Mr. Meek

Sales & Marketing: Hotel Branding

Take the Lead with LEED: Pest Management Practices for LEED Certification

By Frank Meek, International Technical & Training Director, Orkin, LLC

Open all year long – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – your hotel property uses huge amounts of products and resources to ensure all guest needs are met. Given this reality, it’s easy to see why guests might be concerned about your hotel’s environmental footprint.

In fact, research shows that consumers are increasingly considering sustainability factors when selecting accommodations. TripAdvisor, the world’s largest online travel community, published results from an April 2009 ecotourism survey that showed 76 percent of travelers sometimes incorporate green choices in their travel plans and 27 percent of respondents intentionally made environmentally-friendly travel choices in the past year. In response to these trends, more and more hotels are seeking LEED certification for their hotel properties.

Defining LEED

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is a widely recognized third-party certification program and a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings promoted by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED gives building operators comprehensive tools and information to help them improve their buildings’ environmental performance.

What hoteliers may not know is that pest management is one aspect of the LEED Rating System that is fairly easy to implement within existing hotel operations and maintenance procedures. By reviewing the LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance Rating System requirements that relate to pest control, you can learn about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the specific practices you must follow to help your hotel earn LEED certification.

IPM Supports Green Hotel Operations and Maintenance

Endorsed by LEED, IPM is an environmentally responsible approach to pest management that takes advantage of – or “integrates” – preventive methods and non-chemical approaches to minimize hazard to people, property and the environment.

By contrast, a “traditional” chemical-based pest control approach often focuses solely on the application of chemicals designed to kill and repel the pests, and in some cases, uses more of the pesticide than is necessary. Such programs tend to ignore the reasons why pest problems exist in the first place, including the availability of food, water and shelter in a hotel, and do little to prevent recurring problems.

LEED Requirements for Indoor and Outdoor IPM

To begin to understand how IPM plays a role in LEED, you can go online to USGBC’s website, www.usgbc.org, and review the LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance Rating System. You have the potential to earn at least two points for your property with the two credits that cover pest management:

• Sustainable Sites Credit 3: Integrated Pest Management, Erosion Control and Landscape Management Plan
• Indoor Environmental Quality Credit 3.6: Green Cleaning – Indoor Integrated Pest Management

It’s important to note that the IPM standards recommended by LEED are considerably more complex than a standard IPM program. For both indoor and outdoor pest control, the LEED standards call for the use of IPM combined with the least toxic pesticides, but stipulate that pesticides be used only after all other options are exhausted.

The following outlines the specific pest management practices as recommended in the LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance Rating System.

1) Develop, implement and maintain an IPM plan.
To best meet LEED’s rigorous requirements for IPM, consult with a qualified pest management professional. Look for a pest management company with extensive experience in IPM and green practices, and with LEED certifications or a LEED-certified professional on staff.

2) Use only least-toxic chemical pesticides.
LEED has developed a list of least-toxic chemicals that hotels seeking LEED certification can use for pest control. A highly trained pest management provider will ensure that only the least toxic chemical pesticides are used in any situation.

3) Ensure minimum use of the least-toxic chemical pesticides.
LEED stipulates limiting the use of pesticides to times when pests are actually present and when non-chemical approaches are unsuccessful or inappropriate. It’s important to communicate recurring pest problems to your pest management professional so that pesticides are only used when necessary.

4) Apply least-toxic chemical pesticides only in targeted locations.
In a LEED IPM program, least-toxic pesticides are applied sparingly in targeted locations with great precision, but only after careful consideration of other non-chemical IPM tactics, such as putting in insect light traps or sticky boards for flying insects. An experienced pest management provider is highly skilled in performing targeted treatments, limiting your guests’ and staff’s exposure to chemicals.

5)Apply least-toxic chemical pesticides only for targeted pest species.
To comply with LEED, your hotel’s pest management professional will first need to assess the type of pest before treatment and ensure that only the least-toxic chemical pesticides are used to combat that specific species. Make sure your provider is knowledgeable of pest behavior and biology to help correctly identify pests before making decisions on treatment.

6) Identify what circumstances would constitute an emergency application of pesticides in or around the building (when not complying with earlier guidelines).
A critical component of the LEED standards for pest control includes creating a list of pest problems that would require an emergency application of least-toxic pesticides. Consult with your pest management professional to determine which scenarios might call for an emergency chemical pesticide treatment. For example, if one of your employees reported a large infestation of cockroaches in your hotel kitchen one morning, an emergency application would be appropriate.

