Hospitality & Pollution
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Strategic management of environmental challenges encountered in the hospitality industry becomes essential with increasing health hazard and pollution. Sharda Sharma, Senior Executive Housekeeper, Hotel Clarion Collection and Amritaksha Chatterjee, General Manager (Operations), RIMC Sahil Hospitality Pvt Ltd, share their views on curbing pollution in hotels.
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The hospitality industry can produce toxic air pollutants and ozone-depleting substances. Simple cleaning supplies, synthetic materials, paints and pesticides can release toxic air pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOC). These air pollutants could also leak into the outdoor air through doors, ventilation systems and other openings. The chemicals in these substances can react in the air to form ground-level ozone (smog), which has been linked to a number of respiratory effects. Ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons may be released by improperly maintained heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units, refrigeration units and fire extinguishers.
Controlling Waste
Further, says Sharda Sharma, the hospitality industry encompasses a wide range of services and activities. It includes travel related services like lodging, laundry, food and beverage and convention centers. Maintenance and operational activities of the hotel releases a lot of waste that may add to air and water pollution.
The emission level of hotels in Delhi is guided by very strict laws. Most of the hotels are responsible for the waste they generate as the licenses depend on them. Controlling waste is one of the most important factors in reducing emissions. For water, it is mandatory for hotels to have sewage and effluent treatment plants. These help reuse water and also control the water that goes in the municipality drains.
The corporate social responsibility of the hotels is increasingly focusing on the need to exist in harmony with their surroundings and reduce their footprints for sustainability. Hotels are increasingly encouraging environment friendly practices with initiatives such as education programmes and over the last decade, the concept of eco-tourism is catching up all over the world. Hotel companies are being prompted by rising energy costs, government pressure, consumer expectations and the competitive landscape to increasingly make sustainability and emission reduction a top priority.
Making changes in how hotels maintain their facilities can stop pollutants at the grass root level and improve indoor and outdoor air pollution. Air pollution can be reduced by use of non toxic cleaning products and chemicals. “ We at Clarion Collection, New Delhi, use non toxic certified environmental friendly cleaning products and pest control chemicals” says Sharma.
Cleaning all the parts of air system, installing an air purifying system, regular cleaning of the upholstery, encasing mattresses and pillows and regular vacuum cleaning of carpets help in improving the indoor air quality.
Hotels can reduce water pollution by small steps towards conservation: Good housekeeping practices like checking and avoiding leaks, unnecessary use of water for cleaning, lowering the pool levels to avoid splashes, using energy and water efficient machines for laundry and kitchens and using recycled water for irrigation of landscaping helps in a long way.
Going Green
Today’s business is all about being green, says Amritaksha Chatterjee. From logistics supply chain management to real estate, from information technology to healthcare sector, everyone is employing greener practices, be it packaging or use of eco-friendly hybrid vehicles. Although a late starter, hospitality industry too is slowly but surely adopting green practices to curb greenhouse gases.
Embracing eco-friendly initiatives will go a long way in reducing operational costs and in increasing the bottom line. Energy conservation is one of the best possible ways to cut costs. Since power is the second highest expenditure head for hotels, accounting for 30% of total costs, the effort going into conservation is huge.
Every hotel is different in nature and the solutions for making it green have to be customised keeping in mind its limitations. First and foremost is to bring operations into compliance with all environmental regulations, then adopt pollution prevention and resource conservation practices. Lution. A hotel creates an opportunity to reduce pollution.
Many hotels in the recent past have started embracing eco-friendly practices by trying to build green hotels at the project stage as well as at the operations stage. Such green projects are also doing well in terms of their product acceptance, technology and the brand appeal. Starting from using green building materials such as solar panels to garbage disposable plants to using all recycled material, some hotels have been doing their bit to environment although there are some hotels which have been violating environmental norms with great impunity.
The green revolution in the hospitality sector works on two levels – operational and consequential. Hotel operations have to be streamlined through better heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, re-using water from air-conditioners, recycling bio-degradable wastes and use of energy-efficient lighting. Waste hauling is a huge expense for a hotel which can be lowered drastically through recycling and avoiding wastefully- packaged products. Guests can participate by using the recycling containers in their rooms and throughout the property, utilizing the towel and linen reuse program, and controlling the use of lighting and air conditioning in their rooms.
Further, the message of cleaner and greener environment is best spread through the staff and employees who come in direct contact with guests. Along with guests is the supply chain. The challenge is to see how luxury and responsibility could be in harmony together.
Additionally, hotels must designate smoking areas and create non-smoking zones to avoid health hazards owing to environmental tobacco smoke. Patrons who visit the hotels more often than not opt for non-smoking zones.
Hotels can reduce pollution by….
- Practicing the 3Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle
- Using water-based or other less toxic, paints and coatings to maintain floors and walls.
- Using “good housekeeping” measures
- Using sensors in public toilets to conserve energy
- Using energy conservation devices in hotel rooms and auto switch mode.
- Using recycling methodology to conserve energy / water on linen wash.
- Using energy saving note in the rooms to encourage guests to practice so.
- Having more non-smoking zones.
- Checking for leaks in piping, to avoid loss of ozone depleting substances
- Conserving electricity
- Maintaining greenery in and around the hotel.
- Using natural pesticides as they have fewer chemicals
- Installing energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs, heating and air conditioning, washers and dryers, and other electrical equipment.
- Installing water conserving showerheads and toilets in guestrooms
- Evaluating cleaners, sanitizers, paints, pesticides and other chemicals used throughout your facility.
- Buy recycled-content products for the office, construction and remodeling projects.
