Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico lo Hace Mejor!

Welcome to Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico does it better! Aloha, or should I say, hola from Puerto Rico, where I've been lucky enough to been staying the past week thanks to my friend Yahayra Rosario Cora (whose doing her project on Urban Sustainable Farms and education with the Laura Mercado School in Rosario, PR... her mission?...

Use Small Urban/Suburban Farms to educate and enable low-income communities in Puerto Rico to reduce the high dependence on government economic assistance; and produce, promote and market local food products in order to improve the local economy and meet the nutritional needs of the community.

read more about it at her blog http://switchfoodchainpuertorico.tumblr.com/).

On another note, as part of this trip, I've made my way over to the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino to check out what this property is doing on the "green" front. Here are just some "undercover" (ethnographic research) pictures, I'll fill you in on exactly what the property's doing after my conversation with the engineering department.

view of the front desk, rest of the lobby is being renovated

as you can see here! (hope they're using local materials :)

construction...

view from the steps leading to the pool... ahh puerto rico!

view of the pool

looks like the property's upscale dining outlet... everybody loves Italian!

pool bar where we enjoyed some cocktails... all part of the research of course!

yay sustainability! a public recycling bin

nicely renovated and maintained room hallways, good use of fluorescent bulbs

I might have to fly back to see this "sensational" new lobby someday!

Ejewelry - Repurposing ewaste

A whole other project:
Ejewelry - Repurposing ewaste




http://timetocare.victorinox.com/en/vote-win/ejewelry-repurposing-ewaste.html



But my classmate Yahayra and I, are finalists in the TIME TO CARE Sustainable Design competition by Victorinox. Their entry, E-Jewelry, has been selected as a finalist, and it is the only entry selected within the United States. Voting ends on August 31st, 2011. Please support us, you can vote once a day with a chance to win a Victorinox watch! http://timetocare.victorinox.com/en/vote-win/ejewelry-repurposing-ewaste.html

Supergreenhotel review: Orchard Garden Hotel

Stayin' green in the city of green: Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco, CA (video courtesy of supergreenhotels.com)

Supergreen hotel review: Aria

"natural luxury" on a vegas scale! Aria, Citycenter Las Vegas

"Seamlessly Integrated Sustainability:" Pune Marriott Hotel

Proud to present this week's green property of the week: The Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Pune, India. The first and only LEED certified property in Pune as well as the first Marriott International Property in India to receive a LEED certification! Here are a few pictures of the Hotel, makes me want to visit now... to experience the seamless integration of sustainability!

“The Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre is truly honoured to have received LEED Gold. We have always taken extra steps to ensure that we are responsible citizens. We look forward to continuing our efforts and contributing towards a greener world,” - Balan Paravantavida, GM

"Since its opening in November 2010, the property has worked towards saving and preserving natural resources and the environment. The Pune Marriott has incorporated and adapted: low VOC emitting materials, reduced landscape water usage by using indigenous plants, use of rapidly renewable materials, 42% energy savings for the building operations, hybrid vehicles, alternative refuelling stations for electric cars, vegetated green roofs, omission of ozone depletion refrigeration mechanical systems and many other environmentally-friendly features.  Further, 100% waste from ongoing operations and 95% of all construction waste are segregated for recycling and diverted from landfills.  Fifty percent of all building materials were manufactured within a 500 mile radius saving on transportation cost and lowering emissions. Since the inception of this project, Marriott International’s architecture and construction (A&C) team, has encouraged the hotel’s design team to incorporate green and sustainable elements into the planning, architecture and systems to help the hotel achieve Gold LEED" (quoted from Marriott News Center)

Everybody loves takeout...

...but what about takeout boxes? Looking at the food and beverage operations of a hotel, to-go containers and takeout boxes are also a sustainable issue purchasing and f&b have to work out together. Have you ever wondered what happens to that annoying large takeout box once you throw it out (other than taking up half your trash can of course)? Here's the life story of a takeout box, something I put together for a project earlier this year for Whitemarsh Plaza (greening the great ungreen of good ole American stripmalls).

Green Lodging Conferences

Sharing ideas, the best way to get a few brains working on a bigger problem. Was lucky enough to speak to Peter Goren of the American Green Lodging and Hospitality Association (AGLHA) earlier on in this project and was given some great insight into the potential of waste management and recycling implementation in reducing costs as well as the diligence and buy-in green programs take.

