The First Facility Management Blog

JohnsonDiversey President and CEO Ed Lonergan awarded OCS Cleaning and Environmental Services with the first ever JohnsonDiversey Sustainable Cleaning Award recently at the World Federation of Building Service Contractors (WFBSC) Congress. OCS, which is based in the United Kingdom, was honored for demonstrating its commitment to cleaning for health, safety, and the environment.

“JohnsonDiversey is committed to sustainable cleaning systems and solutions, and we know many building service contractorS (BSCs) share this commitment,” Lonergan said. “This award recognizes the best of the best. It recognizes a BSC that has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability by performing services that meet the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental responsibility in facility care.”

JohnsonDiversey created the Sustainable Cleaning Award program to commend BSCs that reduce the environmental impact of facilities and improve human health through green cleaning practices and other sustainable initiatives.

“OCS Cleaning and Environmental Services, through its CleanSmart˙ program, is a leader in the contract cleaning industry, and we are honored to present them with the very first JohnsonDiversey Sustainable Cleaning Award,” Lonergan said.

The WFBSC Board of Directors chose OCS Cleaning and Environmental Services/CleanSmart among BSC nominees from around the world. CleanSmart is based on Toyota’s lean manufacturing processes and Six Sigma principles. The program covers each aspect of the cleaning process, plotting the most efficient and effective cleaning methods, and eliminating waste. CleanSmart includes green cleaning chemicals and tools, such as microfiber cloths and flat mops, and the CleanSmart Academy training program.

“OCS stood out from an impressive slate of nominees for its deep, long term commitment to sustainability,” said WFBSC President Norberto Peluso. “As OCS demonstrates, sustainability is about measurable outcomes in reduced environmental impact, increased health and safety for workers and building occupants, and solid economic returns on investments for BSC companies.”

The theme of the WFBSC Congress was “Sustainability: New Frontiers, New Business.”

Steelcase, a global office environments manufacturer, was recently granted a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an independent third party accredited by the FSC to certify companies to its international standards. The certification highlights Steelcase’s ability to meet the FSC tracking requirements for ensuring that the materials used to develop its wood products come from a well managed forest.

By working with well managed forest, these woodlands can provide a continuous yield of raw materials and remain the home for numerous animal species. Loggers use special techniques to harvest the wood without causing environmental damage. In a forest that is not responsibly managed, loggers perform clear cutting, high grading, and over harvesting which can take an area out of production for over 50 years. Steelcase’s efforts to operate sustainably span the history of the company as purchased wood veneer comes from sustainable sources.

“It is an honor to receive this FSC certification as it affirms Steelcase’s commitment to cradle to cradle environment processes,” says Nancy Hickey, senior vice president, chief administrative officer of Steelcase. “From design to production, we are constantly seeking more effective ways to conserve resources, prevent pollution, and nurture environmental consciousness. FSC certification demonstrates that Steelcase’s responsible practices extend to the very beginning of the product lifecycle by utilizing responsibly managed forests.”

Founded in 1992 following the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the first FSC certification was issued in 1993. FSC certification for a company demonstrates that it can perform to the highest social and environmental standards in the market in wood product sourcing. Additionally, as governments around the world enforce stricter environmental regulations in their purchasing programs, FSC certification protects a corporation’s brand and reputation in the international market.

The Steelcase wood business operates out of the world’s first LEED certified manufacturing facility. The facility opened in 2001 and has since made additional changes to allow the facility and its operations to become more sustainable. Notable is the recent change from solvent based to water based finishes; this has contributed to a reduction in VOCs by 91% since 2001.

This FSC Certification comes on the heels of other recent environmental accomplishments by Steelcase, including the most cradle to cradle (C2C) product certifications in the industry as well as the first wood casegood to be C2C certified. These products are additionally certified by Indoor Advantage, receiving awards from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WasteWise program for the past six years for the company’s efforts in waste prevention, recycling collection, and manufacturing recycled content products. Steelcase was also recognized for signing an agreement to purchase all of the green power produced from a new wind farm in Texas for at least five years, publication of the company’s inaugural corporate responsibility report, and creating a Green Giants campaign that highlights sustainable leaders that have made strides in giving back to the community from an environmental perspective.

