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haelidenton

Hotel Industry Embraces Green Revolution - 0 views

  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records."
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
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  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records."
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records.
  • The green economic revolution is impacting the $90 billion U.S. hotel industry
  • the hotel's adoption of native gardening also gives guests a compelling reason to eat at the hotel and accounts for 15 percent of hotel guests' revenue stream.
  • Cost-competitive advantage . Saving green by going green is where most of today's business focus is directed. In these recessionary times, going green can make the difference in being able to compete on price.
  • Green revenue growth . This is where the green economic revolution is heading, growing revenue by going green. This is a multi-trillion-dollar global opportunity for building or cementing customer loyalty as consumers focus increasingly upon sustainability and wellness.
  • Green entrepreneurship . In every economic revolution, there is opportunity for the entrepreneur as the traditional big players struggle to adopt their legacy systems and business practices. Customers are looking for businesses that offer fresh solutions that support their quest for "going green."
  • The green economic revolution is impacting the $90 billion U.S. hotel industry
  • Food grown in the hotel's native garden provides hotel guests with a healthy dining experience. In fact, the hotel's adoption of native gardening also gives guests a compelling reason to eat at the hotel and accounts for 15 percent of hotel guests' revenue stream. According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records
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    The Hotel Industry and its vendors are acknowledging and taking a keen revenue advantage, because their customers are supporting a green environment focus. This green economic revolution has impacted the $90 billion dollar Hotel industry. The article describes a hotel in Austin Texas profoundly in regards to their property having the "largest solar system in the continental U.S.". The hotel goes as far as creating their motto, which gear guest towards a green environment focus; their motto states "Environmental consciousness in action." The hotel grows its own food and vegetables, in which they serve the guest with, and they also give some of their produce to local food banks. The hotel guest often brag about how well they slept in the night, this might be caused by the toxic free chemical environment they are in. The lodging have refrained from using chemical pesticides 20 years ago, which may have added to the result of guest sleeping well; stated the general manager. The Ritz-Carlton program "Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment program" was originally for the children that were staying on the Kapalua in Hawaii. The children enjoyed it so much, and their parents became very inquisitive; that the program emerged into the entire property focus. This program gives guest the opportunity to have involvement with the native forest; native nature walk and the hotel also harvest a native garden. This is almost the same idea as the hotel located in Austin Texas. There are many valid reasons for the reason why the Hotel Industry should be green conscious. The Green Hotels Association states that "Companies with proactive environmental strategies will make 4 percent higher investment, 9 higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental practices.". If I was a general manager, this would be one of my main concerns and focus. Going green is cost effective, but the ending
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    Getting green could enable the hotel be competitive on price and grow the revenue. There are already several hotels going green and receive positive feedback from their guests.
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    Going green is a great initiative within hotels. having worked with resorts implementing green initiatives, I would say one of the biggest challenge is changing the culture of employees to start doing things differently in order to maintain a sustainable program. Hotels in my experience that are successful employs environmental officers who educate and monitor various areas of the green initiatives. Going green can have huge capital investment in the initial stages but have huge gains especially in energy conservation in the long term. Our guests are also more socially conscious and will respond well to green hotels though they may not always practice conservation during their stays.
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    This article explains the green revolution pertaining to the hotel industry with an estimated $90 Billion. Consumers are becoming conscious of the Earth's finite resources, thus, the green revolution is coming about slowly but without a doubt making an impact in the way the economy works. This is allowing an opportunity for hotels to increase revenues and gain market share due to this niche on catering to such consumers with a green initiative lifestyle. For example, the Ritz Carlton- Kapalua Hawaii, is combing fun and green education to educate children of the unique local surrounds found within the region, encouraging to frequent business by the wonderful experience. As well, it is interesting to learn that companies engaged within the strategies focused on the environment are experiencing high growth regards return on investment, sales growth and operating income. In every spectrum of hotel building and operating, the green initiative is possible from construction and architectural planning to hotels free of chemicals and property-developed horticulture gardens. The full capacity of the green revolution has not been seen to its full potential only leaving to wonder the full extent of its possibilities.
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    This article talks about how the eco-friendly environment concept is helping the hotelier industry achieve higher revenues and market shares. This whole concept is an ample opportunity for hotels to compete, stay on business and raise awareness to consumers about green resources that can be used to save our planet. People show interest in collaborating with the going green concept and learn more, however businesses need to be more conscious about the environment. For example, The Habitat Suites in Austin Texas is using the largest solar system in the continent to provide power. It is also a toxic free chemical environment and reproduces in own its own fruits and vegetables gardening. Three main factors are impacting the green revolution's hotel industry; cost-competitive advantage, green revenue growth, and green entrepreneurship. Feel free to read more about the article to have a deeper understanding.
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    nowadays, more and more hotels attending to join the green army. one of the most important reason is this kind of hotel will have a better market. because of the education level of the guests, their invironmental awareness become stongly. so the guests want to do more to make a contribution the the environment protection. on the other hand, the customers all knows that even the price of the green hotel is higher, but it is more health and safe. it will make them feel better and have a good experience in the hotel. as we know, a good experience is the final goal of hotel. so, the green hotel must have a bright future.
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    The green economic revolution is impacting the $90 billion U.S. hotel industry. There is an opportunity to increase revenue and market share by "going green". Habitat Suites in Austin, Texas is a leader in this area. The hotel's motto is "Environmental consciousness in action." Habitat Suites has an environment that is free of chemicals, has the largest hotel solar system, and uses their own organic fruit and vegetable garden for food in the hotel. Due to this environmental consciousness, the customers are reacting positively. Commenting on how great they slept, due to the ecologically fresh rooms. Many hotel chains are jumping on the green revolution bandwagon. At the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Hawaii, they started an environment program that was originally designed to provide fun for kids. But after positive feedback from the children, this has grown from just learning about local marine life to educational nature walks. These walks go through Maui's native forests and a garden that grows native foods and has community engagement in order to preserve their island's culture and environment. The food that is grown in the native garden is used in the hotel to provide guests with a healthy dining experience. Because of this, it has increased guests' reason to eat at the hotel and is 15 percent of the hotel guests' revenue stream. This environmentally friendly program increases the possibility of repeat business and attract new travelers who search for these types of experiences. A report published by the Green Hotels Association states, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records." Even non-hotel-industry entrepreneurs are realizing business opportunities in the green vacation industry. Patricia Griffin, president of the Green Hotel Association, started the associatio
Jessica Schwec

