Friday, January 30, 2009

Benefits of Going Green

- Reduction in energy bills: when energy saving measures like use of fluorescent bulbs, sensors for rest rooms and meeting areas, there is a reduction in energy bills.
- Reduction in water bills: Introduction of water saving equipments like low-flow showerheads etc. help to reduce water bills.
- Healthier guests, staff and management: Going Green guarantees that there is a healthy environment in the hotel.

Thus, for sustaining longer in the hospitality industry it is necessary to implement the concept of Green Hotels and also Green Hotel Management. Exemplifying the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility in all areas of operation and employing policies and programs that set international standards for sustainability is what Green Hotel Management is all about.

For more information, Visit:www.ecogreenhotel.com

Monday, January 26, 2009

Steps to make your hotel environmentally friendly

To create environmentally hotel, the design criteria needs to concentrate on the following aspects:
• Creating and managing committees for managing environmental programs,
• Using disposable cups instead of glassware to reduce waste,
• Placing wastebaskets with separate partition for recyclable components in guest rooms,
• Reusing broken or worn resources for other purposes,
• Conserving energy by using high-efficiency lighting,
• Equipping electrical and irrigation systems with timers which helps in conserving water and energy,
• Planting plants in your garden that consume less water i.e. Landscaping should be suited to the local ecosystem to avoid unnecessary use of chemicals,
• Creating areas for recycling and sorting trash from the waste in the hotel.

For more information, visit:www.ecogreenhotel.com

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Managing the Green Hotel

Saving planet Earth and making it a better place to live is what the hospitality industry focuses on today. This is being done by using and implementing new technologies in such a way so that the creations of today regenerate themselves.
Great ideas are required so that inspiring theories can be implemented in hotels and other places without harming nature/ natural beauty.
Some ideas which can make the place better are:

- Use of water- based paints
- Nailed down carpeting, etc.

For more information, Visit: www.ecogreenhotel.com

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Green Hotel

Green Hotel:

Hotels taking into consideration the environmental aspects with reference to areas related to services provided to the guests, management of the hotel and eating facilities provided are known as Green Hotels.

Essentials of a Green Hotel:

The following areas are to be looked on when considering a green hotel:

- Energy Management with regard to efficiency of the building and measures taken for conservation.
- Preparation of food: A green hotel provides the guests with options of vegetarian and organic food.

Other than the above mentioned areas, another area is Waste Management which should include 3R’s namely: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling.

For more information, Visit: www.ecogreenhotel.com

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Eco Hotel

A hotel that makes important improvements regarding environment in its structure inorder to minimize the impact on environment is known as Eco hotel.
Incorporation of environmental consciousness and environmental considerations in operations and management gives exact meaning to the term Eco-hotel or Green Hotel.
Earlier, these hotels were located in jungles in the natural environment to make people feel that they are living admist natural beauty close to the environment.

For more information, Visit: www.ecogreenhotel.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Make your business greener

Small steps can help you to make your business go green. Few actions that companies can take to go green are:

1. Energy Audit: The first step in going green is to have an energy audit. An Audit helps you find the areas where you can reduce usage and save money.

2. Survey regarding “going green” or “sustainable organization”: Annual surveys with employees should be conducted to find how well the organization is doing by implementing green business practices. This will provide information and suggestions for future actions.

3. Go paperless: Encouraging e-mailing can reduce the usage of paper. Photocopying and printing on both sides can save paper.

4. Recycle: Elementary step towards going green is to start recycling waste. Sustainable supply chain makes the output of waste move into input creating a cycle where wastes turn into raw materials and are no longer wasted. Recycling paper, glass, metal and plastic can help in going green.

5. Green buying: Suppliers should know that you are interested in sustainable products. When purchasing, environment should also be a factor not just price.

