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Accor is taking its commitment to sustainability to a higher level with the launch of PLANET 21, this is a comprehensive sustainable development program involving environmental, social and community support programs. It aims to place sustainability at the core of its business strategy worldwide. With this program, Accor is making 21 commitments and the same number of quantified goals for the year 2015, such as 15% reduction in water consumption, 10% decrease in energy use and 85% use of eco-labelled products at Accor's owned and leased hotels worldwide. These moves are all aim to reminds us the urgent situation of our planent that we should change our methods of production and consumption patterns to ensure the sustainability of the planet.

The article expands on the topic from this week because it discusses how there are other technology throughout the world that adds to the pollution on the planet. For example, cars contribute to the poison getting leaked into the atmosphere because when they are discarded and not used they tend to melt from the sun and then rain water washes it into the ocean and lakes where it gets consumed by animals. Also adding technology to farming has made life useful but also added to the pollution on the planet because of the toxic chemicals being used to repel insects from the plants and China has deliberately decided to ignore health standards just to mine and sell rare-earths cheaply.

This short article briefly discusses some of the ways in which hotels are taking more initiatives to be eco friendly and practice sustainability. This article also lists a number of statistics to support its claims. For example, according to the article, "150-room hotel can conserve 72,000 gallons of water and 480 gallons of laundry soap every year by placing the cards in its guest rooms". The cards that the article is referring to are the little "to save the planet" cards you may see when you check into a hotel in your bathroom, usually near your towels. In fact, the "green cards" are so important to hotels that some companies actually provide them for you so you don't have to make them yourself (for a small fee of course) such as the Green Hotels Association that the article discusses. One of my favorite parts of the article is the "10 Million Trees" initiative taken on by the Four Seasons. According to the article, "The hotel chain is celebrating its 50th anniversary by planting 10 million trees across the 34 countries in which it operates with the hope that the effort will help combat deforestation and global warming and attract more customers concerned about the state of the planet". This concept is truly amazing to me and it definitely should be an aid to help others in learning why "going green" is such a major deal and how seriously it effects not only our futures, but our everyday lives. The article wraps up talking about eco lodges in partnership with natives and why that is important when travelers are passing by.

Hotels are going beyond just encouraging guests to reuse linens and towels. The WTTC and Green Hotel Association are making an effort to implement green initiatives in the industry.

This article is about the strong focus on the development of facilities management in Europe. It is regarded that facility manager as an experts for the influence of the building environment on people. The facility management system is a way of integrating people, planet, and profit with technology as a linchpin. The article said that facility management is not any more limited just a caretaker's job. Facility managers need to have a leadership, which means that focus on educational programs. The global facility management trend report identifies that four megatrends: factor megatrends (economic growth, globalization, demographic trends); social megatrends (individualization, social media, growing focus on health); knowledge megatrends (technological development, increased knowledge); and industry megatrends (accelerated pace of change, new ways of working). Sustainability and technology would be the two main streams. The technology would be an enabler for sustainability and comprising smart infrastructure, robotics and knowledge.

This article is about the green initiative of installing electric vehicle charging stations in hotels. Hotels have always considered their concern for the environment as a way to stand out in the market and meet client needs and expectations. Charging stations are not considered just another amenity, they are something the customer is looking for. Drive in business is extremely important to the lodging industry and this technology is what guests are looking for as hybrid and electric vehicles become more affordable and practical.

This article deals with the implementation of electric vehicle charging stations in many hotel properties. These charging stations appear to be a big trend and an item that can set a hotel apart from it's competitors. Taking the initiative to be more conscience of their carbon footprint allows properties to relate with guests who feel the same about protecting the planet. Properties such as the Loews Vanderbilt hotel, and the Fontainebleau Miami have installed charging stations and are receive very positive feedback from ,both, guest, who own electric cars and those who do not. Although electric cars are not prevalent in the auto industry there has been an increase in sales and when Auberge Resorts held a study asking guests about electric cars they were surprised to find out that "many had already had them" and that twenty percent said that an electric car would be a future purchase. "Going green" is a huge trend within the hospitality industry and hotels will continue to implement advances in "green" technology in order to be set apart from the rest.

Sustainability in the hospitality industry was introduced back in the late 80's. Ever since then it has been a growing movement, seeking the best and most efficient strategies for hotels and tourism. In 1992, The United Nations Conference on Environmental Development (UNCED) recognized that travel and tourism would be one of the most benefitted by sustainability trends. In 1996 three organizations (World Travel & Tourism Council, World Tourism Organization, and the Earth Council) met to create a global environmental certification program called "Agenda 21". Consequently, Green Globe was created after to set targets and functioning standards based on environmental development. Hotels receiving the "Green Globe" address issues within their hotel that include: * Greenhouse emissions * Energy efficiency * Management of freshwater resources * Ecosystem conservation * Waste water and solid waste management Hospitality is the fastest growing global industry. In 2014 it was stated that it contributes $7 trillion annually to the total world gross domestic product. There is a huge incentive for sustainability due to customers being conscious of the impact their actions have on the planet. Soon green and sustainability will become the standard rather than an option.