The 2008 Olympic Games officially begin tonight, and over the next 16 days millions of people will converge in the city of Beijing. In the lead up to this global event, we’ve heard about the numerous venues built to supplement China’s existing sports facilities. This year’s Olympic Games will take place across 31 competition facilities (12 new, 11 pre-existing, and 8 temporary). There are also three non competition facilities–Olympic Village, Olympic Media Village, and the Olympic Main Press Center.

National Stadium aka "Bird's Nest"

Managing and securing all of those spaces will no doubt require diligence by the various facility, security, and hospitality staffs. Following are some of the companies involved in the activities.

Johnson Controls has installed sustainable building solutions in 18 Olympic stadiums and supporting facilities. The company’s installation covers 123 million square feet of Olympics grounds, monitoring more than 58,000 points in stadiums and office buildings. Venues containing Johnson Controls products include:

*National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) with a YORK dual-duty brine centrifugal chillers, ice thermal storage system and chiller plant automation system

*National Indoor Stadium, or Turtle’s Back, with YORK centrifugal chillers connecting to Metasys building management system

*CCTV Headquarters Building, or collaboration building: YORK centrifugal chillers, dual-duty brine centrifugal chillers and ice-thermal storage system, connected to Metasys building management system

*Beijing Olympic Tower: YORK centrifugal chillers and a variable speed drive

*Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Court: Metasys building management system

*Beijing Olympic Forest Park: Metasys building management system

Meanwhile, GE Energy is providing long-term services for a new power plant that will supply electricity for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, as well as heat and power for the city of Beijing in the future. Under a 10-year contractual services agreement (CSA) signed with Beijing Taiyanggong Gas-Fired Thermal Power Co. Ltd (Taiyanggong) of China, GE will provide all parts, repairs and services for two GE Frame 9FA+e gas turbines at the new plant. The agreement also includes risk-sharing mechanisms and performance guarantees to help ensure that the 750-megawatt facility provides reliable and cost-effective heat and power to Beijing.

Taiyanggong is owned by Beijing Energy Investment Holding Co. and SP Power Development Co. Ltd.

GE is a worldwide partner of the Olympic Games. The company has provided support for more than 400 infrastructure projects such as Taiyanggong in and around Beijing, including work at all 37 official Olympic Games competition venues and 168 commercial buildings.

Olympic Village is using Echelon’s LonWorks® technology to create an energy efficiency lighting control system. The smart LonWorks based control system integrates all lighting subsystems to optimize energy usage while maintaining a safe and aesthetically pleasing environment.

The Olympic Village is the largest non-competition venue in Beijing, and will accommodate over 23,000 athletes and team officials for both the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Village has over 370,000 square meters of apartment space, including 22 six-floor buildings and 20 nine-floor buildings, and facilities such as general information centers, meeting rooms, medical clinics, religious centers, multiple restaurants, a library, parking areas, and entertainment and leisure activity centers.

The smart lighting control system integrates lighting subsystems for the apartments, public areas, car park areas, and all landscape and beautification lighting. The system was installed by Lang Meng Technology, Inc., a firm that provides smart home and lighting control solutions based on LonWorks technology.

Panasonic ASTROVISION large display screen systems and enhanced RAMSA professional audio systems will be used across the Olympic venues. Twin 152 square meter ASTROVISION LED screens and 264 RAMSA WS-LA3 large format array loudspeakers will show the action in the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium.

An official worldwide partner of the Olympic Games, Panasonic is also involved in the security operations. More than 2,000 AV surveillance cameras are installed to help ensure safety and security.

Also involved in security at the Games is Vicon Industries. The producer of video surveillance systems has had its camera domes and pan-and-tilt drives chosen to be part of an integrated video surveillance system to be installed at the “Bird’s Nest.” The opening ceremony tonight and the closing ceremony on August 24 will take place in that facility, which seats 91,000 people.

Vicon China, headquartered in Hong Kong with offices throughout China, is providing local support for this project.

In other security measures, ICx Technologies, a developer of advanced sensor technologies, won the contracts to supply IdentiFINDERs to the Government of China for use at the Olympics. IdentiFINDERS are handheld, radioisotope identification devices (RIID) that are able to locate, measure, and identify sources or contaminations from gamma and neutron radiation.

The units are able to differentiate between dangerous radioactive materials, medical and naturally occurring radioisotopes, such as bananas. This type of equipment is being deployed to detect radioactive materials that might be used as a weapon by terrorists in a radiological dispersal device, a so-called “dirty bomb”.