Also working on getting to the AGLHA conference later on this year, November 8th-9th, 2011 in Orlando, FL to be exact. The theme this year is..." "Making Hospitality Green with Envy", [which] acknowledges the continuing need to refine sustainable processes and practices in the meeting and hospitality industries. Improved green initiatives will help to increase profitability by both reducing costs and boosting revenues, while minimizing their environmental impacts. This conference will help take the mystery out of going green and promises to make the business case that helping save the environment will also boost the bottom line."

A friend also pointed me in the direction of the West Coast Green Lodging Conference which is coming up soon. August 21st-24th in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

The theme for this year's conference is "Maintaining sustainability momentum in the new economy," featuring keynote speaker Douglas Rath, Director of energy and environment for Marriott International. His topic is "how to clarify the content and structure of your company's energy program to drive real measurable results."

So get out there and get your ideas going, every hospitality worker can make a difference in sustainability.



Washington Marriott Celebrates Award with Green Tea Time

Post reposted from Sacha Cohen at http://goinggreendc.net/2010/08/11/washington-marriott-celebrates-award-with-green-tea-time/

Many hotels are trying to be more environmentally friendly, but The Washington Marriott at Metro Center has gone the extra mile. The hotel was recently honored for its efforts with the  Mayor’s 2010 Environmental Excellence Award for “Outstanding Achievement by a Hotel.”

The hotel is one of nine District businesses and non profit organizations recognized for their environmental stewardship, innovative best practices, pollution prevention, and resource conservation.

The hotel saved 745,685 kWh in electricity in 2009 from the previous  year with the implementation of energy efficient lighting with programmable and dimmable automation as well as utilization of the Energy Management System controlling the heating/cooling and lighting of its banquet space. It also will save an estimated 600,000 gallons of water a year by converting all restroom urinals to water-free. Other accomplishments include:

• Recycled wood flooring and linen-less dining tables in the Fire & Sage restaurant.
• Energy-efficient bulbs used for all lighting.
• Low-flow showerheads and toilets in guest bathrooms.
• A water/energy saving linen program that  includes both bedding and towels.
• Guestroom keys made from 50% recycled materials.

To celebrate the award, Washington Marriott at Metro Center will host a complimentary “Green Tea Time,” complete with iced green tea and Executive Chef Aaron Tootill’s freshly baked organic cookies and snacks, in its lobby every afternoon throughout the month of August.

Making sustainability memorable

Memorable guest experiences = the epitome of great service + personalization + a dream come true for the PR department. Every employee, service item, sequence of service... every single aspect of a hospitality operation contributes to the goal of providing the ultimate guest experience. But what about a sustainable guest experience? Kal Wellman at the USGBC was kind enough to introduce me to USGBC's Green Destination Challenge, which got me thinking of the opportunity to provide a memorably sustainable guest experience. Especially since the goal of the Challenge's Pilot Program in Orlando is "a total sustainable EXPERIENCE - from the moment a visitor steps off the plane in Orlando, to the transportation to their hotel, to their stay at local lodging, to daily activities, and all the way back to the airport." Orlando's mission is to become the most sustainable tourism and convention destination in North America. 

Great service has the power to bring guests back, the power to gain positive reviews and comments of "Best Vacation Ever!" on facebook and twitter.... but what exactly is a memorable guest experience and how can we translate that into a sustainable guest experience?

Can a view or destination make a memorable experience?



What about great amenities that let you spend quality time with your family and friends?



Or a unforgettably delicious meal?

 

delicious drinks?

or a celebrity sighting? I mean who doesn't love Magic Johnson?!



...or great service from an award winning bartender (Fred Sconfienza)



Truthfully, all of these contribute their part to a unforgettable vacation. If sustainability was inherent in all of these aspects and services, guests could go home with at least a sense of the hospitality of sustainability. A guest-driven, sustainability-driven service model would also build guest loyalty, enhance brand value, and increase positive word of mouth.  So I look forward to the outcomes of USGBC's  Green Destination Challenge and am moving forward in this project to see how I can inject sustainability into brand culture and the service DNA inherent in hospitality.

(Photos courtesy of The Westin Maui Resort and Spa)

F&B ops - deliciously green

Here's a few tips I put together for another project earlier this year. The project was Whitemarsh Plaza (Green the great American strip mall). Seeing as how the plaza housed such delicious restaurants as Kainan and Thrive, it was great to focus our efforts on specific tenant needs. Just like in a hotel, every department has its own unique operating needs.