September 8, 2017

Credit: Cityscapes

Dear Boston Green Tourism Members,  

Our next meeting will be Thursday September 14 from 2:30 to 4:00  at  Cityscapes 197 Clarendon Street,  floor 9. Cityscapes is located in Copley Square.

Cityscapes provides cutting edge sustainable plantscapes for Boston hotels and other commercial buildings.

I thank our host, Janice Goodman
 
I hope you can come!
 
Dan 

--

2018 Meeting Schedule: Your Input Wanted
Here's the tentative meeting schedule for 2018.
 
February 1         June 21
March 8             September 13
April 5               October 18
May 17              December 7

If any of these dates are problematic, because they're during a popular hotel conference, too near a holiday, etc., please let me know and I'll change them.
 
Also, please contact me if your hotel could host the Oct. 12 meeting (2:30 to 4:00).
 
 
SPEAKERS

Mike Youngs, VP Sales & Business Development, Motili, a Daikin company

Mr. Youngs will speak about the emerging technologies related to HVAC in commercial buildings , including variable refrigerant technologies.

He'll also touch on technology advances that ensure the health, comfort and safety of hotel guests and employees.


Janice Goodman, President, Cityscapes, Inc.  

Janice Goodman, celebrating 25 years as President and Owner of Cityscapes Boston (!), will discuss Biophilic design in hospitality.  She will also describe the studies  that suggest that biophilic design plays an important role in the guest experience.

Miriam PosnerDirector of Energy & Environmental Policy, A Better City

Ms. Posner will discuss an exciting opportunity for hotels to purchase renewable energy  as part of collaborative group of organizations, coordinated by A Better City. 
 
A Better City recently organized a collaborative contract involving MIT, Boston Medical Center and the Post Office Square Redevelopment Corporation that  facilitated the construction of a new solar farm in North Carolina. The three buyers secured favorable rates from the project and mitigated a significant portion of their greenhouse emissions.


Tania KeebleCo-Owner,    The Paint Exchange  

The Paint Exchange takes leftover latex paint from businesses and residents and turns it into recycled-content paint sold under the RecolorĀ® brand. It's the only company of its kind in New England. 

Ms. Keeble will describe how hotels can save money and  reduce the amount of paint wasted and landfilled in Massachusetts.

IDEAS

The Green Way to Manage Used Clothing

Americans discard 13 million tons of clothing and other textiles each year. Eighty-five percent of it winds up in landfills. Each piece of clothing has its own carbon footprint, which comes from farming or mining the cloth material, manufacturing it and transporting the finished product.
 
This issue is not news to hoteliers--guests frequently leave clothes behind. Also, hotels buy uniforms for their staff and have fabrics throughout their properties.
 
What's the greenest way for hotels to deal with excess clothing? As with every material, it's best to reduce, reuse and recycle--in that order. It also helps to buy clothing made from recycled materials.
 
Fortunately, used clothing and other fabrics are valuable, and it's easy to find people and organizations who will facilitate their reuse or recycle them.
 
The Element Hotels, including Element Boston Seaport, have come up with an interesting way to reuse clothing ( Sustainability Never Goes Out of Fashion at Element Hotels). They combat "fashion waste," by holding annual clothing swaps for guests and people from the surrounding communities. The swaps include clothing left behind by hotel guests.
 
The Mass.Gov Energy and Environmental Affairs website is an outstanding resource for textile recovery.
 
Also, the RecyclingWorks Massachusetts' website page, "Recycling Assistance for Businesses & Institutions," lists many organizations that will pick up textiles, or accept them as drop-offs. (That website facilitates the recycling of many materials.)


 
ARTICLES 

Chad Crandell, Hotels, August 17
A resort hotel used to place two, single-use plastic water bottles in each guestroom. Now, instead, they provide one take-away reusable bottle. This move saves them $96,000 per year, including a fee they collect from the vendor who advertises on the bottle. 

The second article above is about hotel water bottle filling stations. These stations also enable properties to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic bottles.

At least three vendors sell them:  FloWater, Brita and Elkay. They offer extensive filtration and other features.

 
One Way to Cut Energy Costs with Your Chiller:
A Simple Change with a Big Impact on Consumption
Andrew Marsh, BuildPulse
 
Commercial buildings can significantly decrease electricity consumption by increasing the chilled water supply temperature. Every 1 degree increase results in a 1.7 degree cut in compressor energy use.
 
The author discusses what one must consider when setting this temperature.

 
Where to Check for Pests Before Pests Check In
Waltham Pest Services

This 3-page guide helps hoteliers determine where they're most likely to find pests and how to prevent them.


 
2017 MEETINGS

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

Sept. 14  Cityscapes
October 12  
December 7 Le Meridien


See you Thursday at Cityscapes!

Boston Green Tourism
Phone | Email | Website