For more information, Visit:www.ecogreenhotel.com

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Improving the air quality in Hotels

To have clean and fresh air inside your hotel is good business. Among the Green Ideas to make Environmentally Friendly Hotels is the introduction of fresh air in hotels. A variety of ways help you to introduce fresh air in hotels:

1. Cleaning all the parts of air system: All parts of the heating and the air system including coils, ducts and fans must be cleaned thoroughly.
2. Cleaning the upholstery: Upholstery on the sofas, chairs, carpets etc must be cleaned.
3. High Ozone shock treatment: To kill any remaining bacteria or mold in the room, it is necessary that a high ozone shock treatment is completed.
4. Applying a pure shield to the room: To prevent microorganisms away from getting attached to the surfaces, shielding the room with a spray that forms an electrostatic barrier is a must.
5. Air Purifying System: An air purifying system (filtering system) helps to remove about 98-100% of bacteria and keeps the room allergy free.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Grey Water Recycling

What is grey water?
Any water that has been used in the hotel, other than water from toilets, is known as grey water.
Grey Water can further be used for other purposes like landscape irrigation.

Benefits of Grey Water Recycling
The benefits of Grey Water recycling are as follows:
1. Plant Growth: Since plants can survive on water that has a certain amount of compost, grey water aids plant growth and helps in making a landscape flourish where enough water may not be available for growth of plants.
2. Reduced fresh water usage: In regions where irrigation is needed, Grey water could replace fresh water that helps in saving money and increasing water supply.
3. Extended life and capacity of septic tank: Grey water puts less strain on the septic tank or the treatment plan and increases its life. Decreased wastewater flow means effectiveness at lower costs.
4. Effective Purification: The region of the soil that is biologically active purifies grey water to a higher degree protecting the quality of natural surface and ground waters.

For more information, Visit:www.ecogreenhotel.com

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Encourage Hotels to go green

The hotel in which you are staying may not be implementing the above mentioned practices. Guests can play a major part in making Hotels implement practices that help hotels go green.

The suggestions from the guest side could be:

1. Implementation of linen reuse program

2. Use of fluorescent lighting

3. Use of low flow showerhead

Guests do make a difference to Hotels as the main motto of Hotels is to customer satisfaction. Guests can help hotels to go green every time they travel. Green practices will help in energy and water conservation and make the Earth a better planet to live. Go Green Campaign should be followed even in Homes and not just in Hotels as it will make your homes more energy efficient. Hotels should implement the Go Green Campaign because satisfied hotel guests help to encourage Tourism.

For more information visit: www.ecogreenhotel.com

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Solid Waste Management

Solid wastes generated by hotel offices are usually in large quantities and toxic those pollute our environment. Stationery, paper and cartridges of copiers and printers are among the normal wastes. To reduce operating expenses, implementing recycling and waste disposal programs are a must for offices. The recycling program should include categorizing the wastes into recyclable and non-recyclable wastes and treating them differently. These programs help to save resources, reduce pollution and protect both the environment and employee health.

Following are some simple solid waste control ideas:

· Avoiding unnecessary paperwork,

· Canceling junk mail,

· Reusing scrap paper for notes,

· Using electronic mail or voice mail over hard copy mail,

· Solid waste management program,

· Recycling all office paper,

· Double- sided photocopying in order to reduce paper use,

· Using refillable cartridge tones,

· Using white paper rather than colored paper for recycling,

· Using fax machines that use both plain and recyclable paper,

· Awareness and involvement of office employees in all stages of Recycling Program

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Ecogreen’s Energy Management

To save energy and resources, an effective energy management program or system is a must to implement. For example: Lightning control system as people forget to switch off lights very often. Ecogreen provides you with some more energy management ideas that can be implemented:

- Do not use artificial lighting in offices when the natural light is sufficient

- Open draperies and raise shades whenever adequate light from windows is available

- Use energy-saving fluorescent lights and lamps

- Switch off lights and appliances in unoccupied offices
For more information, Visit:www.ecogreenhotel.com