All the people involved in the Olympics will need to eat, and ARAMARK Corporation will meet those needs as the official catering service provider for 2008 Summer Games. The Beijing Organizing Commmittee (BOCOG) chose the company in May 2008. The signing of the contract with BOCOG marks the 14th time ARAMARK has been selected to serve at the Olympic Games.

ARAMARK, together with its partner Beijing Tourism Group, is providing catering services for the Athletes’ Village, Media Villages, International Broadcast Center, and the Main Press Center at the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing. ARAMARK will serve more than 3.5 million meals throughout the 60-day duration of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In addition, ARAMARK managed the design and construction of the kitchen and dining facilities for the Olympic catering venues.

Let The Games Begin!

The HSBC Bank Headquarters Tower located in Mexico City has become the first project in Latin America to achieve the level of LEED Gold status. Global architectural firm, HOK, designed the changes implemented at the building to achieve the LEED designation from the U.S. Green Building Council.

With headquarters in London, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations. When HSBC merged with another local bank (Bital) in 2002, the company purchased the new Torre Angel building on the Paseo de la Reforma – Mexico City’s main thoroughfare – for its consolidated Mexican headquarters. Gisca, a developer in Mexico, awarded HOK the contract to redesign the building façade and public spaces, and HOK also designed the building interiors. (The project previously earned the 2007 National Interiors Award and the top award for Corporate Interior Design from the Mexican Interior Design Association.)

This project served as a pilot for HSBC as its Corporate Real Estate group began to rethink the company’s global workplace standards. HOK helped HSBC study ways to increase the density of its Mexican headquarters building. Strategies developed for a 100-person pilot group include implementing alternative ways of working such as telecommuting, hoteling and space-sharing.

Several sustainable strategies helped the project achieve LEED Gold status:
* Daylight is accessible to as many building occupants as possible through an efficient open office plan.
* A 4,000 square-foot green roof reduces stormwater runoff, filters pollutants and CO2 out of the air, and reduces the urban heat island effect.
* An onsite graywater treatment plant sends treated water to water closets and chillers and collects storm water for irrigation.
* The team selected low-VOC carpeting and used GreenGuard certified furniture from Knoll, Herman Miller and Haworth.
* Public transportation is a convenient for occupants because of the site’s close proximity to several bus stops and a public transit station.
* The facility offers bike racks for employees on the ground level, and several local materials and resources were used during construction.

“We hope this project serves as an example for greening the community and encouraging the Mexican government to offer more incentives for creating environmentally friendly buildings,” HOK Project Manager Javier Presas. “The project already has created more interest among developers, clients and architects in Mexico.”

HSBC is the first major bank to go carbon neutral worldwide. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings and communities are responsible for more than 40% of greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere.

HSBC Mexico represents HOK’s 22nd project to earn LEED recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council.

CoreNet Global, an international association of workplace and corporate real estate executives, and Jones Lang LaSalle, a real estate service provider, queried more than 2,300 attendees of CoreNet Global Summits on four continents in recent months, with 414 responding. After analyzing the responses, the two groups learned that a large majority of companies around the world view sustainability as critical to their business and are willing to pay a premium to help their companies become more sustainable.

At CoreNet Global Summits in London, Melbourne, Denver and Singapore, 414 industry professionals took the survey called, “Sustainability Perceptions and Trends in the Corporate Real Estate Industry.” Over 2,300 were queried for an 18% response rate.

CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle found that, for 79% of respondents, sustainability is a near-term business issue that’s important today, or will be in the next one to two years.

“As a result of this survey, it’s crystal clear to us that a focus on sustainability has become important to the Fortune 500 and similar companies around the world,” says Eric Bowles vice president and director of research for CoreNet Global.

“These findings reinforce what we are hearing from clients every day: more and more companies are recognizing the business case for sustainability, and their corporate real estate departments are charged with making it happen to a large extent,” said Ben Breslau, vice president, director of occupier research at Jones Lang LaSalle.

According to the survey, most companies are willing to pay for sustainable real estate solutions. Among the findings–77% are willing to pay a premium for sustainability, while 22% expect to pay the same.

There was a gap between what sustainable real estate solutions actually cost and the perception of what they will cost. Studies indicate that designing buildings energy efficiently, or building them to LEED certification will cost about 1% to 5% more than conventional construction, and the incremental cost is falling.

