Greening Your Hospitality Business

Jill Doucette, J.C. Scott

Description

As business becomes more environmentally conscious, new practices are emerging that help the food and hospitality sector operate sustainably. This book, the first of its kind, is a practical and affordable guide for restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubhouses, bed and breakfasts, tour operators, and food services on how to deliver a more environmentally friendly service.
The hospitality sector is poised to be a change-maker within the realm of commerce and sustainability. With that power and ability to influence our communities is the vast potential to make a positive impact on the world. The planet needs leaders in sustainability, and that leadership does not go unrecognized. Customers also want to see action, and they are starting to choose businesses with values that match their own.
The financial benefits of going green are a powerful incentive for business owners. Going green has great perks such as increased marketability of your business, staff retention due to stronger corporate ethics, and the financial benefits that can be gained through eco-efficiencies.
By greening your hospitality company and taking action on areas such as alternative energy, waste reduction, sustainable purchasing, and community support, you will be paving the way toward a shift in your corporate culture, increased efficiencies and revenue, and a new, loyal clientele that looks for sound environmental practices. You will also be able to measure the change in your environmental impact, and develop the potential to influence other companies.
Introduction xi
1. The Business Case for Going Green xii
1.1 Ethics xiv
1.2 Marketing xv
1.3 Staff retention xv
1.4 Regulatory compliance xvi
1.5 Grants xvi
1.6 Financial benefits xvi
1.7 More reasons to go green xvii
1 People, Planet, Prosperity 1
1. People 2
2. Planet 4
3. Prosperity 5
3.1 Long-term sustainability 6
2 Climate Change 9
1. Hospitality and Climate Change 11
2. The Carbon Footprint of Food 13
iv Greening Your Hospitality Business
3. What Can You Do? 14
3 How the Hospitality Industry Can Change the World 17
1. Green Leaders in the Hospitality Industry 19
1.1 Eco-luxury tourism 22
2. Can Your Business Help to Change the World? 22
4 Greening Your Building 23
1. Site Selection 24
2. Construction 25
3. Building Performance and Design 25
3.1 Energy production 26
3.2 Photovoltaic solar panels 27
3.3 Solar hot water systems 29
3.4 Geo-exchange systems 30
3.5 Biomass or bioenergy 30
3.6 Wind power 31
3.7 Indoor water and nature features 31
4. Energy Use and Conservation 32
4.1 Lighting 32
4.2 Equipment 34
5. Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) Systems 36
5.1 System considerations 37
5.2 Building envelope 38
5.3 Windows 39
6. Insulated Concrete and Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) 39
5 Water Conservation 41
1. Water Conservation Tips 42
1.1 Buy Energy Star-qualified equipment 42
1.2 Install low-flow spray valves, faucets, and fixtures 43
1.3 Repair leaks 44
1.4 Wash fully loaded dish racks 44
1.5 Avoid running water 45
1.6 Reuse gray water 45
1.7 Turn off water when not in use 45
1.8 Serve filtered water only when requested 45
Contents v
1.9 Compost food waste and conserve your landscape 46
1.10 Laundry 46
2. Pools and Spas 47
6 Waste Management 49
1. Conduct a Waste Audit 50
2. Food Waste 52
2.1 Imperfect foods 53
3. Reducing Waste from Your Suppliers 54
4. Revise Your Menu 55
5. Reduce Kitchen Waste 56
6. Customer Waste 56
6.1 Cafeterias and buffets 57
7. Waste Management and Disposal 58
7.1 Fryer oil 58
7.2 Waste hauler 58
7.3 Organize your bin system 59
7.4 Composting 59
7 Furnishing and Finishes 61
1. Furniture Materials 63
1.1 Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) 64
2. Millwork 65
3. Flooring 65
4. Paint and Wall Coverings 66
8 How to Green Your Guest Accommodations 67
1. Gift Shop 68
2. Guest Rooms 69
3. Janitorial Services 73
4. Common Areas 74
4.1 Vending machines 74
4.2 Laundry services 74
4.3 Hallway lighting and parking lots 74
4.4 Patios 74
4.5 Spas 76
4.6 Fitness centers 76
5. Other Green Resources for Hotels 77
vi Greening Your Hospitality Business
9 Food 79
1. Why Buy Local? 80
2. Wild, Edible Flowers 82
2.1 Cattail 83
2.2 Rosehips 84
2.3 Miner’s lettuce 84
2.4 Chicory 84
2.5 Chickweed 85
2.6 Dandelion 85
2.7 Fireweed 85
2.8 Edible flowers 86
3. Foraging 87
4. Communicating to Guests 87
10 Employee Engagement 89
1. How to Get Your Staff Involved in Your Green Policies 90
1.1 Vision 90
1.2 Education 90
1.3 Team 91
1.4 Action 91
1.5 Results 91
1.6 Innovation 91
11 Guest Awareness and Engagement 93
1. The Role of Hospitality Companies 94
1.1 Educate 96
1.2 Empower 97
1.3 Engage 98
12 Brand Recognition and Marketing 101
1. Sharing Your Story 102
2. Marketing Tactics 102
3. Greenwashing 103
13 Green Events 105
1. Food and Beverage 107
2. Guest Transportation 107
3. Waste Management 107
Contents vii
4. Procurement 108
5. Environmental Days 108
Tables and Charts
1 Carbon Emissions xiii
2 Measuring Financial and Environmental
Investment Options 7
3 Metric for Measuring Triple-Bottom-Line Success 8
4 Key Sources of Greenhouse Gasses 10
5 Assessing Alternative Energy Projects 27
6 Waste Management 53
7 Waste Bin Audit 53
Samples
1 Carbon Footprint of a Hotel 11
2 Carbon Footprint of a Restaurant 12
3 Carbon Footprint of a Tour Operator 12
4 Waste Reduction Comparison 54