This article discusses the importance of hoteliers using green cleaning products. The added benefit to using green cleaning products is safe for the environment. If hotel practice green cleaning, it may lead to higher occupancy and revenue. If consumers are eco-friendly, they want their hotel to be as well. Overall, our society is becoming more aware of products that are impacting our environment and it is vitally important that hotels listen and make change that for good for the people, good for the planet and good for the balance sheet.

This article discusses how the pandemic has strongly impacted many hospitality companies to be more "green" for the future.. From contactless key options, to minimizing food waste, to using technology to reduce unwanted waste like paper, it is helping set new green goals for the our planet and future of the industry.

To summarize, E-waste has been the fastest-growing waste stream in the world for nearly a decade, and it has a really negative impact on the environment. And the pace is not decreasing. E-waste is made of the materials that make up the electronics that run our life which are bad for the environment and for our health. Additionally, the three primary impacts are air, water, and soil that negatively affects the environment. Finally, to protect our planet from e-waste is prioritizing reuse of products.

This article talks about a research on customers' attitude to green products in hotel.. The research brought out questions like do customers want green products in hotel, are they willing to pay for them, and is so, who are these consumers and what are their characteristics? After some study, the research harvest some interesting results. According to the study, more than half customers hold positive attitude with green promotions and hotel should have its individual green department. But there are limits with their support. First of all,guests appear to be in favor of greening activities that do not limit or affect their comfort level in the guest room. They would like the hotel provide efficient lighting, recycling, environment friendly products and so on. But they would not prefer options like towel reuse, adjusting room temperature when nobody is in and some other options which might affect customers' comfortable stay. And the other limitation is money, most customers put the price over green efforts of hotels, they seldom picked the green hotels if they are out of their price range. So through this article, we can see green concept is getting accepted by customers gradually, but it still has a long way to go.

Wei, I am glad that you chose this article because it was interesting for me to read about the guests' part in being green. We always here about what hotels and companies can do to be green, but we hardly ever hear about what consumers can do to contribute to the green movement. The results that the article shares are, for the most part, what I would expect them to be. Like you said, people are willing to play their part in helping our planet, but only as long as it doesn't affect their comfort levels or if they have to spend more. I feel that people should be willing to sacrifice more for the sake of our planet.

ARTICLE SUMMARY Introduction and evolution of Internet has revolutionized the way hotel operators and business in general approach daily activities and strategic planning. Internet is to modern business what electricity was to the industrial revolution. Internet has become a very important tool in generating revenues, lowering costs, increasing productivity, and increasing online visibility and therefore hotel and tourism operators need to utilize this tool to compete and be successful. The future of eMarketing in hospitality and tourism industries is bright and will serve the industry well for many years to come.

This article talks about e-marketing and how it is going to take over the industry. It mentions that the number of people on the interent is increasing and rapidly. E-marketing need to "create interesst, excitement and buy-ins at their hotels". Now with social media, e-marketing is becoming more accessible. "The level of emphasis and extent of experimentation varies greatly by hotel group and location, but growing importance, both for generating revenues, lower costs adn online visibility, is indisputable".

Are you a hotel eMarketer looking for ways to better communicate, educate and develop the role at your property/ies? This article explores some of the issues surrounding these efforts, complemented by a dose of perspective and a generous helping of best practices, all garnished, hopefully, by your own ideas and experiences. By Jitendra Jain

In the article, "Green and Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenities" it talks about how many different hotels are doing their part and keeping the planet green. The first place that the article talks about is the Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, it uses no motorized vehicles instead the guests can use electric golf carts or electric boats to ride around on the nine miles of canal. "Each resort also has an onsite biologist to lead educational boat tours through the lagoons." At the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago they built a rooftop garden to provide fresh vegetables and herbs for the hotel's restaurant, they are also considering making space to put several beehives, this will lead to a natural approach of producing honey. One of the most interesting and easy ways to stay green was at the Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley; they have sheep that eat the grass replacing all lawnmowers and on top on that, their manure helps fertilize the soil. It's a win, win solution! In New York they have a restaurant called Habana Outpost and you really have to work for your food, literally. At this restaurant you have ride a bike that powers the eatery blender and if they generate up to 100 watts of energy, they will earn a free meal, such an amazing and creative idea! This "is part of the hotel's larger commitment to eco-friendliness, which includes a CO2-neutral building, solar panels, and groundwater-based heating and cooling systems." At Jicaro Island lodge in Nicaragua, they used all of they wood from trees that were knocked down in Hurricane Felix and they also use a good majority of their wastewater that is recycled to irrigate the trees and plants. Before reading this article, I never knew that so many hotels were doing their part at staying green and I'm surprised by all the new and unique ways that they have come up with, it gives me hope for the future!

