Global Summit an Eye Opener for Green Hotel Professionals

At EcoGreenHotel, we eat, sleep and breathe green lodging. Environmentally-friendly hospitality is all we do – and it’s all we’ve done for years. We spend every waking moment reading up on the latest information, studying trends, products and technology, and talking to hoteliers, staff, vendors, guests – heck, anybody associated with lodging – about what’s happening in the industry. It’s a complex specialty, and we know our stuff inside out.

But we can always know more.

That simple truth was brought home to us earlier this month when we participated in the 1^st Annual Global Renewable Energy Networking Summit at the Bear Creek Mountain Resort and Conference Center in Macungie, PA. Although EcoGreenHotel President Scott Parisi delivered a keynote address at the Summit, he also took time to listen to a host of presentations. One that caught his attention was delivered by Jason Kliwinski, Director of Sustainable Design at Spiezle Architectural Group of Trenton, N.J. Spiezle is an award-winning firm that has designed spaces for companies such as Merrill Lynch, Sirius Satellite Radio and Westin.

Jason’s presentation, entitled “Creating a Culture of Sustainability,” focused on just that – making sustainability a way of life… a philosophy… a custom. He spoke of using a holistic approach to sustainability project design and implementation, and then he said something that really stuck with us:

We are better than Me.

Now, we all know that teamwork is essential to a project’s success, and chances are very good that if you’re working on a project at your eco hotel, you’ve got a team in place. But take a look at that team and assess the following:

• Is it diverse? Are all departments and management levels represented? Think too about other diversity markers like gender, race and socio-economic status. Identify gaps and fill them. Diversity is key to success – you never know who is going to have the next great idea!

• Is communication open? Is everybody still in the loop or has communication trickled off lately? Ask the team for ideas about how to establish – and maintain – the lines of communication.

• What is the level of commitment? Are team members still excited about the project or have they lost interest? Bring them together to hear an inspiring speaker (perhaps a local environmental activist) or to watch a compelling documentary about climate change. Pick an easy-to-implement sustainability project so the team can experience some instant gratification to get them back on track.

How have you inspired your eco hotel’s green team? Drop us a line at info@EcoGreenHotel.com and tell us all about it. We may feature your team in an upcoming issue of our newsletter or on our website at www.EcoGreenHotel.com!