FIFA and the environment - FIFA.com - 1 views

    • Jessica Schwec
       
      FIFA has been working progressively on green initiatives. The organization has increasingly focused on environmental management at the World Cup with the upmost attention being paid to the 2018/2022 Word Cups beginning with the bid process.
  • Issues such as global warming, environmental conservation and sustainable management are a concern for FIFA, not only in regards to FIFA World Cups™, but also in relation to FIFA as an organisation.
  • FIFA has encouraged and engaged with Local Organising Committees (LOC) in regard to environmental protection since 2005 when the German LOC launched the Green Goal environmental programme for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™.
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  • Inspired by Green Goal 2006 and by previous experiences with major international events in South Africa, the South African LOC developed a Green Goal programme for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
  • The LOC for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™ launched the Green Goal 2011 programme in early 2010, building on the experiences from 2006 to expand the environmental project.
  • In assuring its commitment to the environment in the future, FIFA decided to include environmental protection in future bidding agreements, starting with the bidding process for the FIFA World Cups™ in 2018 and 2022. FIFA requested comprehensive information on the activities planned to avoid, reduce and offset the negative environmental impacts of hosting the FIFA World Cup™.
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    FIFA has paid noticeable attention to the environmental impact of the World Cup since the 2006 World Cup and green management has increased with every World Cup since with the biggest plans already staged for years 2018 and 2022. The Green Goal environmental program has been in effect since 2005 when FIFA partnered with Local Organizing Committees (LOCs) in order to champion green initiatives. This program has been adapted for every World Cup since. The program combines the resources of host cities, governmental departments, local environmentalists and international partners. Now, FIFA is implementing green initiatives into the bidding process for 2018 and 2022 by requesting information pertaining to the reduction and control of negative environmental impacts from bidders prior to making a decision on where to host the World Cup. In my opinion, FIFA has adequately worked towards environmental sustainability over the past ten years and has powerful plans to continue and improve green initiatives going forward. Previously, the indoctrination of the Green Goal program in 2005 laid the foundation for green goals and growth. Each subsequent World Cup has relied on a Green Goal program to set and measure environmental initiatives. Also, FIFA has already begun working on the Green Goal for 2018 and 2022 by requiring potential host destinations to incorporate environmental sustainability into the management structure of the mega-event. Management is required to set measurable objectives in six key areas: water, waste, energy, transportation, procurement and climate change. In addition, potential host destinations are required to plan and explain how they will incorporate stakeholders and the community via an Environmental Advisory Board. All of these aspects must be outlined in the bid submitted for consideration by FIFA and will be weighed heavily during the host location decision process.
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    FIFA's decision to use involved green standards as part of the bidding process for World Cups 2018 and 2022 is ingenious. The rigorous standards and expectations eliminate cities that are unwilling or unable to do the research and prep work required for the environmental concerns associated with such a large and prestigious event. However, these same circumstances caused increased competition between the remaining cities and come with some sort of financial cost. The increased competition between potential host cities and the associated higher costs pertaining to the implementation of green strategies may be seen as negatives to involved commercial/government entities and community conservatives. The following comparison explains how this may be so. Companies often design buildings with minimal closets despite having a large need for storage space. The philosophy behind this is "closets don't make money." On the contrary, entertainments space (i.e. Casinos), larger sales floors (i.e. Car Dealerships) and management offices are all spaces in which money is generate and therefore income is maximized by maximizing the "money-generating space" and minimizing spaces (i.e. closets) that do not do so. Similarly, green initiatives guarantee extra expenses and do not generate a significantly increased income. Some entities may view green initiatives as "closets." In conclusion, FIFA is a powerful force in the green initiative campaign. The organization has worked tirelessly the last 15 years to implement and improve environmental initiatives related to the World Cup. Despite the outside chance that a significant portion of the population will view green initiatives as costly non-necessities, I believe that FIFA's Green Goal program will be a success. It provides an expanding platform for each subsequent Word Cup by requiring environmental initiatives to be implemented at the management level and begin at the earliest point possible: bidding.
Matthew Moran

To Market to 'Green' Consumers, Hoteliers Must See Forest and Trees - 0 views

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    In today's society, being green is very important to many consumers but not all. The green conscious consumers have come to expect that the companies they do business with have the same beliefs. A companies green initiatives could be the deciding factor for some whether or not they frequent a business. Hospitality businesses must be aware of these green expectations from their consumers. They also must know how to communicate specifically to their green consumers explaining their specific green practices.. The article supports this when it states: "Green consumers are reasonably distinct in terms of identifiable characteristics and behavior patterns. Targeting specific marketing strategies to potential green consumers is likely to be more effective than directing these strategies to the entire population by assuming that all members of the population are potential green consumers," Unfortunately, it sometimes can be rather difficult to target green guests. It is much harder to identify these types of guests in comparison to non-green conscious guests. Also about 75% of green conscious guests aren't willing to really impact the comfort level of their stay to save the environment. Green guests may be green conscious but studies have shown they aren't really willing to give up the comforts such as daily housekeeping, high-pressure showers and fresh linens instead of reusing sheets during an extended visit. The article supports this when it states: "Although industry research has shown that a significant percentage of hotel guests would prefer to stay in a hotel that cares about the environment, guests are not always that predictable. Barber noted that a study by a major national hotel operation opposite findings: 75 percent of their guest respondents said they would not give up daily hotel room service activities." This is why green initiatives specifically targeted at green consumers are essential. The green consumer even though they may no
chunxia gao

Green Initiatives: Cost, Achieving ROI Challenge Hotels · Environmental Manag... - 1 views

  • The biggest challenges or barriers hoteliers face in implementing green lodging practices: 1. Having enough capital to invest
  • The biggest motivations for implementing green lodging practices: 1. Environmental benefits and building guest loyalty (tie)
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    This is a three year old survey on Green Intiatives by American Hotel & Lodging Association. It talks about : (a) Challenges or barriers faced by hoteliers. (b) The biggest motivation for implementing green lodging practices. (C) The top ten things hotels are doing well relating to green initiative. (d) Top ten green things hotels can improve on.
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    The American Hotel & Lodging Association's Green Assessment Survey results reveal the top 10 green initiatives hotels are enacting, the top 10 motivations for implementing green lodging practices, the top 10 green things hotels are doing well and top 10 green things hotels can improve on. In the challenges and barriers part, the biggest one facing in implementing green lodging practices is having enough capital to invest; in addition the whole world is in financial crisis now. Money is a big problem. As we know, before implement green practices, hotels need large amount money to buy equipment and need a lot of time to train employees to use it. In high season, they are busy to serve guests, to earn money. In low season, they may have time but no money. In the motivation part, environmental benefits and building guest loyalty rates to first place. But I think most hotels deciding to implement green practices are because financial savings. In addition, implement green practices can preempt government regulations and improve hotel reputation. It is also a good way to advertise. To do and not to do lists, hotels should keep and improve their recycling and reuse program and pay more attention to the power save program.
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    This is a great article that collected all top 10 related to GREEN. It makes me realize what we are doing well and what we need to improve in the future. And also it lists the top 10 challenge that we are facing. I agree with you that implement green practices can preempt government regulations and improve hotel reputation.
smend120

Green Computing, a contribution to save the environment | Lancaster University - 1 views

  • Going Green" is a rising trend establishing itself as the preferred way of doing things while saving the environment.
  • Green computing is the environmentally responsible and eco-friendly use of computers and their resources. In broader terms, it is also defined as the study of designing, engineering, manufacturing, using and disposing of computing devices in a way that reduces their environmental impact.
  • Green Computing involves reducing the environmental impact of technology. That means using less energy, reducing waste and promoting sustainability. Green computing aims to reduce the carbon footprint generated by the Information Technology and Systems business and related industries
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  • Energy-efficiency and e-waste are two major techniques involved in green computing. Energy efficiency involves implementation of energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs), servers and peripherals as well as reduced resource consumption. And e-waste is the proper disposal of electronic waste.
  • It is estimated that out of $250 billion per year spent on powering computers worldwide only about 15% of that power is spent computing, the rest is wasted idling (i.e. consumed by computers which are not in use but still turned ON).
  • A recent example is seen in Intel's 2030 strategy. Intel has been committed to continued progress on achieving net positive water use, 100% green power and zero waste to landfills across Intel's global manufacturing operations.
  • Because "one company can't solve climate change" according to Intel CEO Bob Swan, Intel is marking a new era of shared corporate responsibility and collaboration.
  • Green design: Designing energy-efficient computers, servers, printers, projectors and other digital devices.
  •  Green manufacturing: Minimising waste during the manufacturing of computers and other subsystems to reduce the environmental impact of these activities.
  •  Green use: Minimising the electricity consumption of computers and their peripheral devices and using them in an eco-friendly manner.
  • Green disposal: Repurposing existing equipment or appropriately disposing of, or recycling, unwanted electronic equipment.
  • Going Green" is a rising trend establishing itself as the preferred way of doing things while saving the environment
  • Green Computing, a contribution to save the environment
  • hat means
  • The world is facing challenges that we understand better each day as we collect and analyse more data, but they go unchecked without a collective response - from climate change to deep digital divides around the world to the current pandemic that has fundamentally changed all our lives. We can solve them, but only by working together.
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  • using less energy, reducing waste and promoting sustainability. Green computing aims to reduce the carbon footprint generated by the Information Technology and Systems business and related industries. Energy-efficiency and e-waste are two major techniques involved in green computing. Energy efficiency involves implementation of energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs), servers and peripherals as well as reduced resource consumption. And e-waste is the proper disposal of electronic waste.
  • If we think computers are non-polluting and consume very little energy, in fact the use of computer plays a big role in environment pollution. It is estimated that out of $250 billion per year spent on powering computers worldwide only about 15% of that power is spent computing, the rest is wasted idling
  • the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Energy Star program, a controlled labelling program to promote and recognise energy-efficiency. The Energy Star label has now certified more than 75 different product categories, homes, commercial buildings and industrial plants. The program has also resulted in the widespread adoption of sleep mode among electronics' consumers.
  • in 1992,
  • The IT industry is putting efforts in all its sectors to achieve Green Computing.
  • Equipment recycling, reduction of paper usage, virtualisation, cloud computing, power management, green manufacturing are the key initiatives towards Green Computing
  • one company can't solve climate change
  • reen Computing involves reducing the environmental impact of technology.
  • Designing energy-efficient computers, servers, printers, projectors and other digital devices.
  • Minimising waste during the manufacturing of computers and other subsystems to reduce the environmental impact of these activities.
  • Green Computing has an optimistic future for saving the environment with ample avenues for making it possible. Hope we move forward with the goal of efficient computing while making the earth greener.
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    Green computing, commonly referred to as "green technology," is the study of creating, utilizing, and disposing of computing systems in a way that minimizes their impact on the environment. The ecologically friendly and ethical use of computers and their resources is known as "green computing." A growing trend that has established itself as the preferred method of doing things while preserving the environment is "Going Green." Green computing aims to lessen technology's negative effects on the environment. This entails conserving energy, cutting waste, and fostering sustainability. The goal of "green computing" is to lessen the carbon footprint left by the information technology and systems sector and allied businesses. Green computing mainly uses two methods: e-waste and energy efficiency. Reduced resource use as well as the use of energy-efficient servers, peripherals, and CPUs are all part of energy efficiency. And e-waste is how electronic garbage should be disposed of properly. Even while we may believe that computers are non-polluting and require relatively little energy, their use really contributes significantly to environmental pollution. Only 15% of the estimated $250 billion annually spent on powering computers globally is thought to be used for computation; the remaining energy is lost idling on inactive machines. Since energy consumption is the primary cause of CO2 emissions, any energy saved on computer hardware and computing will result in tons of CO2 emissions being avoided every year. The Energy Star program was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 as a controlled labeling initiative to promote and reward energy efficiency. More than 75 different product categories, as well as residences, office buildings, and industrial facilities, have already received the Energy Star badge. Consumers of devices have widely embraced sleep mode because of the campaign. The IT industry is working to implement Green Computing across a
Irine Wallace