The Planet One /Swisscom partnership results in a complementary voice, video and data service offering across the Asia-Pacific region while enabling Swisscom to serve its hotel partners globally with IT managed services. Planet One markets voice and data communications solutions, back-office system integration services, software development and outsourced applications support to the hotel industry. Swisscom has built a suite of IP convergent services (on site and above property) for the guest room, the meeting room, the public area and the hotel back-office. Both as a network manager and a solution provider, Swisscom has been supporting many of the world's leading chains towards the global implementation of their brand standards for many years. Above is the brief introduction of the two organizations. As we all know, telecommunication is a potential essential part in the hospitality industry. This article make clear to all that this technology will be more important in the future development.

This article list some examples of how Las Vegas is "going green". In recent years, Las Vegas resorts have turned their attention and focused their efforts on becoming more environmentally conscious. From energy efficiency and water conservation to recycling and implementing greener practices, Las Vegas is doing its part to contribute to the sustainability of the planet. Several Las Vegas projects have even achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The process includes independent, third-party verification that a development's design, construction and performance meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

Green practice not only save companies money in the long run, but contribute to creating a healthier planet. Various industries are taking part in the implementation of green strategies to do so. As this article points out, universities are using green IT. The University of Pittsburgh is taking part in several of these. First by using Pitt Printing, which "effort reduces the likelihood of multiple print jobs, according to the university, and also stems the tide of students printing a document and not picking it up. By the university's estimation, this change in technique has saved upward of 100,000 sheets of paper that would have wound up discarded, making it 20 times less wasteful than full-service printing"." In addition the school has committed to using "read green" by reducing paper waste and committing to using electronic copies and using web conferences versus in person interviews for candidates and meetings. Small steps can make a big difference and IT is assisting in the green implementation.

I love how you brought up Universities. Its amazing how everything now is pretty much done online. Even professors like everything turned in via email or via blackboard. This saves so much on paper and ink for printers. I believe that one day there will barely or any use for printers and so forth due to the evolution of sustainability.

One of the hottest negotiation issues now a dyas is to stay green in whatever field of industry you're working at. That includes the Hospitality Management as well. In the hotel business one of the very basic, at the same time very important need is providing Hot Water. With the help of new sustainable hot water technology, the hotel properties can provide hot water without any trouble even during the peak hours while saving money!  These Solar Thermal heating Systems figured out to be very cost effective and practical that quickly began to rise interest between hoteliers.  In this way , they not only save energy and help our planet to stay green but also help them to save their budgets to be spent on some other parts. 

Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry begins with energy management. It can be viewed by your establishment as a way to save money, conserve the environment, and preserve destinations for future generations to enjoy as we have. This article points out some of the simple, more inexpensive ways to manage energy consumption and how sadly, so few establishments develop these energy management systems despite acknowledging their benefits. On a brighter note, the article mentions 6 reasons why energy management will inevitably assume its role in our industry and it is encouraging to see more and more establishments already paving that road towards a cleaner, brighter tomorrow. It is not about "tree huggers" and fanatics. It is about our future and the future of next generations living on this fragile planet. The "Green" Movement needs more exposure and I am glad that many experts are taking the initiative to point that out. If we don't take care of this planet, who will?

This weeks module is about learning the green terms for hospitality. Therefore the first link I have provided is the vocabulary of the concept of Cradle to Cradle. Cradle to Cradle is a concept that ends the linear model of resource extraction to product manufacturing to land fill instead it becomes a circular model that eliminates the concept of waste. It follows the Triple Bottom Line of profits, planet, people in the design of products energy resource. Hotels can purchase Cradle to Cradle or C2C certified products from carpet and flooring, building exteriors to laundry detergents that are made to be reabsorbed into the circular model. This website is worth checking out. This link below is a summary of C2C in their own PDF Design for the Future http://www.mbdc.com/images/Design_For_C2C_Future.pdf

By using of Nano Ionic technology, The new interior paint will remove odors that caused be smoking, pets, bacterial proliferation. However, some natural matrix materials ground into a fine powder the mixed with paint to be applied to the interior walls of homes and businesses. Moreover, this new product is non-toxic, not harmful to pets, children or planet earth and no consumption of electricity is necessary.

The tourism is considered the biggest industry in the world, This industry has also one of the biggest impact on the environment. The tourism and hospitality industries can play a key role reducing our footprint on the planet