Have you checked into a ‘green room’ yet?

Just as one would ask for a no-smoking room, in a growing number of hotels in British Columbia, business travelers with a concern for the environment can request a “green” room.

Make that request at Vancouver’s upscale Westin Bayshore, and here is what you get: a water-conserving toilet and shower head, aerators in all the taps, energy-saving light fixtures and heating systems, biodegradable wheat-germ soap and shampoo in a wall dispenser rather than in disposable bottles, paper products and room stationary made from recycled paper, and a recycling box to put used bottles and paper.

The Westin Bayshore is one of the 16 hotels in British Columbia that are now part of the B.C. Hydro Power Smart Green Hotels program, the first of its kind in the world. Under the program, B.C. Hydro Power Smart inspectors scrutinize hotels that have applied to the program and award points to those that implement and follow good environmental practices in their guest rooms and day-to-day operations.

To be “green” the hotels must have minimum of 2 per cent of their rooms as completely “green rooms” and 50 per cent of the remaining rooms with water-saving tap and shower devices. Points are awarded for each environmentally sound practice; a minimum of 120 points gives them the designation Power Smart Green Hotel. If they earn 180 points they are given the “plus” designation. Hotels that meet the criteria that are listed as “green” in the B.C. Accommodations Guide and on B.C. Hydro’s Web site, and are part of B.C. Hydro’s Power Smart promotional campaigns.

Richard Wohl, key account manager for B.C. Hydro who oversees the green hotel program, says a number of hotels are in the process of qualifying for the designation. “Because many hotels will have to do some renovations, it can take a couple of years to qualify,” he said.

The Westin Bayshore has earned the Green Hotel Plus designation. Although strict “green” rooms make up just 75 of the hotel’s 750 rooms, The Bayshore has adopted other environmentally friendly policies and practices throughout the entire hotel. The kitchen composts and recycles everything possible and unused foods are donated to the local food banks; requirements for heating and light for meeting rooms and common areas throughout the hotel are programmed on a computer so that they are turned off when not in use. Towels, bedding and furniture, when too worn for use in the hotel, are donated to the Salvation Army. Even left-over soap is donated to the Sally Ann, which melts it down to make new soap.

“It costs a lot initially to do the conversion, particularly for the lights, showers, and toilets, but now in energy costs alone we are saving more than $100,000 a year,” said Denis Forristal who also noted that the amount the hotel must haul to the landfill has dropped “500 per cent.”
Most of their clients have welcomed the change, but Mr. Forristal acknowledges receiving a few complaints from clients who expect a hotel experience to include lots of disposable luxuries. European visitors, however, have been very positive, he said.

Sherry McCutcheon, general manager of the Best Western Collingwood Inn in Courtenay, B.C., the only Power Smart Green Hotel now on Vancouver Island, says the savings for her hotel have been just a small aspect of the change.

“I think the biggest advantage is the positive comments we get from clients and the way it makes our staff feel. The staff is really into it. It makes them feel good. We think this is the wave of the future,” Ms. McCutcheon said.

By Anne Mullens: Special to The Globe and Mail

Hotels take on a greener hue

By Anne Mullens: taken from The Globe and Mail – Thursday March 5, 1998

CRISP sheets and fresh towels every day, unlimited hot water, little bottles of shampoo, tiny soaps wrapped in paper. These are some of the luxuries that travelers expect when staying in a nice hotel.
But when it comes to the environment, those hotels niceties add up to waste on a huge scale.

In fact, the inherent workings of a large hotel seem to dictate one immense drain on the environment, with rooms to heat in winter or cool in summer and clean spotless every day, TVs running, lights burning, toilets flushing almost constantly. Plus there are pools and saunas to heat, kitchens, bars and restaurants churning out mounds of garbage, and laundry, laundry, laundry.

“I really get offended at the astounding amount of waste I see in most hotels,” says Ian Gill, president of Ecotrust, a conservation organization operating in Canada and the United States. “That little bar of soap in your hotel room, you unwrap it, use it once. When you come back that night, they have removed it and replaced it with another one wrapped in paper.”

Mr. Gill spends at least half of his working life traveling through the United States and Canada, and he echoes other environment-minded travelers in his desire for more “green” hotels to choose from while on the road.

“As a business traveler, what I want most is a modem hook-up that works, not a little bottle of peach shampoo. Hotels could do so much to reduce their waste without reducing their service.”

That message has been getting out to hotels. In fact making hotels environmentally friendly is emerging as the latest trend in the hospitality industry. And Canada is on the leading edge. Witness the following recent developments:
- The Hotel Association of Canada recently launched its “Eco-rating” program, the first of its kind in the world. Like stars given for luxury, eco-rating will give from one to four “green leaves” to hotels that have environmental policies and programs in operation.
- Canadian Pacific Hotels, one of the world leaders in environmental programs, has announced the next phase of its “Green Partnerships” by introducing plans for industrial composting to its kitchens, the availability of no-waste “green conferences” and environmentally friendly golf-course management to its chain of 26 hotels
- B.C. Hydro, in conjunction with the B.C. and Yukon Hotel Association, launched a “green Hotel” accreditation program in November, 1996. Today, 16 hotels in British Columbia have undergone a B.C. Hydro inspection and have in place programs and equipment to reduce energy consumption, conserve water and reduce waste, earning them the designation “power Smart Green Hotel,” which they can advertise and promote to customers.