Stefanie Michaels: HOTELS TAKING "GOING GREEN" TO NEW TOPS WITH GREEN ROOFS - 1 views

  • Green roofs, also called 'vegetative', 'living', or 'eco-roofs', are living plants installed on top of traditional roofs. In addition to providing a haven for birds and other wildlife, the green roof provides many other benefits for the environment-- the reduction of storm water runoff, reduction in the amount of blacktop roofs in the city which reduces the heat island effect and reduction of HVAC cooling loads resulting in the lowering of utility bills. Green roofs also have the additional advantages of lengthening the waterproofing membrane life of the roof and help to improve the air and water quality of the area.
  • Green roofs, also called 'vegetative', 'living', or 'eco-roofs', are living plants installed on top of traditional roofs. In addition to providing a haven for birds and other wildlife, the green roof provides many other benefits for the environment-- the reduction of storm water runoff, reduction in the amount of blacktop roofs in the city which reduces the heat island effect and reduction of HVAC cooling loads resulting in the lowering of utility bills. Green roofs also have the additional advantages of lengthening the waterproofing membrane life of the roof and help to improve the air and water quality of the area.
  • Green roofs, also called 'vegetative', 'living', or 'eco-roofs', are living plants installed on top of traditional roofs. In addition to providing a haven for birds and other wildlife, the green roof provides many other benefits for the environment-- the reduction of storm water runoff, reduction in the amount of blacktop roofs in the city which reduces the heat island effect and reduction of HVAC cooling loads resulting in the lowering of utility bills. Green roofs also have the additional advantages of lengthening the waterproofing membrane life of the roof and help to improve the air and water quality of the area.
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  • Green roofs, also called 'vegetative', 'living', or 'eco-roofs', are living plants installed on top of traditional roofs. In addition to providing a haven for birds and other wildlife, the green roof provides many other benefits for the environment-- the reduction of storm water runoff, reduction in the amount of blacktop roofs in the city which reduces the heat island effect and reduction of HVAC cooling loads resulting in the lowering of utility bills. Green roofs also have the additional advantages of lengthening the waterproofing membrane life of the roof and help to improve the air and water quality of the area.
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    Green Initiative by Hilton Hotel Hotels as well as other service industries are looking for new ways to run more efficiently and looking to nature to give them some ideas. The latest in green technology is allowing hotels to push the eco-envelope and create energy efficient roof systems that also help the environment, and provide a visually beautiful space for their guests to enjoy. Hilton Hotel chain recently constructed Hilton Baltimore to break records with their proactive "green" policy, by creating garden to cover the entire roof, which Hilton looks upon as a commitment to the community and environment- a top level priority which stems from the top at the corporate level and is implemented down to the property level. This kind of innovation benefits all the major stakeholders…….it helps the environment by reducing rain water run-off, creates habitants for birds to thrive, helps to keep the hotel cool thereby reducing utility expense, it also provides a conducive atmosphere for the guest to enjoy and above all it generates good will for Hilton Hotels. This is not just happening in the U.S. Hotels around the globe are choosing to guide their business towards efficiency utilizing green roof technology. Besides recycling, and purchasing 'Green Sustainable Energy Credits' for 50% of the energy it utilizes annually, InterContinental Chicago hotel initiated "waste minimization" with a program that donates table scraps and leftover foods to local farms or composting sites. They have also introduced 'Green Weddings' and 'Green Meetings' options for event planners, bicycle rentals, organic wines and foods, and distribute seeds to employees to encourage giving back to the environment.
ravicka

TripAdvisor launches green initiative for sustainable travel - Blue and Green Tomorrow - 0 views

  • Jenny Rushmore, director of responsible travel at TripAdvisor, said, “We know a lot of travellers in Europe want to be savvy about the eco-friendly choices they make on holiday but they don’t always know where to go to find that information. “What makes TripAdvisor GreenLeaders so useful is that we are now providing travellers with an easy way to compare hotels’ green practices alongside the millions of reviews already on the site.”
  • John Alker, director of policy and communications at UK Green Building Council, added, “For the hotel and leisure sector, going green is not only the right thing to do, it’s just good business. Green should be viewed as another aspect of quality.
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    As people continue to move towards a lifestyle that is sustainable and eco-friendly so to are their choices re travel. Llaria Bertini in her ariticle "TripAdvisor launches green initiative for sustainable travel" highlights how the popular travel site TripAdvisor has launched an initiative to assist European travelers in making hotel choices that suit their lifestyle. The initiative called "TripAdvisor Green Leaders" came about as a result of travelers need to stay at more eco-friendly accomodation. Despite that need they had difficulty in obtaining information about hotel practices. Jenny Rushmore, director of responsible travel at TripAdvisor said "We know a lot of travellers in Europe want to be savvy about eco-friendly choices they make on holiday but they don't alwyas know where to go to find that information, " thus the initiative was born. Trip Advisor came on board to provide information for travelers re hotel Green practices , to compare offerings of various hotels as well as to provide reviews not only based on what the hoteliers would provide but from the perspective of persons who would have had a first hand experience at the property. As going green becomes a more acceptable approach for many things in various areas of our lives the hospitality and tourism industry is no exception. As John Alker,director of policy and communication at UK Green Building Council said " For the hotel and leisure sector, going green is not only the right thing to do, its just good business. " TripAdvisor initiative allows us to know which properties are taking the steps towards sustatainability in one place.
lorena garcia

Going Green Saves the Green in the Hospitality Industry and Guests Like It - 2 views

