The Press Release Resource

• Tweet

• Tweet

Pineapple Hospitality and EcoGreenHotel examine hotel certification programs, and explore how changes in the market will impact your business. The trend toward eco-conscious travel has brought with it a growing number of green hotel certification programs in the hospitality industry. But the sheer volume of different programs and options has led to uncertainty among travelers, meeting planners – and even the hotel operators themselves. After all, does anyone really know the differences between Green Key, Green Globe, Green Leaf and Green Seal? Why Certify? According to the World Tourism Organization, ecotourism is the fastest growing market in the tourism industry, growing at a rate of 5% worldwide and representing over 11% of all consumer spending. And the non-profit International Ecotourism Society recently stated “more than two-thirds of U.S. and Australian travelers, and 90% of British tourists, consider active protection of the environment and support of local communities to be part of a hotel’s responsibility.” Furthermore, the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2009 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, which surveyed over 66,000 guests who stayed in North American hotels between May of 2008 and June of 2009, found that guests’ awareness of their hotel’s green programs increased significantly in 2009. Sixty-six percent of guests said they were aware of their hotel’s conservation efforts, up from 57 percent the previous year. And in a nod to the wishes of its environmentally concerned membership, AAA has added an “eco” icon to its 2010 Tour Books for hotels, motels, and other lodging facilities. The AAA Eco Program identifies – and in turn, promotes – AAA-approved lodgings that are certified by designated government and private programs. Clearly, eco-conscious meeting and leisure travelers are putting their dollars (and their Euros, yen, pesos and rupees) toward travel-related businesses with a focus on sustainability, and their preferences can no longer be disregarded. And not only are those travelers coming down on the side of green, but so are federal, state and local governments. Something Old, Something New Further complicating the matter are the vast, nuts-and-bolts differences between hotels. Unfortunately, there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to green lodging certification. For instance, the rating system employed by the U.S. Green Business Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is generally a better fit for new-construction hotels or those undergoing renovation than it is for existing facilities that are not slated for major improvements. For those properties – which, by the way, are the majority – the costs associated with doing what it takes to implement and follow LEED standards are often prohibitive. Those buildings are what they are, and their operators desperately need a straightforward, meaningful certification program that fairly and comprehensively rates their operations so that guests and event planners can easily evaluate the steps the hotel has taken to go green. “The public’s demand for these types of facilities is certainly growing,” Hobbs said. “People want to spend their money with businesses that share their same personal beliefs and values. The hotels that achieve certification identify themselves as leaders in green practices, energy conservation and a sustainable future.” The Major Players in Green Lodging Certification Green Key Global With more than 1,200 hotels certified in Canada since its inception in the 1990s, the Green Key Eco-Rating Program has recently made its way south of the border into the United States. Green Key administers a 140-question online audit, and based upon the results, awards hotels an environmental rating of one to five Green Keys. Green Key members are then given guidance on how to “unlock” opportunities to reduce operating costs and environmental impacts – and in turn earn more keys. The Green Key audit looks at nine major areas of sustainable hotel operations, including:

• Energy conservation
• Water conservation
• Solid waste management
• Hazardous waste management
• Indoor air quality
• Community outreach
• Building infrastructure
• Land use

Green Globe International As its name suggests, Green Globe is a commonly used standard for green hotels and golf courses worldwide. Utilized by the travel and tourism industry since 1993, the Green Globe brand is internationally recognized in Europe, Latin America, China, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, and is starting to gain traction in the U.S. As part of its certification program, Green Globe looks at behavioral, facility and product issues at the hotel. To guarantee adherence to the highest international standards, a third-party independent auditor is appointed to work with clients on-site. Green Globe certification takes from thirty to sixty days depending on the size and commitment of the business, and the company offers a partial refund of their fees should the property not achieve certification. Green Globe Certified businesses have to be re-certified on an annual basis, as additional requirements must be met. Green Globe also updates certification requirements to make sure businesses stay on the highest international level. ENERGY STAR The Energy Star program was created 10 years ago by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Nationwide, Energy Star has prevented the emission of nearly 120 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Energy Star covers 13 types of commercial buildings of which notable buildings include Amazon.com’s headquarters in Seattle, the National Geographic Society base in Washington D.C., the oldest being Cambridge Savings Bank in Massachusetts, the tallest Aon Center in Chicago and the largest USAA McDermott Building in Texas. The hospitality industry has just recently joined the growing trend to meet the energy efficiency standards. EPA’s online benchmarking system, Portfolio Manager, allows building owners and managers to enter data about their property’s energy usage to measure their building’s energy performance on a 100-point scale. A rating of 75 or greater denotes superior energy performance. “This is the key, Portfolio Manager allows our clients to monitor their energy usage on a monthly basis to compare before and after energy efficiency strategy implementation. Most cases we clearly see efficiency improvements pay for themselves in energy cost savings.” Green Seal Green Seal has provided a science-based environmental certification for the lodging industry since 1995. But what sets it apart from other programs is that the Green Seal is a recognized brand beyond hospitality, representing a mark of sustainability excellence for more than forty product categories and services. Certification requires an initial evaluation by Green Seal, including an on-site audit of the property, and annual monitoring to ensure ongoing compliance. To qualify for Green Seal certification, a hotel must demonstrate sustainable practices in the following areas:

• Waste minimization, reuse and recycling
• Energy efficiency, conservation and management
• Management of fresh water resources
• Waste water management
• Hazardous substances management
• Environmentally sensitive purchasing

Audubon Green Leaf

The Audubon Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program began in 1998 to meet the lodging industry’s desire to provide quality guest services while minimizing its impact on the environment. Participating facilities can reduce costs and gain a marketing advantage through Green Leaf’s comprehensive and credible method for assessing the extent of the environmental measures the facilities have undertaken. The Green Leaf certification process begins with a self-evaluation survey, and is followed up by a Green Leaf assessment and verification. Hotels are awarded one to five Green Leaves based upon the hotel’s commitment to:

• Saving energy

• Reducing waste

• Conserving water and resources

• Preventing pollution

According to Green Leaf, the program is unique in that it is international in scope, uses a standardized checklist for evaluating environmental performance, includes environmental education and hands-on staff assistance, and requires a site visit by a trained individual to verify eco-rated practices. It is also unique in that it is tied to Audubon International – a third party environmental group with worldwide name recognition. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – LEED While the other green certification programs focus on operations, LEED remains the gold standard for green building construction in the U.S. And while the economy has put a damper on new hotel construction, it hasn’t stopped hotels from turning to LEED. LEED provides third-party certification that a facility was designed, built or retro-fitted to improve performance in energy and water conservation, CO2 emissions, indoor environmental quality, and protection of resources. Its rigorous certification process has marked it as one of the most trustworthy certification programs in the world. The program is broken down by property type (school, existing building, new construction, etc.) and is based upon a stringent 110 point scale that assigns a certification level (certified, silver, gold or platinum) which depends on how many points the building earns. Properties can also earn bonus points for innovation in design and for implementing region-specific features. http://www.ecogreenhotel.com/newsletterdetail.php?nid=11 About Scott Parisi, CHA Scott is President of EcoGreenHotel, a firm that performs sustainability analysis of hotels and creates custom plans for properties to develop and implement environmental management systems. About Ray Burger, CHA Ray is President of Pineapple Hospitality, a distribution and marketing company offering environmentally sustainable products to “green” the hospitality industry including FreshStay, EcoRooms & EcoSuites. ###