Eco 411
admin | 3:10 pm | July 9, 2008 | Hotel | Add a comment
Stefan Muhle, general manager, Orchard Garden Hotel: I often hear "going green is too expensive." Really? When giving tours to hotel guests at our LEED-NC certified property, the Orchard Garden Hotel people are quite surprised when they realize that many of our green initiatives are actually distinctly low-tech – and don’t cost much, if anything, to implement. Let’s look at a few examples:
Your grandmother probably did this 50 years ago! If you can’t compost items on site (for lack of space), check with your local waste management company. At the very least, help create a demand for recycling.
Water consumption
Install aerators in your faucets and get low-flow showerheads and toilets, too. Contact the PUC for subsidies and rebates. Drink tap water instead of bottled mineral water. And, if you’re not sure the water is clean, simply filter/purify it. We found this great system which we installed in our two hotels in San Francisco called Natura.
Electricity
If your infra-structure allows, buy steam. It’s recycled water, often naturally heated and already piping-hot by the time it gets delivered. No need to use energy to heat it up any further! Recycle your old incandescent light bulbs and install low-mercury CFLs wherever you can. Buy Energy Star rated equipment. Install a “cold plate” or “plate & frame heat exchanger” if the climate in which you reside allows for it. We put one in place on the rooftop of our Orchard Hotel and it saves us hundreds of dollars a month in electricity.
Food & Beverages
Remember, you vote with your paycheck! Every time you buy food and beverages, for example, you support somebody, something. Try to stay local with your choices. At our two restaurants, Roots and Daffodil, we pride ourselves in rewarding small farmers, ranchers, fishermen, creameries, wineries, and local businesses all around. Check into the “slow food” movement…it makes sense. Organic? Great. Seasonal? Even better!
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