A large proportion of respondents thought sustainable designs were more expensive that they really are, with respondents’ perceptions varying widely–
* 52% say premiums will be 5% or more to build in a sustainable manner.
* 22% of them believe green buildings will cost 10% more than conventional building.
* 38% said sustainable buildings will cost 1% to 5% more.
* 1% say it’s actually less expensive.
* 8% said those buildings will cost the same.

Despite the opportunity to apply techniques to make buildings more environmentally friendly, respondents to the CoreNet Global/Jones Lang LaSalle survey found obstacles to sustainability that have hindered widespread adoption–
* 17% said that there is good, or widely available, sustainable real estate solutions in markets where their companies need to locate offices.
* 42% reported patchiness and said the supply chain is good in some markets but not others.
* 41% view overall availability as limited or minimal.

The intensity of sustainable views varies from continent to continent. According to the results:
* 61% of respondents in Europe feel sustainability is a critical business now.
* 53% feel that way in Australia.
* The survey also noted that 44% of respondents who attended the Denver Global Summit feel that sustainability is critical now.

“We have passed the tipping point for sustainability, and the question is no longer about whether sustainable design should be considered. The question will be, how do you explain why you chose not to have a sustainable design,” says Bowles of CoreNet Global.

“Sustainability is not a passing fad. It’s a business imperative from Australia to Hong Kong and from the U.S. to Germany,” adds Jones Lang LaSalle’s Breslau.

About CoreNet Global
CoreNet Global members manage US $1.2 trillion in worldwide corporate assets consisting of owned and leased office, industrial and other space. With 7,000 members representing large corporations around the world, CoreNet Global operates in five global regions: Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America, including Canada.

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle has approximately 160 offices worldwide and operates in more than 450 cities in over 50 countries. With 2006 revenue of over $2.0 billion, the company provides comprehensive integrated real estate and investment management expertise on a local, regional and global level to owner, occupier and investor clients. Jones Lang LaSalle is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of over 1.0 billion square feet worldwide.

Progressive Investor, a publication of SustainableBusiness.com, announced its picks for the 20 most sustainable stocks in 2007. A number of the companies on the list are involved in the building and energy industries.

The 2007 Sustainable Business 20 (SB20) List: The World’s Top Sustainable Stocks: Companies Changing the World for the Better, is now in its sixth year. The group looks for companies that are having an important impact on creating an environmentally sustainable society. The goal is to help the media and investors identify leading companies and to understand what it takes for a company to be sustainable.

SustainableBusiness.com worked with a group of judges who are leading sustainability stock analysts to select the companies. This year, SustainableBusiness.com partnered with KLD Research & Analytics, a pioneer and leader in environmental and social research and indexes. KLD provided a preliminary universe of 50 global companies with strong green initiatives and solid financials. KLD also served as a judge along with five leading green investment analysts to decide on the final list.

The press release from SustainableBusiness.com explains:

The challenge we give our judges is to nominate, discuss, and then vote on 20 companies that, through their products or initiatives, are contributing substantially to the advance of a sustainable economy.

To be on the list, companies must be strong on both the sustainable and financial sides. It is not a “buy” list, but because the companies are strong financially, their stock may well be worth be buying at some point based on stock market positioning. We strive to choose companies of various sizes, industries and parts of the world, but the list doesn’t constitute a diversified portfolio.

“Our goal is to create a list that showcases public companies that, over the past year, have made substantial progress in either greening their internal operations or growing a business based on an important green technology, says Rona Fried, Ph.D., SustainableBusiness.com CEO and Editor of Progressive Investor.

SB20 Criteria
Our judges decide on the 20 companies that make the list based on the following Sustainability and Financial criteria:

Sustainability Criteria:
The most exciting companies in terms of how they are conducting their business, or in the technologies they are advancing that solve environmental or social problems. In particular, they have a very strong GREEN story, with the ability to have widespread influence.

Financial Criteria:
A company has a a stock price over $1, is selling products and is profitable, or close to it.

Energy Efficiency /Renewable Energy
This year, energy efficiency took center stage. The less sexy sister of renewable energy, efficiency offers the least expensive, best economic returns, and most dramatic ways to reduce greenhouse emissions, simply by reducing energy consumption in the first place. No subsidies are needed.