  • most consumers are inclined to stay at hotels that take steps to be environmentally sustainable.
  • most consumers are inclined to stay at hotels that take steps to be environmentally sustainable.
  • Water conservation is another area where simple changes can make big differences
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  • “The two the customers are most willing to do are water conservation and energy conservation. They are willing to turn off the light.”
  • He cited three categories that matter most to consumers: water, energy and waste reduction
  • “In a mega-hotel that has 1,000 rooms, imagine if just 10 percent of the guests said ‘No, I’ll reuse my towel.’ That’s 100 rooms. The hotels are saving not only the water and energy but also the waste,” Ogbeide said.
  • “A good example right now is we have smoking rooms and non-smoking rooms in some hotels. As time goes on, hotels may have ‘green’ rooms and ‘non-green’ rooms,” he said.
  • Reading between the lines, most of the consumers, you can tell, are environmentally cautious. It’s intrinsic motivation,” Ogbeide said. “They want the future generations of children to have a good environment to live in.”
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    Hotels going green is being appreaciated by the guests
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    This article is a research study from Godwin- Charles Ogbeide about customer's perception when staying at a going green hotel. He mentions that there are three categories that guests are more likely to look for green hotel and those are: water, energy and waste reduction. He found on the study that guests are more energy and water saving, and he mentions that customers are working more on turning lights off when is not in use. He also makes reference to hotels that currently have "smoking" and "non-smoking" rooms; in the future they could have "green" and "non-green" rooms. The new trend of going green not only save money to the hotel , but also helps increasing their profit margin.
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    This article shows that one of the trends of hotel development is green hotel. Customers pay more and more attention to the green part of a hotel. At the same time, if hotels do a very good job on green part, they will earn more from customers.
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    This article was about how going green saves money in the hospitality industry and how the guests like the hotels that are changing. University of Arkansas researcher, Godwin-Charles Ogbeide, found that most consumers are more likely to stay at hotels that take steps in becoming more environmentally friendly. The three things consumers said matter most were: water, energy, and waste reduction. These three things are also the biggest concerns for hotel operations. Air conditioners are used in most hotels and they use a large amount of water and energy. By leaving the units off until the guest arrives instead of leaving it on all day will save money, water, and energy. Another thing these hotels are doing for guests that stay more than one night is giving them the option to re-use their towels or not having the bed linens changed daily. This can save a large amount of water. These hotels place small signs in the room explaining that the hotel is "green" and what to do if they don't want their towel or linens changed. Going "green" can be expensive if you have a large hotel that needs new windows and door seals. But for smaller hotels the simply changes will save money. By turning off the lights and air conditioner when no one is in the room will save money. By following these changes and charging the same amount per room as non-green hotels, it will also help increase the company's profit margin. It also helps the future generations have a good environment to live in.
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    Going green is a big step for a hotel to take. It takes a lot of planning and can be expensive to make the transition, however the benefits of going green on the back end are worth the initial expense. The facilities class the Ms. Scanlon teaches is a very good class for familiarizing yourself with the going green initiative and how to make it happen.
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    go green is important not only for the industry but also for the whole earth, because pollution is one of the biggest issue for every countries' government. in this article, it also talk about the major concerns in hotel industry, AC system and water conservation. go green not only save hotels' money, but also increase profit margin. Go green is a important step for hotel to go, and it have to go green for the future step for hotels.
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    I realy like this article because it talks about hotels that are trying to go green and customers like it and contribute to this cause. The hotels are trying to reduce the use of water, energy and waste, and they give the option to the customer to do it or not. For example to "reuse your towel" or turn off the A/C when you are not in the room. This helps the hotels to save money and increased their profit margin. Some hotels beleive this is costly for them, but in the long-run it will help. People are more conscious now and like that hotels are more environmentally responsible.
Marcos Oliveira

LEED Certification and Other Green Initiatives Can Be Hotel Marketing Coups , by Carl R... - 0 views

  • from becoming airborne. Green Seal is a non-profit
  • prevent particles from becoming airborne. Green Seal is a non-profit, third-party certifier
  • n the United States, hotels represent more than 5 billion square feet of space, nearly 5 million guest rooms, and close to $4 billion in annual energy use
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  • January 2010, only 40 hospitality properties have achieved so-called LEED
  • certification.
  • LEED is a voluntary, third-party green building certification program that awards points to buildings for satisfying certain green building criteria. In order to be LEED-certified, a building has to implement a plan to reduce building operating costs, its environmental footprint, and resource consumption such as water and energy use.
  • developed by the U.S. Green Building Council
  • non-profit organization
  • intended to provide building owners and operators a basic framework for identifying and employing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions
  • LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations and LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance are the programs which have the most applicability to hospitality projects.
  • In addition, each rating system, including LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations and LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, is organized into six credit categories
  • sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality and innovation in operations.
  • Once the essential prerequisites are satisfied, developers can thereafter chose which optional credits to pursue in order to obtain certification. Certification levels start at Certified and increase to Silver, Gold and Platinum designations.
  • first hotel to receive LEED Platinum Certification was the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina
  • Proximity Hotel uses 39% less energy and 33% less water then a comparable sized hotel. In addition, the Proximity Hotel was able to recycle 87% of its construction debris
  • By using highly reflective concrete and/or open grid pavers, hospitality companies can help reduce the summer cooling loads for their building, which in turn reduces energy use and pollution generation.
  • installation of 100 solar panels on the roof, which heat about 60% of the hotel and the hotel restaurant’s water; use of geothermal energy for the restaurant’s refrigeration equipment; and installation of the Regenerative Drive model of the Otis’ Gen2 elevator which reduces net energy usage by capturing the elevator’s energy and then feeding it back to the hotel’s electrical grid
  • Many hospitality companies have already introduced green initiatives, such as the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs, offering linen and towel reuse programs as well as various recycling programs
  • Not only are these green initiatives environmentally responsible, but should a hospitality company at some future point seek LEED certification, these green initiatives would earn them points in furtherance of the certification process
  • Paving Parking Lots with Highly Reflective Materials or Open Grid Pavers
  • purchased 40% of the building materials and 90% of its furniture locally and even restored 700 feet of an adjacent stream. Proximity’s most impressive features, however, include:
  • Installing High-Efficiency Plumbing Fixtures
  • Landscaping with Native Plant Species
  • native plants reduce more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than traditional mowed grass due to their extensive root systems and increased ability to retain and store water
  • Green Cleaning – Using Sustainable Cleaning Products, Materials and Equipment
  • A green cleaning program may include the use of Green Seal Certified household cleaners, Green Seal Certified laundry products, micro-fiber cloths, and dual motor vacuum cleaners with HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters that prevent particles from becoming airborne. Green Seal is a non-profit, third-party certifier
  • third-party certifier
  • Using Local Materials and Goods
  • While not every hotel or hospitality company may be in the financial position to seek LEED certification or undertake costly capital expenditures, there are numerous green initiatives that each and every hospitality company should be considering to improve their efficiencies while also attracting green conscious consumers
  • A simple Google search of “hotels” and “green initiatives” returns more than 27,000,000 hits
  •  
    In the United States, hotels represent more than 5 billion square feet of space, nealry 5 million guest rooms and approxiamtely $4 billion in annual energy use. As of January 2010, there were only 40 hotels that were LEED certified. The acronym LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a voluntary, third party green building certification program that awards points to buildings depending on their sustainable practice being implemented which includes building improvements, environemntal footprint and water and energy use. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization. Its main purpose is to provide building owners and operators with a basic framework for developing and implementing sustainable practices. The first hotel to ever be certified according to LEED criteria was the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC. This hote received Platnium status for being able to recycle 87% of its construction debris, purchasing 40% of the building materials and 90% of its furniture locally. Installation of 100 solar panels, use of geothermal energy for the restaurant's refrigeration equipment and instllation of a Regenerative Drive model for its elevators made the Proximity Hotel a benchmark hotel. There are several practices that can make a hotel conserve energy and make it sustainable such as using flourescent lightbulbs, offering linen and towel reuse programs, paving parkig lots with highly reflective materials or open grid pavers, installing high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, landscaping with native plants and using local materials and goods. These will not necessarily lead to LEED certification but will definitely earn points towards obtaining that accredidation. The use of sustainable practices not only helps conserve the environment but also saves money in the long run. Through water conservation techniques, recycling and linen and towel reuse programs, the hospitality industry wins two-fold,
natyangel

How IT Can Go Green | Top Stories | | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 1 views

