Jose Duarte, Chef/Owner, Taranta Restaurant is one  of the City's leading chefs and one of the foremost green restaurant experts. He will discuss his North End restaurant's green achievements, and provide advice for other restaurants.

Mr. Duarte has been cited as the 2011 Massachusetts Chef of the Year and Top 100 "Most Influential" Latinos in MA. His restaurant is certified by the Green Restaurant Association, it has earned the 2008 City of Boston Green Business Award and it received a MassRecycle Award in 2010.

Taranta's Going Green web page, including its extensive archives, is a fabulous resource for restaurateurs. I encourage you and your chefs to visit it--and to attend Mr. Duarte's presentation.

Bruce Buckbee, Vice President of Operations, World Energy Solutions, will           

discuss why it makes sense to manage your property's energy efficiency,  

procurement and monitoring activities together. Doing so may allow your hotel  

to take advantage of on-bill financing--enabling it to pay for projects on its  

electricity bill a portion at a time, and perhaps totally with the savings that you  

get from the project.       

Sarandis Karathanasis is co-founder and Director of Business Development for        

American Energy Independence Company (AMENICO). He will discuss how hotel restaurants can help achieve their corporate sustainability mandates by using AMENICO's cooking oil collection service. AMENICO serves over 1,000 restaurants from Boston metro to all points in New England.        

GMO's to Get More Attention from Customers                                        

The California ballot initiative to require labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO's) is calling attention to the potential risks associated with eating them. Labeling requirements are already in place in more than 40 countries, including the European Union, China, Japan and Australia. If the California ballot initiative passes, and it is far ahead in the polls, then other states are likely to follow.

While I think that most restaurant patrons are not highly motivated about GMO's, a small and growing number are deeply concerned, and perceive that GMO's carry health risks. I recommend that your restaurants keep up to date on this issue.

GMO Risks and How to Avoid Them (Rani Bhattacharyya, Hotel Business Review), discusses the health risks associated with genetically modified food, and how restaurants can reduce them.

Will You Save by Replacing Your Rooftop Air Conditioning Unit?

The U.S. Dept. of Energy's Rooftop Unit Comparison Calculator, "compares high-efficiency rooftop air conditioners to standard equipment in terms of life cycle cost. This web application provides an alternative to complicated building simulation models, [accounting] for local climate and partial-load, as well as full-load efficiencies."

AH&LA Expands its Green Guidelines

The American Hotel & Lodging Association's Green Task Force built upon its 11 Minimum Green Guidelines by adding 58 Additional Guidelines. The new recommendations are in the areas of energy, water, solid waste and education/resources. I think they are sound, and I recommend that you review them.

I hope that the Green Task Force continues its work, and expands its guidelines further. 

The Sustainable Bathroom                                                             

Green Hotelier, July 27, 2011. 

This well-researched paper advises hoteliers about construction materials, amenities, energy efficiency, water efficiency, staff training, influencing guests, new developments in bathrooms, links to other resources and more.  

Tax Deductions: Application of §179D for Hotel Properties

Margaret Moore, Hotel Business Review.   

This article describes how to secure tax breaks for hotel energy efficiency projects.  

Survey Adds Support to Allergy Friendly Room Concept

Green Lodging News, September 10.

This survey found strong support for allergy-friendly rooms, and a willingness to pay extra for them. An AH&LA study found that 34% of hotels offer allergy-friendly rooms, ranging from, "special pillows or linens to a complete patented process," by companies such as PURE Global.  

September 20: Boston Marriott Copley Place  

November 1: Hostelling International Boston