Sustainable & Green

Hospitality facilities require relatively large amounts of water and create large amounts of waste water as well. Water is used by hotels in guestroom areas for bathing and sanitary purposes. F&B operations use water for food preparation, cooking, and a variety of cleaning purposes. Laundry operations are also substantial consumers of water. Grounds and landscaping can consume significant amounts of water as well. Swimming pools require a substantial amount of water when filled and ongoing amounts to replace water lost to evaporation and other losses.

The US EPA or United States Environmental Protection Agency, which is located in Washing ton, D.C., is an independent executive agency of the US federal government responsible for the formulation and enforcement of regulations governing the release of pollutants and other activities that may adversely affect the public health or environment. The EPA also approves and monitors programs established by state and local agencies for environmental protection and is also concerned with noise pollution and sponsors research into the effects of pollution on ecosystems.

Sustainability implies the protection and conservation of resources for future generations, as opposed to current unconstrained depletion. Behavioral standards have been developed in an effort to assist tourism and hospitality operators in developing practical environmental impact monitoring measures, or to regulate their activities (Cooper & Erfurt, 2002).

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LEED

The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus based national standard for developing high performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the US Green Building Council, representing all segments of the building industry, developed LEED and contribute to its improvement. LEED standards are currently available for new construction and major renovation projects.

LEED was created to

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IHEI

IHEI, the International Hotels Environment Initiative is a program developed by the international hotel industry for the benefit of all hotels and the environment. The aim is to promote the benefits of environmental management as an integral part of running a successful, efficient hotel business. Focusing exclusively on hotels, IHEI keeps members informed about global environ mental trends and provides hotel specific guidance to assist hoteliers in tackling emerging issues.

Green power is ‘electricity that is generated from resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low impact hydro facilities. Conventional electricity generation, based on the combustion of fossil fuels, is the single largest industrial source of air pollution’ (www.epa.gov).

The word carbon is now in common use as an abbreviation for the gas carbon dioxide (CO2), used when referring to that gas and its position as a principal greenhouse gas, i.e. a gas contributing to global warming and therefore to climate change. Carbon dioxide, in turn, is commonly treated as the proxy for all greenhouse gases. Carbon terms are therefore almost always meant to encompass all greenhouse gases, as they are throughout this entry.

The hospitality industry is affected by carbon related issues on many dimensions. This section provides a list of carbon terms.

Green Globe 21 is a global benchmarking and certification program that facilitates sustainable travel and tourism for consumers, companies, and communities. It is based on Agenda 21 and principles for Sustainable Development endorsed by 182 governments at the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992.