We chose Comverge, Royal Philips Electronics, Fuel Tech and Novozymes to represent leading companies on energy efficiency. Comverge sells energy-management technologies, which automatically turn power on and off when demand exceeds supply on the grid. That results in enormous energy savings and, by cutting peak demand, it keeps the filthiest fossil fuel plants off-line. The world leader in lighting, Philips has been snapping up market share in LED lighting as it advocates for and prepares to stop producing inefficient incandescents. Fuel Tech’s technology cleans up the dirtiest fossil fuel plants, and Novozymes, the world leader in “green chemicals,” is reducing energy use and toxics by replacing synthetic ingredients in a host of industries with biological enzymes - they are key to industrial efficiency and the use of cellulosic biofuels.

In renewable energy, REC is the most vertically integrated solar company in the world and First Solar is the first public company to integrate thin film technology into high volume, low cost production. Vestas, the world’s premier wind company, has maintained its leadership position despite heavy competition. Ormat is a world leader in geothermal energy, and Schmack Biogas is the world’s leading biogas plant manufacturer, turning organic wastes into electricity, heat or fuels.

Natural Resources: Water, Forests
BWT Water Technology is one of the rare water companies that uses only environmentally responsible technologies. A new water filter for households and industry relies on magnetic fields instead of chemicals. Precious Woods is the world’s only publicly traded sustainable forestry company, operating in the Brazilian and Congo rainforests.

Green Building
The UK’s largest property developer and owner, Land Securities, is upgrading energy efficiency throughout its property portfolio; all new buildings meet green building standards. It is working toward company-wide use of gray water, rainwater harvesting systems, using only FSC-certified wood, and serving Fair Trade/ Organic foods in its cafeterias.

Interface, one of the most respected and cherished companies by sustainability afficionados, continues its climb up “Mount Sustainability,” innovating in the materials and processes used to make carpet tiles. Furniture maker Herman Miller, another stalwart sustainability leader, is 63% on its way to achieving its goal of Zero Ecological Footprint by 2020.

Consumer Products
Canon has set a very aggressive target for a company of its size - to cut C02 emissions by 50% per unit of sales by 2010, from a 2000 benchmark. It’s making its products smaller and lighter to reduce its environmental footprint.

It’s not easy to “just do it” when your manufacturing is outsourced to subcontractors, but Nike is showing it’s possible. Its very impressive sustainability report drills down to the finest details of the company’s operations and products. It is transforming its products by using green design principles, rooting out waste and toxics, and planning for carbon neutrality by 2015.

Natural Foods/ Natural Products
Groupe Danone, the world’s largest dairy company, is converting more to organic dairy and sustainable agriculture. Last year, it launched Grameen Danone Foods, a joint venture with microfinance bank Grameen Group. Its purpose is to provide nutritionally dense, basic foods, along with solar energy and biogas to low income, nutritionally deprived populations in Bangladesh. It will also provide hundreds of jobs for communities that take care of the cattle, produce and sell the products. The goal is to set up 50 plants throughout India in the next 10 years.

The world’s largest retailer of organic/ natural products, Whole Foods, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the leader in Fair Trade/ Organic coffee, have been on the SB20 since inception. They are exemplary models all around, and are largely responsible for the mainstreaming of natural foods/ sustainable coffee. Both companies are climate neutral.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, with over 600 restaurants, is making waves in the world of fast food by serving free range meats and integrating organic ingredients into its menus.

Honorable Mention
Google made some impressive first sustainability announcements last month. Besides being climate neutral by 2008, it co-founded the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a challenge to the industry to ramp up energy-efficient personal computers and server systems to 90% efficiency by 2010. It just turned on the switch for the first phase of its 1.6 megawatt solar array, and runs the largest corporate shuttle commuter program in the U.S., while offering employees cash incentives to purchase hybrids.

The SB20 List for 2007 (in alphabetical order)
Best Water Technology (Vienna: BWT.VI) (Austria)
Canon (NYSE: CAJ) (Japan)
Comverge (Nasdaq: COMV) (USA)
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) (USA)
First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) (USA)
Fuel Tech (Nasdaq: FTEK) (USA)
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq: GMCR) (USA)
Groupe Danone (DANO.PA) Netherlands
Herman Miller (Nasdaq: MLHR) (USA)
Interface (Nasdaq: IFSIA) (USA)
Land Securities (London: Land.L) Britain
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) (USA)
Novozymes (Copenhagen: NZYM.CO) Denmark
Ormat Technologies (NYSE: ORA) (USA)
Precious Woods (Geneva: SWX: PRWN) Swizerland
Renewable Energy Corp - REC (Oslo: REC.OL) Norway
Royal Philips Electronics NV (NYSE: PHG) Netherlands
Schmack Biogas AG (Germany: SB1B.DE) Germany
Vestas (Copenhagen: VWS.CO) Denmark
Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI) (USA)