Sujets

• Industrie
• Hospitality
• Sustainable business

Informations

• Publié par: Self-Counsel Press
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9781770404540
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Greening Your Hospitality
For Accomodations, Tour Operators, and Restaurants
Jill Doucette, and JC Scott
Self-Counsel Press
(a division of)
International Self-Counsel Press Ltd.
USA Canada

Copyright © 2016

International Self-Counsel Press
All rights reserved.
Contents

Cover

Titlepage

Introduction

1. The Business Case for Going Green

Table 1: Carbon Emissions

Chapter 1: People, Planet, Prosperity

1. People

2. Planet

3. Prosperity

Table 2: Measuring Financial and Environmental Investment Options

Table 3: Metrics for Measuring Triple-Bottom-Line Success

Chapter 2: Climate Change

Table 4: Key Sources of Greenhouse Gasses

1. Hospitality and Climate Change

Sample 1: Carbon Footprint of a Hotel

Sample 2: Carbon Footprint of a Restaurant

Sample 3: Carbon Footprint of a Tour Operator

2. The Carbon Footprint of Food

3. What Can You Do?

Chapter 3: How the Hospitality Industry Can Change the World

1. Green Leaders in the Hospitality Industry

2. Can Your Business Help to Change the World?

Chapter 4: Greening Your Building

1. Site Selection

2. Construction

3. Building Performance and Design

Table 5: Assessing Alternative Energy Projects

4. Energy Use and Conservation

5. Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems

6. Insulated Concrete and Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

Chapter 5: Water Conservation

1. Water Conservation Tips

2. Pools and Spas

Chapter 6: Waste Management

1. Conduct a Waste Audit

Table 6: Waste Management

Table 7: Waste Bin Audit

Sample 4: Waste Reduction Comparison

2. Food Waste

3. Reducing Waste from Your Suppliers

4. Revise Your Menu

5. Reduce Kitchen Waste

6. Customer Waste

7. Waste Management and Disposal

Chapter 7: Furnishing and Finishes

1. Furniture Materials

2. Millwork

3. Flooring

4. Paint and Wall Coverings

Chapter 8: How to Green Your Guest Accommodations

1. Gift Shop

2. Guest Rooms

3. Janitorial Services

4. Common Areas

5. Other Green Resources for Hotels

Chapter 9: Food

1. Why Buy Local?

2. Wild, Edible Flowers

3. Foraging

4. Communicating to Guests

Chapter 10: Employee Engagement

1. How to Get Your Staff Involved in Your Green Policies

Chapter 11: Guest Awareness and Engagement

1. The Role of Hospitality Companies

Chapter 12: Brand Recognition and Marketing

1. Sharing Your Story

2. Marketing Tactics

3. Greenwashing

Chapter 13: Green Events

1. Food and Beverage

2. Guest Transportation

3. Waste Management

4. Procurement

5. Environmental Days

About the Authors

Notice to Readers

Self-Counsel Press thanks you for purchasing this ebook.
Introduction

Business is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful forces in society today. With the power and ability to influence our communities comes the vast potential to make a positive impact on the world. The hospitality sector is poised to be a change-maker within the realm of sustainability. Hospitality business have a particular ability to influence society for a few reasons:
• They are places where people congregate.
• They are major purchasers of goods and services.
• They typically have a high environmental impact per square foot, compared to other industries.
• They are keystones of our cultures and communities.
• They are often respected and trusted brands and can inspire businesses in other sectors.
By greening your hospitality company and taking action on areas such as alternative energy, waste reduction, sustainable purchasing, and community support, you will see a shift in your corporate culture. You will see new loyal clientele, a change in your environmental impact, and have the potential to influence other companies.
Whether your business is a restaurant, hotel, resort, clubhouse, cafeteria, or another hospitality business, this book will show you how going green can help the environment as well as your business. The planet needs leaders in sustainability, and that leadership does not go unrecognized. Customers want to see action, and they are starting to choose businesses with values that match their own.
The chapters in this book will give you practical information for greening your business with real examples of sustainability projects implemented in hotels and restaurants around the world.