  • In the world of information technology (IT), the green movement is taking shape.
  • Technology is a tool to provide solutions, but regrettably, technology can also be a source of the problem due to factors like energy consumption and the environmental impacts when disposing of obsolete or broken technology (i.e., e-waste).
  • Like any business initiative, green IT projects will require strong commitment from an organization’s top management and investment in time and resources at all levels.
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  • Clearly, hotels and resorts are in the business of making money, but they must do so in a conscientious manner
  • The environmental focus is here to stay and must be embraced.
  • The focus on sustainability or "going green" is quickly becoming a major trend. But let’s face it, being environmentally conscious is the right thing to do, and it should be a business imperative for everyone. After all, a significant portion of the hospitality and tourism industries rely on the natural beauty and desirability of destinations: beach resorts, mountain ski lodges and canyon-land ranches
  • Using IT responsibly and effectively to reduce energy, water and paper consumption: Energy management systems are effective at controlling guest comfort while saving energy consumption and costs.
  • There are numerous opportunities for IT professionals to take leadership roles in helping their organizations to adopt sustainable practices.
  • Deploying effective technology practices such as Energy Star compliance to power down computers automatically after periods of inactivity and server virtualization: This means having applications which share a common server rather than each application hosted on a separate server.
  • Tackling e-waste and deploying recycling technologies to reduce environmental waste and impacts: Many electronic firms offer responsible recycling programs for used hardware. Technology can also be utilized to assist in the recycling process
  •  Digital marketing practices: Using digital media instead of print media is a great way to save money while reducing the impact on the environment. By tapping into social media, you can let guests be involved in green practices and spread the word virally about all the good the organization is doing
  • There is a growing environmentally conscious market, a profitable segment to tap
  • .    Educate employees and guests to improve awareness of environmental issues and green practices in your organization and the industry.
  •    Conduct an energy audit to see where and how energy is being consumed and to establish a baseline. Continue these audits on a regular basis.
  • Seek suggestions from employees and guests, and offer rewards for ideas that get implemented.
  • Celebrate and market key successes
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    This article emphasizes the positive and negative aspects of the hospitality industry adopting to sustainable practices. It recognizes that this industry is in the business of making money, while appoints the importance of doing so conscientiously, respecting the environment. It shows the steps that the organizations should take on its journey to action. I believe that sustainability should be a business imperative and not a lifestyle choice, as the sustained interest among consumers in tourism products and services are continuously increasing. That should be beneficial for the organization, positively affecting the operating revenue.
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    The articles describes, how technology helps a hospitality firm in conserving non renewable resources. It focuses on sustainability of hospitality industry. The article describes one interesting point, educate the employees and the guest, employees and guest are the pillars of any hotel. If they understand the concept of going green, it would be easy for the organization to conserve energy. use of E marketing by the hotels has reduced the use of paper, which mean many trees are being saved from getting cut. Use of recycle bins by the firms makes people aware of the waste which an be recycled should be disposed off separately. The use of tablets in the rooms is another way which the hospitality firms have adapted to go green, it not only saves paper but also gives a new amenity in the rooms.
  •  
    The emphasis on sustainability and going green is everywhere, including hospitality and tourism industries. Within the scope of information technology, there are numerous opportunities to becoming greener and more sustainable both in the short and long term. First, using IT responsibly and effectively to reduce energy, water and paper consumption are advantageous and can also be seen as consumer driven. For instance, if a hotel offers a guest the convenience of controlling temperature through their smartphone or using their smartphone as the room key, not only is the hotel becoming greener but also the guest will appreciate these value added features. Instilling technology practices such as Energy Star compliance will lead to less consumption. Additionally, addressing the issue of e waste and creating recycling technologies to reduce environmental waste and impact adds on to the sustainable strategy. Lastly, with the growing environmentally conscious effort, creating marketing strategies to promote green practices improves the company's image, increases awareness on becoming more sustainable, and educates the public on becoming greener. It takes time, as employees need to be trained in order to become aware of environmental impacts (such as printing less paperwork and shutting off a printer when idle), track energy consumption, and instill these behaviors on a day to day basis. According to this article, it was noted that " for many guests, particularly Millennials, environmental stewardship is a key topic that resonates with them. It has become one of the decision-making criteria used to select companies in which they do business, including hotels and resorts". I believe that sustainability and the promotion of green practices is not a fleeting trend, but rather it is a change in mindset in which younger generations appreciate this adopted conscientious value.
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    The article discusses the many ways the IT world is finding new ways to be sustainable in the hospitality industry. Changing the way a hotel runs by introducing e-mails to guest and other companies to reduce the paper flow or allowing guest to do mobile check-ins can reduce a lot of paper waste. Also, having guest use their phones as key cards for their rooms can aid in avoiding wasting and needing to create key cards. By hotels having an energy saving system, they reduce electrical waste by having computers on low power consumption mode. One main thing the article mentioned that I personally see a lot of hotels doing is digital advertising. Instead of relying on paper advertisement, hotels rely heavily on ads on social medias, facebook, google, and third party vendors.
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    This article discusses the IT green movement that has been in action since the rise of technology and ways on how IT can go green. Some opportunities in the green IT movement include the following: - Using IT responsibly and effectively to reduce water, energy, and paper consumption. This gives IT teams to take advantage of a few technical enhancements within their hotels to provide key cards available on smart phones, email to reduce paper, and digital signage. - Deploying effective technology practices such as Energy Star compliance to shut down computers automatically after periods of inactivity and server virtualization. This would mean for everything to be on one common server, and companies can save money on computer hardware and power consumption. - Tackling e-waste and deploying recycling technologies to reduce environmental waste and impacts. This could be implementing by introducing a safe recycling system for used hardware. - Digital marketing practices. This could be like using digital media to save money or using social media to encourage guests about the green practices that the hotel is implementing. - Marketing strategies to report and promote green practices. This could be having the business properly use marketing strategies to target these environmentally conscious market and find ways to promote green practices to this market segment. These are all very effective ways for IT teams to go green within their hospitality businesses. These green IT projects will need approval from top management and investment in time and resources.
marylauren1717

Motel.com Launches The Green Hotel Initiative | Virtual-Strategy Magazine - 0 views

  • Motel.com is an environmentally conscious company, and felt that it was the right thing to do to launch an initiative to make it easy for folks looking for a “Green Hotel”.
  • Motel.com is now maintaining a “green-feature” search, listing all of the Hotels and Motels that are Eco Friendly, and considered friends of the environment. Many such facilities listed in this new Green Hotel Section are actually Certified by the Greenkey Eco-Rating System, administered by Green Key Global. This new site improvement will now identify those Eco Friendly Hotels, as well as show the best rates.
  • The company reports that many Americans are now aware of the benefits of living an environmentally sound life, and want to be a contributor to further this concept. They know that conserving water, electricity, and natural gas can have a huge economic impact. When people are living this sustainable lifestyle at home, they would like to continue it when they travel. Staying at a “Green Hotel” is a natural choice for them.
  •  
    Motel.com has now launched an initiative to allow customers to search for green hotels. Before this plan was put into action, customers who possessed that green thumb were unable to decipher which properties would meet their sustainable criteria. With a new "green feature" search, Motel.com lists all of the Hotels and Motels that are considered Eco Friendly or friends of the environment which efforts such as conserving water, electricity and natural gas. These properties listed as Eco Friendly are certified by the Greenkey Eco-Rating System by Green Key Global. "The Green Key Eco-Rating Program and Green Key Meetings Program are graduated rating systems designed to recognize green hotels, motels and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental and fiscal performance." With Americans becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, stay in an Eco Friendly Motel or Hotel has become a priority. Indeed, when I travel, I like to stay at a hotel that is better than my home. With these new initiatives in the back of my mind, staying at a certified Eco Friendly hotel would definitely meet my criteria. 
Panpan Xie

How IT Can Go Green | Top Stories | | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 2 views

