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This article shows us that Hilton New York installs a green roof system which installed with a Cogeneration (Combined Heat & Power) System. The whole system was designed to reduce the hotel's overall carbon usage so that to promote the hotel's sustainable development. This kind of green roof system was located on the hotel's fifth floor rooftop and it represents a major investment by Hilton New York. They want to benefit from the carbon capture, energy conservation, and reduction the Urban Heat Island effect. According to the article, this green roof will support the local farming industries by using the locally grown plants come from an upstate farm in New York. These plants are well able to absorb airborne pollutants, and then to prevent lots of CO2 releasing. In addition, the solar radiation and the thermal load have been deflected and the energy previously expended in cooling the property would be reduced. These effects will be resulted in reducing the Urban Heat Island effect. The hotel also will install a highly-efficient, environmentally-friendly Cogeneration system that will provide more electrical power by using less resource. It will use clean and efficient natural gas as the new energy. All of these system are environmental friendly and doing well in sustainable development of hospitality industry.

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!

The Grand Cancun eco-complex including hotels and convention centers, set to be completed in 2020, will drive ecotourism to Cancun while utilizing multiple green hotel technologies. The mega-building will have zero carbon footprint and be able to provide drinking water and energy to the city, all while helping clean the surrounding ocean water of pollution and waste. Remarkably, the entire structure is built on stilts, taking up no space from the ocean marine life. I recommend checking out the pictures in the article, the design is incredible!

How e-waste is being manage in some countries and what people are doing to reduce their impact on e-waste.

This article mainly introduces the problems caused by e-waste and related solutions. E-waste not only affects environmental issues such as rare earth elements when it is landfilled or incinerated, but also the mining of its equipment manufacturing also affects the social environment, because a certain amount of emissions may be released in the process. Toxins are a great harm to the environment and the human body. Therefore, with the continuous emergence of e-waste disposal problems, some companies such as Apple and Sony have begun to extend the life of their equipment in recent years, and encourage customers to trade-in for recycling, making a certain effective contribution to the growing e-waste.

This Article corresponds to the two discussion posts this week. where we see e-waste not only a growing problem for pollution but affecting the health of younger children in surrounding areas, this article discusses how the WHO is trying to bring awareness to this issue.

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.

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.

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.

The Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) is a public-private group consisting of more than 50 heads from various internal and external organizations. The group intends to fight the route cause of e-waste by repairing the method for which technology is recycled. The plan of action is to establish a circular economy. Materials are consumed, trashed, and eventually sent to landfills or sent for workers in toxic unsafe conditions to extract the precious materials. The world produces 50 million tons of e-waste annually, accumulating a worth of almost $62 billion. 80% of e-waste is improperly recycled in dangerous polluted conditions, creating an environmental hazard and unethical work conditions. Valuable resources such as gold, are also lost due to this poor method of recycling.Nigeria is one of the many countries that has exploited thousands of workers in the recycling of e-waste. In an effort to reform this issue, the Nigerian government has invested $15 million to employ PACE's circular economy. The design of a circular economy allows for products to be either made for longer use or recycled in a sustainable way. The circular economy will allow for a more efficient and environmentally friendly method of harvesting these resources while providing sustainable job opportunities.

This article was pre-COVID and budgetary restraints I fear will force many initiatives to be placed on the back burner for a while. What I really liked about this article is that it shows the hospitality industry being a driving force in sustainability technologies and taking accountability for amount of resources it uses and waste it produces. I found the "three-zero-concept" particularly interesting for new builds, since it takes a ground-up approach to sustainability. It talks about education and training for staff, which is extremely important for sustainability initiatives to be successful. The article highlights different protocols being used to lower waste, emissions, pollution, and natural resources used.

