April 4, 2018

Dear Boston Green Tourism Members,

Our next meeting will be Thursday from 2:30 to 4:15 at   The Ritz-Carlton, Boston   in the Studio Room, on level 2. 
I hope you can come!
 
Dan 
 
 SPEA KERS


Boston Green Tourism Meeting

April 5, 2018
 
Location The Ritz-Carlton, Boston
Host :        Omar Roldan

2:30 to 2:40     
Introductions

2:40 to 2:45
 
Update
Dan Ruben
2:45 to 2:55
The Ritz-Carlton: Energy Actions 2017
Omar Roldan Director of Engineering, The Ritz-Carlton, Boston

2:55 to 3:20   
 
Resilient Hospitality and the New Energy Landscape
Andy Haun, SVP - Chief Technology Officer, Microgrids, Schneider Electric
3:20 to 3:45
Reducing your Hotel's Chemical Footprint:
Healthy Products for People and the Planet
Mark Rossi, Executive Director, Clean Production Action
 
3:45 to 4:05
Clean HVAC Coils: 
A Cost Efficient Solution to a Cleaner Indoor Environment
Brian Hindt, President and CEO, EcoClear  
4:05
See The Ritz-Carlton's New Telkonet EcoTouch Thermostats and Guestroom  Energy Management System
Matthew Fagan, Senior Sales Executive, SMARTCON Solutions

IDEAS

New UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Systems with Lithium-Ion Batteries Last Longer and Reduce Waste
 
Hotels have battery-powered electrical apparatuses called uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that enable their critical or sensitive equipment (like elevators and computers) to run during electricity outages. When the electricity grid goes down, UPS provides power instantaneously. It runs for a short period until the hotel generators takes over.
 
UPS also protects equipment from fluctuations in voltage, like power surges and momentary voltage reductions. 
 
Until recently, lead-acid batteries have been the only battery used with UPS. They typically last only about 5 years. Most hotels have a few of them.

Recently, several companies have begun to offer UPS with lithium-ion batteries.  Eaton started installing them about a year ago. Schneider  now sells them, too.
 
Though UPS with lithium-ion batteries cost about 20% more than UPS with lead-acid batteries, they last more than twice as long. Hence, their lifetime cost is much lower. They're also much lighter, more space-efficient and have lower maintenance costs.
 
Lithium-ion batteries are the greener choice, too. Because lead-acid batteries are larger and heavier, and have a short lifespan, they require much more energy-intensive mining and transportation. They must be hauled away and recycled twice as often, too.


RecyclingWorks Massachusetts
 
As you can guess from reading this newsletter, food waste reduction is now a preoccupation of solid waste professionals. Rightly so--food waste is a big environmental problem. Businesses that reduce it have saved a bundle. 
 
The RecyclingWorks Massachusetts website, linked above, is an excellent new resource. RecyclingWorks compiled an impressive list of best management practices after interviewing food service professionals at commercial kitchens, universities and hospitals. The website has great links, too.
 
The best hotel-specific guide to reducing food waste (Fighting Food Waste in Hotels: AHLA Introduces Website and Toolkit), can be found in the December 5 BGT newsletter.

 
 
ARTICLES

Hilton Richmond Handout a Great Idea for Just About Any Occasion
The Hilton Richmond Downtown communicates its environmental and community programs with  a 4" x 9" card. One side is titled, "Did You Know What We Do for The Environment?," and the flip side is titled "Did You Know What We Do for the Community?"

It's a quick and effective way to show off the hotel as a good corporate citizen.


IHG News Release, March 2

IHG revealed their 2013 - 2017 achievements and 2018 - 2020 targets for, " environmental sustainability, community impact, people and responsible procurement."

Between 2013 and 2017, IHG reduced its carbon footprint per occupied room by a very impressive 15%--and 27% for their managed hotels. They reduced their water use 
per occupied room in water-stressed areas by 5%--and 15% for their managed hotels.


 
UPCOMING MEETINGS

The following meetings will be 2:30 to 4:00. 

April 5 The Ritz-Carlton, Boston
May 31
Lenox Hotel*
October 11
The Langham, Boston

* This meeting takes the place of the two March meetings that were postponed because of snow. 
**We'll have one more meeting in the fall. I haven't scheduled the date yet.

See you Thursday at the Ritz-Carlton!

Boston Green Tourism
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