustainable way is economical, by definition.

Being a green hotel does not mean compromising on guest satisfaction or the performance of products and services. Any environmentally responsible product or service must work well or it is of no value, so guests should be as satisfied with the green features in a hotel as with more conventional ones. Being green also does not apply just to high-end properties, on the incorrect assumption that green products are necessarily more costly. Many environmentally responsible products and procedures can be purchased or applied quite economically, especially if cost is considered over their full life cycle (some such products may cost more initially but have much lower O&M costs, resulting in great savings overall). Finally, being green is not necessarily a single state or end-condition, but rather a process of continuous improvement above a minimum threshold as technologies and procedures develop.

Defining that minimum threshold is key to determining what properties are really green. There are various performance standards and rating systems that attempt to do this in North America, such as HVS Ecoservices' Ecotel, the Hotel Association of Canada's Green LeafTM Eco-Rating Program, and Green Seal's, but only the latter is fully open and transparent in how a hotel is evaluated. We will, therefore, examine some of the basics of the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties below.

But first, let's talk about some generic approaches to making a property green. At the outset, it is important for the executive to understand that striving for sustainability is a continuing process and commitment, not a one-time affair. That sounds more onerous than it is, for once a staff is committed to the goal, it generally becomes so motivated by the opportunity to do well that the effort grows in momentum. Coupled with actions to reduce pollution, waste, and toxicity in operations and purchasing should be a record of the cost savings that accrue, as well as additional revenues that may be ascribed to the effort.

Any manager of an institution seeking an effective and cost-efficient path to sustainability should consider the entire array of operations and purchases of the institution and identify, through volume and environmental impact, the greatest opportunities for environmental improvement. Dollar value is a simple metric that can substitute for volume. For example, a hotel may find that it is spending $100,000 a year on heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning costs, $40,000 a year on janitorial supplies, $25,000 on lighting, and only $5,000 on office supplies such as paper. This ranking gives a crude indication of the relative significance of the product or service categories.

Then - and this is the trickier part - the manager must consider the relative environmental impact or significance of each of these categories and the opportunity each affords for environmental improvement. This assessment necessarily varies with each property, since the age, condition, installed equipment, and renovation schedule will determine to a large extent these impacts and improvement opportunities. For example, in an older hotel due for renovation, the greatest improvement (and cost savings) could accrue from overhauling and replacing the HVAC equipment; in a newer hotel not due soon to be renovated, changes in lighting and janitorial products may be more appropriate.

A manager need not fear using dollars in environmental assessments. As long as all costs are considered in the life cycle of a product or service, the overall cost is an important factor and a reasonable surrogate in many cases for environmental impact. (Of course, the economy does not adequately include many external impacts or externalities in the cost or price, but the latter can be a good basis for comparison where the same type of product or service is involved.) Thus, for example, energy-efficient lighting or HVAC equipment will return significant savings in electricity over their lifetime compared to less efficient equipment that has lower initial cost, and this difference not only saves the property owner money but also represents less environmental pollution at the generating end. Often, however, lower-cost, less-efficient equipment is installed by the builder or investor, and the manager is stuck with higher bills to pay thereafter.

We often find, therefore, that being green has a double meaning - it is good not only for the environment, but for the pocket as well. And that is fine: any executive who is doing good for society should also benefit personally. We see this both in reducing costs and in increasing revenue, leading to a better bottom line.

Cost reductions from green products and procedures are found frequently in many categories. As in the example above, energy-efficient products will usually pay back well in reasonable time periods. In a study Green Seal conducted for a large U.S. Army installation, the more environmentally responsible paints in its huge inventory actually cost $1.76 a gallon less than the others. In some categories, the cost benefits may not directly accrue or they may just not be so obvious. Using less toxic chemicals (paints, cleaners, etc.), for example, creates a more healthy environment on the property and can lead to a reduction in staff absences or lost productivity. Such embedded cost reductions are just beginning to be quantified for buildings that have reduced emissions from carpets, paint, cleaners, etc., but in the meantime the green hotel executive can be assured that the health of guests and staff is definitely being enhanced.

Increasing revenue is the other side of being green, and it is a growing opportunity for those hotel executives that want to be in the vanguard. The next article in this series will examine in detail some revenue-boosting advantages of being identified as a green property in the market. These include appealing to the large (if latent) environmentally-conscious segment of the public and capturing the increasing business of government agencies and companies that want to travel in an environmentally responsible way.

An overview of the categories and some criteria in the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties should illuminate some specific opportunities and challenges for any property seeking to be green. The standard addresses the following environmental areas: waste minimization, reuse, and recycling; energy efficiency, conservation, and management; management of freshwater resources; wastewater management; hazardous substances; and environmentally sensitive purchasing policy. While the criteria cover both procedures and products, specifications for the latter are necessarily limited - more in the way of screening criteria - than would be found in a typical Green Seal environmental standard for the product itself. Nevertheless, key product criteria ensure that products used by green hotels are generally less harmful to the environment.

The standard provides leeway to properties to make the environmental choices that best suit its style, perceived guest needs, and internal economics. For example, in the waste section, a criterion specifies use of refillable amenity dispensers or the smallest possible individual product containers, which are collected for donation or recycling. Under energy, which can provide big paybacks to properties, the standard provides for purchase of energy-efficient equipment when replaced and for lighting to be on a five-year replacement schedule, with, for example, 24-hour lights to be replaced first. And under water management a provision requires towel and/or linen reuse for multiple-night guests "where cost-effective."

Product-specific requirements do not generally allow a time delay because purchases can be changed relatively quickly. Under wastewater, the standard requires use of detergents and cleaners that are non-toxic and biodegradable, among other things. Hazardous substances are, in general, to be avoided and must be inventoried and handled carefully. Finally, a green purchasing policy is to be established, and specific criteria are provided for such products as paper, tissue, paint, and cleaners. Notably, there are criteria limiting such unhealthy substances as volatile organic compounds in paints and cleaners. In all, there are thirty-six provisions in the standard, which may be viewed at http://www.greenseal.org/standards.htm#environmental

In summary, a hotel executive - whether an individual property manager or a top official of a chain - has a glorious opportunity ahead when he or she seeks to green hotel properties. Learning what defines a green property is a large part of learning how to create one. And while the learning process in both respects is a continuing one, the benefits that accrue in financial performance, guest satisfaction, and health of staff and guests alike can be immediate and long-lasting.

Arthur B. Weissman, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Green Seal, Inc. He has experience in environmental science, policy, and standard-setting in public and private sectors. He has led the non-profit's resurgence as a force to make the economy more sustainable. He served as an international convener in developing the ISO 14000 standards for environmental labeling, and was the first Chair of the Global Ecolabeling Network. He has developed policy for the Superfund waste-cleanup program, served in the U.S. Senate as a Science Fellow, and worked for The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Weissman can be contacted at 202-872-6400 or aweissman@greenseal.org Extended Bio...

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