Honorable Mention:
Google, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG)

SB20 Judges:
Andrew Brengle, Senior Research Analyst, KLD Research & Analytics
Rafael Coven, Managing Partner, Cleantech Indices LLC
Matt Patsky, Managing Director, Winslow Green Growth Fund
Patrick McVeigh, President, Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management
Max Deml, Editor & Publisher, Oeko Invest Publishing Ltd
Ton Rennen, Senior Sustainability Analyst, Triodos Bank NV

About Progressive Investor and SustainableBusiness.com
Progressive Investor is a monthly sustainable investing newsletter that provides on-going analysis of clean technology investment opportunities, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building and healthy lifestyle.

SustainableBusiness.com, now in its 12th year, provides global news and networking services to help green businesses grow: Daily Sustainable Business and Investor news, Green Dream Jobs, and Progressive Investor.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. found in a recent survey that many people who make an effort to be environmentally friendly at home do not keep up the effort while staying in a hotel.

The survey was commissioned by ELEMENT Hotels, a new Westin-inspired extended-stay brand from Starwood. In fact, a majority of frequent travelers (59%) admitted to letting their “green routines” slip when on the road. (Seen here is an ELEMENTS lobby.)

The majority of people surveyed (60%) are more likely to leave a bathroom light on overnight in an unfamiliar hotel room than at home, and nearly 70% of frequent travelers open a new mini bottle of shampoo and conditioner each time they shower on the road. Sixty-three percent of frequent hotel guests are more likely to leave a light on when they leave a hotel room than home. And although only about a third (34%) of respondents believe it is important to change sheets and towels daily at home, three-quarters think it is important to have fresh sheets and towels daily in a hotel.

When it comes to evaluating eco-options, for most consumers the bottom line is the bottom line, the survey found. In fact, 62% of respondents agreed that “When I stay in a hotel, one reason I use water and energy less efficiently is because I don’t have to pay for it.” And their reported behaviors for water use reflect this attitude. Seventy percent of frequent travelers agree that they try to conserve water “as much as possible” at home, while only 18% do the same in a hotel.

The survey was conducted as part of the introduction of ELEMENT Hotels, which is focusing on sustainable hoteling. Set to open in 2008, ELEMENT properties will be designed to make environmentally friendly choices intuitive. Key design features include:

* Shampoo and conditioner dispensers will eliminate multiple mini-bottles.
* Low-flow sink faucets and dual flush toilets and/or low gallonage toilets will allow guests to optimize water use. This is estimated to save 4,358.6 gallons of water per room each year.
* The ELEMENT design incorporates eco-friendly materials in numerous property areas, including carpets with up to 100% recycled content and recycled carpet cushions; art mounted on a base made from recycled tires; and low VOC paints for improved indoor air quality.
* Guest rooms will include bins to help guests maintain their home recycling ritual.
* Compact florescent light bulbs will be used throughout the hotel instead of incandescent light bulbs. This is expected to result in up to 75% less energy used.
* Biophilic design is used, which maximizes natural light and sightlines to the outdoors.
* An education program will help guests make smart decisions for the environment while traveling and at home.

“No one wants a lecture on the environment when they travel,” says Sue Brush, senior vice president at Starwood. “The idea behind ELEMENT is to make smart choices intuitive and to support our guests’ sustainable lifestyle, so we can simultaneously accommodate our guests and the environment.”

—–
The survey was conducted for ELEMENT Hotels by STUDYLOGIC via telephone interviews with 1,041 respondents, screened for a minimum of three hotel stays over the past 12 months.

Have hospitality facility managers found this to be the case in their buildings?

The hotel chain is coordinating Accor Earth Guest Week from April 15-22 in honor of the 37th annual Earth Day on April 22. As part of this event, Accor North America, which operates more than 1,200 upscale and economy hotels, will plant 20,000 trees representing each Accor employee in North America, implement a 65-point environmental check list at all properties and corporate, and donate $375,000 to educational and charitable groups, while maintaining its ongoing environmental practices. These activities are led and put into action in local communities by Accor North America’s six brands and 1,200 properties in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico: Sofitel, Novotel, Ibis, Red Roof Inn, Studio 6 and Motel 6.