  • In the world of information technology (IT), the green movement is taking shape. There are numerous opportunities for IT professionals to take leadership roles in helping their organizations to adopt sustainable practices. Technology is a tool to provide solutions, but regrettably, technology can also be a source of the problem due to factors like energy consumption and the environmental impacts when disposing of obsolete or broken technology (i.e., e-waste). Therefore, we will need to look at situations and technology usage via multiple lenses to try to assess the net impact to determine if the outcomes are truly desirable and positive versus negative. This often requires asking tough questions and looking for possible unintended consequences before decisions are being made
  • Like any business initiative, green IT projects will require strong commitment from an organization’s top management and investment in time and resources at all levels.
  • In order for tourism to prosper, we cannot afford to let our environment erode.
  •  
    Green information technology(IT), referred to as green computing, is a term used to describe the application of automated resources in an efficient manner. Green IT originates with system manufacturers producing environmentally friendly products and encouraging users to adopt eco-friendly practices such as reducing paper usage through minimal printing, operating more efficiently with power management,and exercising proper recycling habits.As global information technology environmental standards continue to expand, it is highly likely that guidelines governing product life span, power consumption and recyclable resources will be in the forefront.
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  •  
    This article shares how IT is going green in several areas including hospitality. It speaks to digital marketing, e-waste, and appealing to employees to aid in using technology responsibly. The use of energy saving techniques and energy star products.
  •  
    As our natural resources are being depleted rapidly and technology is changing faster than ever resulting in mountains of "e-waste", I believe the IT industry should focus a vast amount of their efforts in the area of sustainability or going green. In the hospitality and tourism industry maintaining natural resources and cutting down on the consumption of water, energy and paper is an IT issues that we can all support. The focus of this article was about revealing opportunities where IT can go green. Sustainability is good for the environment, the viability of the hospitality industry, the guests, and the bottom line. According to the article, IT leadership needs to take "a leadership role in helping their organization to adopt sustainable practices". Some of the areas where IT can look at going green are as follows (information taken directly from the article): * Using IT responsibly and effectively to reduce energy, water and paper consumption * Deploying effective technology practices such as Energy Star compliance to power down computers automatically after periods of inactivity and server virtualization * Tackling e-waste and deploying recycling technologies to reduce environmental waste and impacts * Digital marketing practices * Marketing strategies to report and promote green practices A commitment of time, money, and resources will be required from all levels of leadership in order for green IT projects to work. Companies have to educate their employees and guests to create awareness, implement practices such as energy audits, device shut downs to force people to use media, and give rewards to get the buy in. Even though the payback of green initiatives may take a long time, the upside is that you are being environmentally conscious and doing the right thing.
  •  
    I highlighted in blue the sections I was most interested in, I found the passage about reducing faxing and photocopying to be most interesting. There is no reason to be so reliant upon these when you can send attachments through your smart phone. Hotels and other properties can unplug these machines to save money on the electric bill. There are otherways to be paperless, for example.The article I spoke of was about how hotels can limit the need to priint itemized bills and reciepts, all charges can be posted right to the mobile app on the smart phone. The mobile app on the smart phone will even unlock and lock your room doors and allow enterance to the spa and fitness center. There won't be a need for plastic room keys anymore either.
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    In hospitality industry, IT technology brings many benefits to us, but it is also a source of pollution when disposing of broken technology. There are many advantages of green IT movement such as reducing energy, water, paper, environmental waste and impacts, etc. Although it has many benefits, green IT projects need support from company's top leaders in both time and resources. The ROI of green IT is a little bit longer than other types of projects, but it has upside potential and intangible benefits. Green IT practices are not contrary with making money, so hoteliers should take measures to lead the organization on its journey to green action.
Jing Huang

Tracking Green Initiatives via Business Intelligence - 0 views

  • Green initiatives not only save costs, meet compliance requirements, and reuse resources, but they also help create brand recognition among customers.
  • The benefits that expand beyond the organization include what occurs within the company as well. Whether managing recycling programs, reusing raw materials, lowering consumption, etc. businesses require a way to monitor these initiatives and to identify ways of becoming more efficient over time. This is where the use of BI and analytics comes in.
  • One of the chief benefits of business intelligence is its ability to consolidate information and provide greater insight into operations.  In addition BI helps organizations monitor performance across business units and can be applied to a broad variety of problems. For organizations looking at applying this to energy usage, managing emissions, or electricity consumption in data centers, BI expansion provides a good way to start the process.
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  • Comfort with dashboard use.
  • Current BI infrastructure and data preparation.
  • Companies that are thinking of expanding their BI to include green initiatives should consider the following points:
  • Current green initiatives.
  • Setting realistic goals and expectations.
  • Company priorities are shifting towards cost savings and becoming more environmentally aware and business intelligence can help to achieve these goals.
  • This article identifies the importance of green initiatives within operations and how to link them to available BI solutions.
  •  
    This article identifies the importance of green initiatives within operations and how to link them to available BI solutions. By specifically looking at analytics organizations can assess how they are meeting targets and monitor their performance in relation to their "green" goals. This article also discusses considerations related to expanding BI use to include green initiatives.
  •  
    Company priorities are shifting towards cost savings and becoming more environmentally aware and business intelligence can help to achieve these goals. BI's ability to monitor performance and alert decision makers about changes in behavior makes it a complementary approach to organizations wanting to become more eco-friendly. Although BI applications are well poised to fill this need, businesses still require a roadmap to successfully tie-in their BI use with their green initiatives. Outside of technology adoption and lowering energy consumption, organizations also support social action initiatives and invest in R&D efforts that work towards more environmentally friendly products and internal processes. This in turn has a broader effect on the environment at large. The benefits that expand beyond the organization include what occurs within the company as well. Whether managing recycling programs, reusing raw materials, lowering consumption, etc. businesses require a way to monitor these initiatives and to identify ways of becoming more efficient over time. This is where the use of BI and analytics comes in.
Patty Ferrer

Hotel operators step up their green initiatives - Travel Weekly - 0 views

  • Our desert surroundings require that we be strong stewards of natural resources, especially water," Dumont said.
  • LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the council's rating system for measuring the effectiveness of environmentally efficient buildings. LEED ranks buildings on a 100-point scale measuring energy and atmosphere, the sustainability of a site, efficient use of water and the use of environmentally responsible materials and resources in the building's construction and maintenance. It also awards six points for innovative design and four points for embracing regional priorities in products and services. The resulting levels are Certified (40 to 49 points), Silver (50 to 59 points), Gold (60 to 79 points) and the greenest category, Platinum (80 points or more).
  • he approximately 5 million hotel rooms in the U.S. rack up almost $4 billion in energy bills a year, or about $800 per room annually, according to Ashley Katz, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Green Building Council.
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  • MGM Resorts is among an expanding number of hotel operators looking to capitalize on growing environmental awareness among travelers by getting their hotel owner-developers to invest in systems that cut energy usage, save water and reduce waste.
  • The trend in consumer green consciousness has grown important enough among travelers that Sabre Holdings, one of the world's largest GDS operators, has taken notice. Last month, Sabre launched its Eco-Certified Hotel Program, making it what the company claimed was the first GDS to break out a list of "environmentally responsible accommodations."
  • MGM Resorts has cut its electricity usage by an amount that could power more than 12,000 homes.
  • Caesars Entertainment (formerly Harrah's Entertainment) set a goal of cutting its carbon emissions by 10% between 2007 and 2013. So far, the Las Vegas-based company has replaced 65,000 halogen light bulbs with LED bulbs, which use about 90% less electricity, and has recycled more than 60,000 pounds of soap for Clean the World, a nonprofit that sanitizes the soap and sends it to low-income areas of the U.S.
  • The trend in consumer green consciousness has grown important enough among travelers that Sabre Holdings, one of the world's largest GDS operators, has taken notice. Last month, Sabre launched its Eco-Certified Hotel Program, making it what the company claimed was the first GDS to break out a list of "environmentally responsible accommodations."
  • T he approximately 5 million hotel rooms in the U.S. rack up almost $4 billion in energy bills a year, or about $800 per room annually, according to Ashley Katz, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Green Building Council
  • MGM Resorts is among an expanding number of hotel operators looking to capitalize on growing environmental awareness among travelers by getting their hotel owner-developers to invest in systems that cut energy usage, save water and reduce waste
  • "We have had the Travelocity Green Hotel program since 2008 and noticed increasing demand and supply of green hotels," said Leilani Latimer, director of sustainability initiatives at Sabre. "Additionally, there is increasing interest on the corporate side as more and more businesses are integrating their overarching sustainability programs into their managed travel programs and looking for significant ways to promote sustainable procurement practices
  • "It's very difficult for hotels to be truly green by their nature," said Bjorn Hanson, divisional dean of New York University's school of tourism and hospitality management. "Daily cleaning consumes chemicals and energy, and public spaces are 30% to as much as 70% of the square footage of a hotel and must be lighted, cooled and heated."
  •  
    With sustainability at the forefront of hotel operators and investors hotels are becoming conscious of the guests needs as more and more travelers are requiring and are staying at properties that are serious about environmental conservation. The article highlighted the fact hotels are big consumers of energy, therefore have construction that are LEED certified will not only benefit the environment but also the bottom line of investors.
  •  
    Travel Weekly takes a look at hotels taking real initiatives to their commitment to going green, especially in Sin City. Hotel groups are looking not to save money through transparent initiatives asking guests to simply reuse their towels, rather the article looks at "hotel owner-developers to invest in systems that cut energy usage, save water, and reduce waste". It seems in addition to other environmentally conscious west coast cities, Vegas has set a standard by setting goals for increased recycling, decreased energy consumption, switching over to LED bulbs, composting food waste, reducing overall carbon footprint and emissions. In light of continuing green development, Sabre Holdings has launched an Eco-Certified Hotel Program taking the lead out of the other four major GDS's to tip their hat to eco-friendly hotels. As travelers, GDS's, hotels, travel websites, and developers alike place greater emphasis on the preference for environmentally conscious lodgings, the more likely the industry is going to continue adopting these measures.
  •  
    Hotels are becoming more green world wide. MGM hotels is on board with a green initiative. Hotels electricity and water add up because they have to cool a building , clean and maintain the hotel. IT costs about 800 per room annually in electricity and water costs. MGM hotels reduced the electrivity they use which can help power 12, 000 houses. HOtels are also trying to reduce its carbon emissions. Although as the article states " its very difficult fot hotels to be trully green by their nature" every little bit helps.
Mirta Echazabal