1. The Business Case for Going Green
A recent global population study stated that numbers will continue to grow this century and the world will have “between 9.6 and 12.3 billion people in 2100.” [1] Our lifestyles and many industries put enormous pressure on the planet. If the planet is to support 11 billion people in the near future, we need to change the way we live, work, and run our businesses to sustain and coexist with other species. Our natural wonders — the great ocean reefs, herds of grazing animals, lush tide pools, and clean rivers — are all at risk. Species in all habitats are in peril and we have already lost many due to human-induced changes to the environment.
The problems seem enormous but hope lies in the fact that we can make a difference, in the same way that real and meaningful change always begins, with small steps taken in the right direction. Businesses are starting to shift and the results are significant. We are now witnessing hotels that are completely “off the grid,” and restaurants that are sourcing 100 percent seasonal and local produce. This environmental leadership is raising the bar across the hospitality sector.
According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, in 2012 there were more than 50,000 hotel properties and almost 5 million guest rooms in the United States. [2] In Canada, in 2015, there were more than 8,000 properties and almost half a million rooms. [3] If every hotel in North America reduced energy and water consumption and tackled waste, the carbon footprint of the tourism sector would be drastically reduced.
Even more impressive is the number of restaurants worldwide — in the range of 7 to 12 million — but the industry changes quickly and developing countries are rapidly expanding various food services, so no one is sure of the exact number; there could be 15 million.
Though the hospitality sector took a tough hit from 2008 to 2009, it has staged a strong rebound, and more growth means more environmental impact. Full-service dinner houses and fast food restaurants are all looking at ways to minimize environmental impact to reduce costs, maintain a positive public image, and reduce the risks of climate change. Take a look at Table 1 for information about relevant carbon emissions.

Table 1: Carbon Emissions

Reducing environment impact in your business has great perks such as marketability, staff retention due to stronger corporate ethics, regulatory compliance, and financial benefits through eco-efficiencies. As few as five years ago, one could imagine that a hospitality business could plan for the future with only passing attention to sustainability principles; however, today with climate change at the forefront, and the millennial generation expecting responsible social and environmental behavior from the businesses they support or want to work for, green is a new imperative for business.
Consumers, particularly millennials, are not only shopping for value , they are shopping to see whether your values are aligned with theirs By making choices such as shopping locally; promoting organics; and selecting regional wines, craft beers, and spirits, you can connect with a conscious clientele who understands the impact of their spending.
Embracing and adapting to change is what survival is all about. Green changes that are now normal in restaurants, hotels, resorts, and throughout the hospitality industry include recycling, water conservation, energy efficiency, and increased social responsibility. Do you see any of these going away? The issues of resource scarcity will persist, and therefore, we can expect the “green movement” to be not a trend, but a paradigm shift in commerce.
Change is a necessary constant in business and the ability to be opportunistic in the face of change can be a determining factor in a business’s success or failure. Failure to see, accept, and plan for change is dangerous. One of the biggest forces for change in the food and beverage industry in the next decade is likely to be some form of reaction to climate change affecting our food supply and necessitating increasing environmental regulations.
Your business can start charting the course to reduce environmental impact. Change in any business must be planned for and budgeted. The planning process will allow those in your company to realize that a sustainability plan has numerous benefits. For example, many jurisdiction