7) Develop a communications strategy for universal notification for normal and emergency conditions.
Under normal conditions, should pesticides other than the least-toxic be required, LEED requires that you notify your hotel’s occupants of pesticide applications at least 72 hours in advance. For emergency pesticide applications, occupants may be notified 24 hours afterward. A pest management company well versed in LEED can help you craft a comprehensive treatment notification plan for your hotel.

IPM Best Practices

Once you know the LEED requirements for pest management, you can begin applying IPM best practices to your hotel operations and maintenance program. The basic practices of any IPM program include the following steps, which are continuously repeated for maximum effectiveness:

1) Inspection and Hotel Layout Analysis
Inspect your hotel both inside and outside, assess your layout and foot traffic patterns, and identify areas that could cause pest issues, such as the hotel kitchen, restaurants, and pool.

2) Pest Identification
Your staff and maintenance personnel should work together to look for signs of pest activity and potential pest survival sources – food, water and shelter – in these areas of your hotel:

a. Entry points, such as kitchen backdoors, windows and shipping/receiving areas
b. Water sources, such as lobby restrooms, air conditioner units and janitorial closets
c. Food sources, such as kitchens, restaurants, food storage and dumpster areas
d. Harborage points, such as behind the cover plates of electrical outlets, inside cabinets or soda machines, and under seating in dining areas

3) Sanitation Consultation
Sanitation, which focuses on eliminating potential food sources for pests, is the cornerstone of a successful IPM program. Below are just a few effective cleaning activities that should be performed daily.

a. Place liners in garbage cans and empty containers frequently; pests can easily detect food and odors.
b. If necessary, add more trash receptacles to the parking area to encourage proper disposal.
c. Hose down parking areas regularly to clear any spills or debris.
d. In-room microwaves are a hot spot for pests due to crumbs and splattering, so make sure your housekeeping staff wipes them down every day.

4) Customized Treatment Plan
All IPM plans involve creating a customized treatment plan based on the results of the inspection and analysis of your property. A qualified pest management professional who is trained in IPM and LEED should work with you to ensure your specific pest management needs are met.

There are two areas of focus when considering an environmentally-friendly treatment plan:

• Non-chemical monitoring and control methods
  One common way to keep your pest management “green” is by implementing non-chemical monitoring and control methods, such as fly lights and sticky boards, to determine the types of pests present in your hotel and the levels of infestation in each area. Talk to your pest management provider to familiarize yourself with all the ecologically sensible options available.

• Interior and exterior building maintenance
  In any hotel building, normal “wear and tear” occurs over time making proactive maintenance essential. Below are a couple of maintenance tips which can help reduce pest problems and the need for chemical pesticides.
  
  Closely inspect the exterior of your building for any unnecessary openings and seal doors, windows, cracks, walls, or other potential pest entries with weather resistant sealant.
  
  Replace lights close to your hotel, which attract pests, with sodium vapor lights that are less appealing.

5) Monitoring and Maintenance
An ongoing cycle, LEED-based IPM programs are monitored, documented, maintained and adjusted as needed. Work with your pest management professional to train your staff on identifying pest signs and reporting pest activity. Also, make sure your IPM program incorporates the following documentation:

a. Service Report – Notes observed pest activity and actions taken.
b. Inspection Report – Notes sanitation or structural conditions observed and addressed.
c.Trend Data – Tracks pest trends, such as times and places of heightened pest activity.
d. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and Pesticide Usage Logs – If pesticides are necessary, they must be recorded and kept along with the MSDS stating the pesticides’ trade name and active ingredient.
e. Site Diagram – A detailed site diagram showing the location of all pest control devices. All indoor and outdoor control devices should be numbered and represented on the layout map.

An important component of LEED, pest management is a relatively straightforward way for hotels to earn credit toward LEED certification. And having a more environmentally responsible pest control program can help you earn customer recognition and loyalty, which can contribute to your bottom line.

An industry veteran, Frank Meek has been with Orkin since 1986. In 2003, he was named among the future leaders of the pest management industry in Pest Control Technology magazine’s “40 Under 40” ranking. Currently, as the International Technical and Training Director, Mr. Meek provides technical support and training in both sales and service to Orkin's international franchises, helping them grow and develop in their specific markets. As a board-certified entomologist, Mr. Meek teaches Integrated Pest Management principles and can explain how to use all available methodologies to prevent pest infestations in various commercial settings. Mr. Meek can be contacted at 404-888-2898 or fmeek@rollinscorp.com Extended Bio...

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