According to the World Economic Forum, more than 50 million tons of e-waste are produced each year. E-waste is a serious threat to our environmental viability and our public health. The toxic chemicals and heavy metals that go into developing electronics seep into the soil, pollute groundwater, and release atmosphere-warming hydrocarbons when burned Educate yourself on what gets put into your electronics. Solving the e-waste crisis is only possible if we understand the scale of its environmental impact. Consider whether or not you actually need that phone or computer upgrade. The longer you hold onto your current devices, the more electronics will be kept out of the waste stream. The way you take care of your devices on a daily basis makes a big difference in how well they work and how long they last. If the time comes to part with that old computer or phone, make sure to dispose of them responsibly by donating your e-waste

This Human-I-T article on 5 Ways You Can Reduce E-Waste is a powerful one. The simple practice of unplugging my fully charged computer and phone, and regularly cleaning them are major takeaways for me from this article, to expand the lifespan of my devices. Additionally, donating gadgets that are no longer useful to lower-income households is something that I can implement since all my older electronics are stored in a cabinet at my home which will eventually be discarded. Thank you for sharing this article!

I really enjoyed this as its helped me understand how important it is to be vigilant of your electronics and how you dispose of them. Especially with the videos watched this week, it's good to have this source to go back to. Lots of great takeaways and people should be more aware of this.

This article highlights the fact that Carrier Enterprise is going to showcase its new money-saving HVAC and Energy Management Systems at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association trade show. Carrier enterprise is the leading provider of temperature and energy control technologies for commercial and residential properties. At the AAHOA trade show CE will be presenting its new hospitality-specific HVAC and energy saving systems. The new system is called E-TAC, Engineered Terminal Air Conditioner. The smart technology that E-TAC provides puts control of energy back into the hoteliers hands. The E-TAC is energy efficient, has a dry mode, maximum set point limits that can be preprogrammed. they are remote controlled, they have a sleep timer to save energy, and lastly, it has been implemented with silencing fan technology which is perfect for hotel guestrooms. Accompanying the E-TAC with Carrier Enterprise at the AAHOA trade show is their new P-TAC Air Purification System. This will eliminate unhealthy indoor environments while also reducing odor, air pollutants, smoke, mold, bacteria and viruses, and chemical odors. The Air Knight was specifically designed for HVAC units of hotels. I believe we will see both of these new technologies thrive in the near future.

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,

This article discusses a couple of ways in which hotels are extending themselves to go green. Specifically the article lists three ways in which these hotels are initiating themselves into going green, which are through low water consumption Power saving, and solid waste disposal. The article also discusses energy efficient lighting.  Along with discussing these processes, the article explains that its not easy to be green in this sector, but the hotel industry now has a new environmental conscience. This being great for hotels. its one step in opening a new way to help get our environment back to where it needs to be and with there being such a large scale of hotels why not get them in the best order that we can get them. 

As the article states"The hotel industry has long been associated with excessive waste: using powerful chemicals for cleaning and wasting energy for maintenance rather than being environmentally friendly. Moreover and as result of tourism industry growth, the demand for resources from the hospitality sector has exponentially increased. However, the new popularity of Eco Tourism has encouraged hotels to adopt new green practices that allow them to reduce their negative impact on the environment" The hospitality industry can help improve the environmental problems we are going through at the moment by simply adding: low water consumption, power saving, energy-efficient lighting and solid waste disposal. Furthermore, the guest are starting to become more aware and loyal to brands that are making changes to become green and there is where eco tourism starts and its getting bigger. In the future, all hotels will have to follow the LEED requirements which makes them follow certain rules to help reduce energy and go green. This will help the hotel managers and industry save money and at the same time help the environment.

Hotels going green is being appreaciated by the guests

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.

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.

Computer on your desk is contributing to global warming? That is not a joke! Actually, most people don't appreciate that fact. It is true that if the electricity comes from coal power plant it produces as much CO2 as a sports utility vehicle! Especial, the total electricity that needed to transmit the trillions of spam emails sent annually equals the amount required to power over two million homes in the US. Unbelievable! As millions more go online each year, which means there comes out more electricity needed and produce more CO2. As the researcher's saying, it becomes part of the whole sustainability picture.