How it can go green and Green initiatives - 1 views

  •  
    Opportunities for adopting green initiatives are becoming more and more common in the hospitality industry. IT updates and implementations have become a sustainable practice to reduce cost, provide a better guest satisfaction and environmentally friendly. One of the ways to start off the green initiatives is by effectively reducing energy and paper consumption; this gets done by using smart phones to replace key cards and using emails to reduce paper flow. Another green initiative is the effective technology practice such as energy star which is the system that powers down a computer automatically after it has not been used for a period of time. The use of digital media (social media) instead of print media is a fantastic way to save money while lowering the impact on the environment. Green initiatives are coming up pretty fast and are required to have a strong commitment but all vary depending on the size of organization, demand of business and location of doing business. I have seen many hotels implementing green initiatives in their facilities which at first can become extremely costly but in the long term very cost effective and environmentally friendly and expand the guest experience. I have seen hotels that have a HVAC system which senses the presence of someone in the room, this system puts the AC temperature high when room is vacant and lowers the temperature when it is occupied. Additionally the lighting of the room works the same; it turns on when someone is present and automatically turns off when the room is vacant. Just these two initiatives alone can save the property millions of dollars in a period of a year. In my opinion, going green is a great way to benefit every one involved, the guest, the environment, and cost efficient (long term) for hoteliers. The green initiative has not yet been a giant boom, but in a few years a larger amount of guest will prefer to stay in a green environmental friendly hotel then with a non green hotel. I believ
lalle044

Why Go Green? The Business Case For Sustainability - How To Increase Your Bottom Line B... - 1 views

  • Savvy businesses are aware that regulations do not have to be a negative restraint on their daily operations - in fact, they can offer opportunities to gain an advantage over competitors
  • In recent years however, environmental and social issues are emerging as a key risk issue for the lodging sector.
  • Companies that integrate the environment into their business decisions and reduce their environmental risk and potential liabilities are in a better position to secure investment and reduce their financial and reputational market exposure (Graci and Dodds, 2009).
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  • Whether driven by cost savings or a principled strategy, the hotel industry is recognizing the environment, the community and their human capital as a valuable resource to be protected.
  • Larger companies have been criticized as being the main culprit in releasing excess greenhouse emissions, climate change, environmental devastation, and unfair treatment of employees. Due to such criticisms and negative publicity, many businesses have increased the focus on corporate social responsibility
  • Pollution prevention such as waste discharge into waterways
  • The hotel industry has been pursuing green practices since the 1990s
  • There are many green practices that hotels can implement
  • Several studies have indicated that economic benefits can be gained in hotels through implementing environmental and social initiatives; many with little or no capita
  • Energy consumption
  • Recycling
  • Local products - save transportation costs.
  • The ultimate result of these actions is a win-win situation; to reduce hotel operational costs and harmful environmental impacts
  • For example, a hotel can reduce its energy consumption by 20-40% without adversely affecting performance
  • Over time, however, green practices in the hospitality industry will become a baseline requirement, particularly as the cost of non-renewable energy continues to rise, regulatory pressure increases, and consumers become more demanding.
  • Environmental programs have proved to be an effective means of generating enthusiasm and motivating staff to work as a team to achieve a common purpose
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    I think that it is very important for hotel to go green. Many top hotels are the members of green hotels. That means go green is a trend. Go green could makes the hotel cost savings, competitive advantage, employee retention, customer loyalty, regulatory compliance, decrease risk and it's the right thing to do. When I went to New York, Key West and Boston, I found the hotels where I lived are all green hotels. They use retrofitting light bulbs instead of regular bulbs. But in China, green hotel is not popular. I think that it will be the trend in the future all over the world!
Melissa Krajewski

Going green in Monte Carlo - Travel - MiamiHerald.com - 0 views

  • The Société’s environmental successes range from banning red (bluefin) tuna to the recovery of ink cartridges in a sophisticated recycling program that reclaims six different kinds of waste.
  • What’s noteworthy about Monaco’s firm resolve for environmental protections is that it enhances the vaunted Monte Carlo experience, from the quiet serenity of its piney beaches to the lively buzz of the Place du Casino, arguably the hub of Monte Carlo’s dazzling nightlife, where the iconic Belle Epoque casino and Hôtel de Paris still glow dramatically every night, albeit with low-power floodlights.
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    Hotel de Paris in opulent Monte Carlo, Monaco pleasantly surprises as a forerunner in the hospitality industry's green revolution. Prince Albert II leads by example after having a 'sustainably' lavish wedding using local and fair-trade products. Even though "mullet carpaccio" does not sound delectable to me; I am sure world renowned Chef Alain Ducasse knows how to transform the ordinary into extraordinary. Prince Albert II went so far to even have his cows supply the milk for his ice cream dessert, I call that dedication. With such excellent leadership and funding in the green initiative the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation addresses three major environmental issues: climate change, biodiversity and water consumption. Because of the Foundation visitors to Monaco participate in the green initiative with or without their knowledge. The casino, four hotels, several restaurants and spas all educate their staff on how to "be green." Hybrid shuttles, organic farming, reclaimed watering, on-site herb gardens and the banning of bluefin tuna are all examples of how the hospitality industry in Monaco has gone green. Monaco's will and initiative in the green revolution is inspiring. I hope that every hotel worldwide can try to adopt some of these practices and look to Monaco as a role model.
Yaping Li

Green Business Initiative - Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland - 0 views

shared by Yaping Li on 22 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • The Green Business Initiative is an inter-linked suite of projects, specifically aimed at helping enterprises save money and help to reduce their environmental impacts.
  • The projects aim to actively help enterprises to become more “resource efficient”. This means that they will use less energy, less water and less raw materials, in turn producing less waste and costing the business less money. It’s a great example of the Green Economy in action and a real win-win situation. 
  • The Green Hospitality Programme (GHP) is a range of projects specifically aimed at the tourism and hospitality industry. 
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  • Utilising the capacity and techniques perfected in the Green Hospitality Award and greenbusiness.ie project, the National Waste Prevention Programme is working with healthcare providers to look at water and energy use and waste production, with a special emphasis on food waste. By investigating areas where efficiencies can be made, often through simple "no" and low cost procedures, real savings can be generated for hospitals.
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    This article introduces some green business initiative that is the projects to help enterprises use less resource to make money. With the development of the society, it is more important for us to protect the environment. The green business initiative is a good example to protect the environment. The article shows the greenbusiness.ie project offer an effective tool to help the company not only reduce the cost but also reduce the pollution. It also introduce the project that aimed to help hospitality industry solve the save resource problem. It list some projects like Green Festivals, Less Food Waste, More Profit to prove these program already save more money and resource. The Green Healthcare and SMILE (Saving Money through Industrial Linkage and Exchanges) are the other two examples of green business initiative.
zihanwang

