Property's Footprint, Particularly Relating to Worker Health

Every individual, institution, and activity has what is called an environmental footprint - essentially its impact on the environment through resource use, pollution, and waste. The footprint is sometimes literally calculated in terms of a land area (the portion of the Earth's surface required to support the entity), but we will just use it more generally here.

While lodging properties do not typically have heavy footprints in regard to their effect on the immediate local area, compared to smokestack industries, for example, they nonetheless can have significant and not necessarily positive local impacts. Examples include solid and potentially hazardous waste emanating from the property; water use in more arid locales and energy use where that is constrained (such as at peak use times); use of toxic substances (cleaners, paints, pesticides) and their effect on local air and water quality. These are all potential drains on the local economy because they erode the resource base and may cause additional public or private expenditures. For example, high water use in rooms and landscapes may require restrictions on other businesses. Conversely, a more sustainable environmental footprint will conserve the value of local resources and maintain their health for ...