There are many ways to help the environment, especially when it comes to deciding what to do with old electronic gadgets. What will you do with your old phone, if there is a new one coming out soon? What will you do if there is a new computer with new features from apple that comes out next month? We are all tempted to buy new products and tend to forget about the old ones we have that get piled up at home. There are so many solutions, to help prevent the world from getting polluted with toxic elements that are harmful to the people. Many solutions that this article mentions are we can resell our items, we can donate to the less fortunate i.e schools etc, we can recycle to save energy and valuable resources and so much more. Many of us tend to pile up our electronics gadgets because we feel some sort of attachment to it. Like the author mentioned, he feels guilty throwing them in the trash. As stated, the inner workings of electronics "can contain toxic materials including lead, beryllium, cadmium and flame retardants. If crushed or burned these materials can seep into the environment and harm human health." With that being said, we have to make smart decisions so we can save the world we live in!

This article talked about Hilton New York installs a new green roof system and cogeneration system. Those two IT investments are designed to reduce the hotel's overall carbon footprint. The green roof system represents a major investment by Hilton New York to benefit efforts in carbon capture, energy conversation, and reduction of Urban Heat Island effect. And the high-efficient, environmentally-friendly cogeneration system will provide in excess of 50 percent of hotel's electrical power and over 40 percent of its steam consumption for heating and hot water requirements.

This article talked about Hilton New York installs a new green roof system and cogeneration system. Those two IT investments are designed to reduce the hotel's overall carbon footprint. The green roof system represents a major investment by Hilton New York to benefit efforts in carbon capture, energy conversation, and reduction of Urban Heat Island effect. And the high-efficient, environmentally-friendly cogeneration system will provide in excess of 50 percent of hotel's electrical power and over 40 percent of its steam consumption for heating and hot water requirements.

This article indicated a kind of building structure and material for reducing the energy usage. Green building includes employing responsible, energy-efficient means in creating living, working and storage structures. Green building reduced energy usage by installing insulation. And this article introduced GREENGUARD certification to enhance the green movement. GREENGUARD Certification guarantees that the insulation is tested to ensure that chemical and particle emissions meet stringent indoor air quality pollutant standards. Considering the green hotel, this can be reducing the energy usage of hotel operation, the owner could be save cost, also save the environment.

This article discusses the "Green Hotel" award that is presented every two years to Asean resorts. The purpose of this award is to bring awareness to hotels about the importance of being eco-friendly and preserving our environment. Thousands of hotels compete for this award based on criteria including water efficiency, air quality management, collaboration with local organizations and external communities. I personally love that collaborating with external communities is a criteria for this award because I find that to be very important. Well-known resorts should help smaller organizations and team up with them to show they care about those around them. Once of the recipients, Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, focused on protecting and sustaining the rich ecosystem surrounding their resort by constructing their resort using eco-ethical materials and placing priority in sustaining its environment-friendly atmosphere. The hope is for these awards to be an incentive to improve the tourism industry and to provide awareness to the hospitality industry regarding global warming and other important natural effects hotels are having on our environment. While it promotes healthy competition in the tourism industry, it also improves the quality of the hotels in Asean countries which in turn will lead to more tourism and financials for the country.

Hey all, here is something interesting I found. It is an article that talks about E-waste and how it is being dealt with in the United States. Over the course of the last decade, many people have come to the realization that electronics, such as televisions and computers could be potentially harmful if not disposed of in the right way. States like Maine have implemented laws, where it is mandatory for people to recycle their products. The laws are intended to prevent a torrent of toxic waste and outdated electronic equipment. The article states, throughout the entire nation an average of 99.1 million televisions sit in people's closets and are unused. Places like Washington State have responded well to the problem. Over the course of a few years, Washington has dumped almost 15 million pounds of E-Waste. Other States Like New York and New Jersey, have banned throwing televisions in regular trash. It is mandatory to take them to a recycling station.

It's time to be green! LET'S RECYCLE!

Frank, I completely agree with your stance on recycling. It really is time for people to take responsibility and care about our planet. With the rapid rate at which technology is being updated, electronic waste will just continue to grow. I am glad that laws are being formed to cope with this tremendous issue. I agree with this statement from the article: '"We think it is unreasonable that an individual industry be designated as trash collector," Mr. Fannon said.' I agree with Fannon's view that local governments should help with recycling electronic waste. I agree because something definitely needs to be done, but the responsibility should not be placed on one group.