According to the company, the Earth Guest Week efforts are designed to maximize Accor employee involvement in beautifying the planet, educating and helping community members to implement their own Earth Guest initiatives. The posting of 65-point, tri-lingual environmental checklist posters throughout Accor North America’s properties and corporate headquarters is aims to convey to employees pro-environmental actions including training, consumption reduction, monitoring, and analysis. This checklist enables Accor’s employees to reach the ultimate goal of reducing their collective environmental footprint.

Accor North America notes that it supports education and the development of a strong community as the best devices to protect and maintain the earth’s resources. To demonstrate its support, the company has made charitable contributions of $375,000 to several institutions that benefit the local and global community. It is also donating to America’s Second Harvest, the largest relief network in the U.S. whose mission is to eradicate hunger; to the Tom Joyner Foundation to benefit minority students attending college; Canine Companions, an animal assistance program for people with disabilities; and scholarship funds for underprivileged students seeking a career in hospitality to the University of Houston, Johnson & Wales University and Penn State.

Other initiatives include offering organic food on the hotel restaurant menus and donating 10% of sales to America’s Second Harvest; the creation of employee mini organic herb gardens, offering battery recycling locations at select hotels and the corporate headquarters, and hybrid automobile displays.

Several key programs Accor operates year-round are:
* Participation in energy and water conservation programs including creation of a monthly energy/water consumption report to inform each hotel of its month to date progress in regards to consumption savings, taking into consideration variables such as weather and hotel activity levels (all Sofitel, Novotel and Ibis hotels since 2004)
* Water saving shower heads and faucet aerators (all brands)
* Ozone machines were installed on laundry washers; these machines allow the hotel to wash linen and towels with cold water instead of hot and reduce the use of soap/detergent (all Sofitel hotels with laundry)
* Using environmentally sensitive Ecolab™ laundry and cleaning products (all Red Roof, Motel 6 and Studio 6 locations)
* Technologically advanced heating and cooling systems to reduce consumption of power (all brands)
* Fluorescent bulb recycling in all 670 plus corporate-owned Motel 6 and Studio 6 properties by the end of 2007
* Corporate office recycling program
* Printing five million brand directories on recycled paper using Soy ink (all Red Roof, Motel 6, and Studio 6 directories)
* Ongoing retrofitting of fluorescent lighting (all brands)

As sustainability and environmental consciousness become increasingly important to the interior design profession, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) presents a new series of sustainable design white papers, entitled Interior Design and Global Impacts. This five-publication series, on topics integral to sustainability as it relates to the interior design profession, includes “Beyond Interior Design,” “Indoor Air Quality,” “Materials and Products,” “Selling Green,” and a “Reference Guide.”

This comprehensive collection was researched and written by industry thought leaders in sustainable design, including Kirsten Childs, ASID, LEED AP, Croxton Collaborative; Cris Argeles, 7 group; Holley Henderson, IIDA, LEED AP; Scot Horst, LEED AP, 7 group; and Nadav Malin, LEED AP, BuildingGreen, Inc. The series is generously sponsored by ASID Industry Partners Lightolier®, Steelcase®, TOTO®, Tricycle, VISTA® and Wilsonart® Laminate.

For pricing and to purchase the series or each individual publication, visit this link.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) will work together to advance buildings that are healthy, productive, environmentally responsible and economically viable. The two organizations, both of whom are committed to green building and sustainable community development, have signed a memorandum of understanding. The memorandum calls for ASHRAE and the Council to join efforts in development and maintenance of technical standards and guidelines, communications and marketing, and research and education of members and the building industry.

“ASHRAE has renewed focus in working with other organizations to share and further our technical guidance,” Terry Townsend, P.E., ASHRAE president, said. “Working with the CaGBC will allow us to improve on our efforts in achieving energy savings without sacrificing comfort, air quality or productivity.”

Thomas Mueller, president of the CaGBC, is also enthusiastic about the new collaboration. “The CaGBC shares ASHRAE’s interest in the opportunities to evolve the technical aspects of buildings,” he said. “The work we can do together in Canada will benefit not only our respective memberships but anyone interested in engaging in better building practices.”

The CaGBC was established in December 2002 to promote and accelerate the design and construction of high performance buildings for livable communities. The Council advances market transformation through advocacy, education, application and development of tools, and celebration of demonstrably superior performance. The CaGBC membership represents a reach of more than 500,000 public and private sector professionals across Canada. ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of 55,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.