Going Green

Brendan Berl

Hotel Online

Hotels Go Green to Save Green

March 26^th, 2010

Sustainability is a national trend affecting just about every small business, home, and corporation. It goes by several names including conservation, being environmentally friendly; or just plain green. The article focuses on a number of hotels and restaurants in Myrtle Beach that have begun going green, and not just for the moral aspect of taking care of our planet. In this first year of the Green Alliance program, three hotels and six restaurants have already been certified and are now saving money and the environment.

It’s not just about using less energy; Kenneth Harwood, a senior manager at Proctor & Gamble gives that example that cutting chemical usage in the bathroom by using fewer sprays in the 30,000 hotel rooms can save more than 100,000 gallons of chemicals a year. The sustainability trend really spiked when the fuel costs rose in the mid-2000’s. Consumers that demand more sustainable hotels have also driven the change, even if they can’t actually see that a change has been made. More often than not, a ‘sustainable hotel’ is likely just one that has purchased a green logo but probably doesn’t even recycle. Consumers need to become more aware about what hotels and businesses are actually doing. That is why Hilton Hotels have begun handing out brochures to inform their guests about what the staff is doing, and how they can help.

This article connects with our project because we plan on creating a green hotel that belongs to the Element brand by Westin. I think going green is very important purely for the effects it has on our planet. The fact that when people build something they knock down the trees instead of attempting to minimize environmental costs and build around them shows me that the majority of the population just doesn’t care. I’m glad to see that so many hotels are trying to minimize the impact they have, but it will be a very gradual change for the industry.

I liked the way that the article was written; short and split up into various facts about going green in the industry. I wish they had used some more statistics like they did with reducing chemical usage, such as how solar panels can affect energy usage, or some kind of water filtration system for their sewage. I’m not surprised though, as becoming environmentally friendly is still relatively new; I’m just glad see were moving in the right direction. Hopefully our generation will keep this trend moving forward by learning about the changes we can make.

Hotel Online – Tourism Talk

http://hotel-online.com/News/2010_Mar_28/k.MBM.1269883853.html