25 Eco-Friendly Hotel Ideas for Sustainable Properties | Cvent Blog - 0 views

  • Hotels around the world are rolling out a plethora of green initiatives like smart showers, solar power installations, and waste diversion.
  • Sustainable hotels are businesses that significantly reduce their environmental impact through green best-practices in maintenance, services, logistics, products, and supplies. The core elements revolve around reducing waste, saving energy, and cutting down on water usage.
  • Utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology, these same room amenities can be connected to apps so guests can change settings remotely. 
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  • Make your staff eco-friendly
  • 1. Create a green team.
  • 2. Target low-hanging fruit to start.
  • 3. Make the hiring and training process green.
  • Ensure guest services are eco-friendly
  • 4. Focus on efficiency. 
  • 5. Upgrade your transportation offerings and services with sustainability in mind.
  • Make guest rooms more green  6. Automate conservation.
  • When hotels go green, they do less damage to the environment, lower costs, and win goodwill from guests. 
  • 7. Furnish rooms sustainably.
  • Make food services eco-friendly 8. Reduce waste during events.
  • 9. Incorporate reusable dishes, silverware, glasses and mugs.
  • 10. Shop local.
  • 11. Compost and donate food from your kitchen.
  • Make the gift shop green 12. Stock-up with sustainable items.
  • 13. Operate with efficiency.
  • 16. Install a worm composting bin.
  • 15. Water wisely.
  • Smart irrigation systems
  • Create hotel landscaping and gardening that's eco-friendly 14. Cut down on runoff.
  • Keep hotel utilities green 17. Keep things shady.
  • 18. Automate water and energy conservation.
  • 19. Invest in green infrastructure.
  • Make hotel maintenance green 20. Give your operations a check-up.
  • 21. Keep an eye on your systems.
  • Ensure hotel waste management is sustainable 22. Ditch the plastic water bottles.
  • 23. Compost whenever possible.
  • Go green for purchasing 24. Make green decisions.
  • 25. Shop for certified green appliances.
  • Share the good news about your sustainable hotel:
  • As you take steps to improve sustainability, it’s imperative to get the word out about these positive practices.  Social media is popular with environmentally conscious consumers.
  • Incorporate your sustainability business practices into your search engine optimization (SEO) marketing efforts to rank higher in Google search results.
  • Partner with green business organizations.
  • Email marketing is another key tool in sharing your news.
  • The hospitality industry should be wary of greenwashing when sharing sustainability stories, as environmentally conscious consumers react negatively to this practice.
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    The focus on sustainability or "going green" is quickly becoming a major trend. This article introduce 25 ways that hotels can use to develop sustainable economic. Supporting sustainable initiatives is important to the lodging industry as a whole. hotels need to continue to innovate and the future of technology in hospitality has to be green, or those brands that do not adopt to these emerging standards face being left behind.
tania morgan

How Hotels Are Going Green for Guests - 3 views

  • I make a quick stop for goodies and feel like I’ve entered a miniature Whole Foods: bulk nuts, dried fruit, even local chocolate and salsa from (according to the salesperson) the Lexington farmers’ market.
  • a kitchen full of Energy Star appliances.
  • Filtered water pours into the sink, under which I find two bins for recyclables. The toilets are dual-flush, the showers are low-flow, the shampoo and conditioner are in bulk dispensers, and the bellhop tells me that the art on my walls, depicting a leaf motif, was crafted from recycled aluminum and car tires.
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  • I can grab one of the gratis bikes downstairs and go for a spin on the nearby bike trail into town, or take a dip in the pool that’s cleaned with saline salt solution instead of eye-burning chlorine.
  • Owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Element is the first chain to receive an LEED-certified gold rating, the second-highest standard bestowed on a building by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
  • 212-room property, including saving water and electricity, recycling paper and implementing the towel and linen reuse program now common in most hotels across the country.
  • “It’s a 2 to 3 percent premium above the total cost of the building to go the LEED-certified route,” he says, adding that he hopes to offset that cost from the operational side in the next three to four years.
  • Energy savings include keeping electricity down to a minimum through natural lights and the use of CFL bulbs, low-flow showers and dual-flush toilets that save approximately 942,000 gallons of water annually at Element Lexington, and a roofing material that reflects heat from the sun, so the hotel won’t tax its air-conditioning system in the summer. Keeping with LEED standards, Element also purchases energy that comes from a green source: the wind.
  • Put a compost bin in the back of that megaresort in Cancun, and suddenly you have an “eco-lodge.”
  • Meredith Elbaum
  • Indeed, government incentives and big business could very well be behind this latest surge in new hotel design.
  • Green Seal has also been vocal in its assessment that a typical average-size lodging uses more resources in a week than 100 families use in a year.
  • says it’s hard to find a resort that actually practices what it preaches. “Seeing if they have LEED is one criterion, but you still have to do your research.”
  • “We heard from our global accounts, players like Microsoft, AT&T and Hewlett-Packard, that their goal was to find a hotel company that had some sort of green program in place,” says Brian McGuinness, “and we realized we need to do this.”
  • According to Arthur Weissman, this new initiative has led to an increase in revenue for hotels that join the movement. “The Doubletree in Portland, Oregon, told us they received more than $3 million in business due to their green certification,” notes Weissman.
  • But what about the typical traveler who simply wants a decent shower, a comfortable bed and perhaps a workout before turning in for the night? Workers who have no corporate mandate to go green are known to be extravagant when away from home, indulging in energy-chugging hot tubs and (dare I say it?) forgetting to turn off the lights and the A/C when they leave their rooms.
  • We need to find a balance.”
  • There’s certainly room for more growth in Element’s green design, such as the use of solar panels to heat the pool and the incorporation of a master switch, which many hotels in Europe already have.
  • The latter works by simply inserting your room key into a switch inside the room that turns on the electricity, heat and water. When you leave the room, you have to take that room key with you, thus turning off all the appliances.
  • “We’re just trying to do the right thing,” says McGuinness. “At the very least, we’re at the entry level: eco-friendly and not increasing the carbon footprint.” It may not be a green revolution quite yet, but it seems like a darn good starting point.
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    This article is all about hotels going green and trying to get LEED certified. The one Boston hotel is doing things like having dual flush toilets, low flow showers, shampoo and conditioner in bulk dispensers, and a roofing material that reflects the sun to save energy costs. Another thing involved with getting LEED certified is getting energy from abouther source, this particular hotel is using the wind. It is expensive to do and doesnt appeal to everyone, hotel managers must figure out whats in the best interest for them and getting people in and out of their hotel.
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    This article deals with how hotels are going green. Many have the typical saving shower head, the double flush toilet, or the special roof panels. Some go a little further than just putting a garbage bin to recycle. Many hotels are now placing cards in the rooms asking if you want linens changed when they clean the room, and for example may ask you to do something specific like throw the towels on the floor. While it may be an expensive thing to start turning hotels into green hotels, profits are being seen as big companies are now pushing their employees to stay at green hotels versus non green hotels. This may be the extra push management needs to make the decision to go green. Also, it says not all customers may care about the green issue, but some may try. We just need to find a balance and not expect all people on vacation to be a happy go lucky green freak.
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    To add onto Marilyns comment, not only are hotels doing the basics to go green, but a lot of hotels in california are taking the extra step, such as The Kimpton Hotels, and The orchard. They have changed the carpets and wallpaper for lower emission. They added recycle bins in every room in all 40 of their hotels across the country. Lastly, and one of the the additions I find most beneficial is their implementation of key card energy control, where a room key will be needed to activate the electricity in each room, and also shutting all electricity off when they leave.
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    This article is about how starwood hotels are trying to become fullscale eco-friendly but some are hotels are only greenwashing. This article is stating that it is not enough to use one green practice and call yourself an eco-friendly hotel.
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