In short, many hotels are realizing that not only is a “green” hotel good for the environment, it can be good for business by reducing operating costs and promoting efficiency while attracting customers.

“That is the great thing about – everybody benefits,” says Ann Layton, vice-president of communications at Canadian Pacific Hotels, which since 1990 has been putting environmental practices in all 26 of its hotels, including making changes to lighting, toilets and taps, introducing environmentally friendly cleaning products and putting recycling boxes in every room, as well as donating excess soap, worn linens and unused food to charitable organizations.

A 1995 retrofit of the Banff Springs Hotel, for example, introduced energy-efficient lighting in 95 per cent of the hotel, which has reduced electricity costs by $140,000 a year. No complaints were received from guests about a change in ambience or light quality. In fact, guests didn’t even seem to notice, Ms. Layton says.

Elsewhere, the Sheraton Centre Toronto, operated by ITT Sheraton, modified the toilets in its 1,400 rooms to reduce the flushing volume by two litres per flush and now saves 35,000 litres of water daily on the estimated 17,000 flushes that occur each day in the hotel and meeting areas.

“We tried it out on the Club Floor first, because those are some of our most discriminating customers and we didn’t want to do it for the whole hotel if quality was going to be affected,” says Cynthia Bond, spokeswoman for Sheraton Centre. “No one complained and we are saving thousands of litres a day.”

It is now common in many hotels for guests to be given the option of keeping their towels rather than laundering them if they are staying more than one night. Hotels with this program report about 45 per cent of guests keep one or more towels by hanging them up rather than throwing them in the tub.

“It could probably be higher, but our housekeeping staff, if they have any doubt, changes the towels,” Ms. Layton says. “Still the reduction in laundry is significant.”

Eight years ago, when CP Hotels first surveyed its 10,000 employees about putting environmental policies in place, 95 per cent said they wanted hotels to go green and 85 per cent said they would even be willing to work harder without compensation to make it happen. With that mandate, CP Hotels drafted a 16-point action plan to target areas of highest concern to employees: waste reduction and recycling, water and energy conservation, green purchasing, and the elimination of toxic chemicals in the workplace, Ms. Layton says.

Extra Staff effort, at times, was indeed needed. At Hotel Newfoundland in St. John’s, no community recycling program at first was available, so staff negotiated with the local liquor control board to drop off hundreds of wine and spirit bottles at liquor stores for reuse by home wine makers.

Sprays, Disinfectants Might Increase the Risk of Asthma

According to TopNews.us, cleaning sprays utilized around the house and office is stimulating an increase in asthma, a health specialist cautioned.
Chlorine, bleach and antiseptics can ignite the situation or make present symptoms shoddier, with putting cleaners and health employees, who make use of products in hospitals at maximum risk. Inhalation in bleach and disinfectants more than once a week, was related to a 20 percent increase in asthma or wheezing.

Dr. Jan Paul Zock, of the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, supported earlier studies. He said that their research reveals that cleaning-connected asthma is a public health problem and is potentially avoidable. Paul added, “Not only are those whose work involves cleaning at risk, but we also need to consider the ubiquitous use of products at home". He said that additional studies were required on household exposure.

Dr. Elaine Vickers of Asthma UK said that it is essential to keep windows open when cleaning, use products carefully and if feasible, make use of natural options.

The London allergy convention also discussed that it might be viable to avoid asthma in babies at high risk by keeping away from dairy, soya and nuts.

Measures were also executed to restrict exposure to dust mites, together with dozing off on vinyl covers.

Article taken from Top News.US via CleanLink. June 7, 2010
Written by: Jayden Roberts

Cleaning With Water - Electrolyzed water and steam vapor systems allow end users to clean without chemicals

Article from Sanitary Maitenance via Cleanlink.
By Nick Bragg, Deputy Editor

Steam Cleaning
Another example of chemical-free floor cleaning is steam cleaning, a process that heats tap water to 300 degrees and creates a gas vapor. This method isn’t new, but has been growing in popularity during the last five years.
With steam cleaning, end users are able to penetrate the pores of any surface in their respective facilities. As the vapor enters into the pore, it expands and forces all the dirt from the bottom of the surface up to the top.
Cleaning professionals use these machines to clean and restore a variety of naturally hard surfaces, including tile, stone, marble, granite and hardwood floors, says Gosson.
The process is quite simple. Because water has an ability to hold energy, steam is a very efficient vehicle for transmitting heat energy to a surface. The transfer disrupts the bonds holding the dirt to surfaces and, in many cases, liquefies the soil itself, making it easier for removal and the surface is disinfected.
Steam systems are especially effective on irregular, uneven or textured surfaces, distributors say. Since steam penetrates pores that many chemicals and abrasive cleaners cannot, it is a thorough, reliable means of surface disinfection.
The fact that end users can achieve these results using tap water also frees them from any concerns related to chemical safety. With training, labor costs are equal to or less than conventional methods, and results last longer because no chemical residue remains on the surface of the floor, says Gosson.
Cleaning professionals are no longer exposed to potentially corrosive or allergenic compounds that may be found in traditional chemical disinfectants. Thus, Gosson says the technology presents an opportunity to improve and enhance disinfection programs in a variety of settings, while also reducing costs and greatly improving indoor air quality and the health of building occupants.
Despite the benefits for end users, distributors say the chemical-free market has not been fully tapped yet. Because budget constraints have hit end users hard during this current recession, many companies cannot indulge in these high-ticket items. However, distributors say their customers have expressed interest and are expected to take the leap sooner than later.