Holly Fowler, Consultant and Former Senior Director, Sustainability & CSR,        

Sodexo North America. 

Ms.Fowler was the Senior Director of Sustainability & CSR for Sodexo North America, where she led the company's initiatives to define and deliver sustainable food service and facilities management to 6,500 sites. She developed and deployed strategies for employee engagement, energy reduction, water conservation, waste minimization, sustainable sourcing and stakeholder facilitation. She has trained thousands of managers and consulted to clients in many sectors on sustainability strategy.  

Ms. Fowler will discuss two topics: what hoteliers should know about sustainable food services, and how to get cooperation and enthusiasm from staff and management on sustainability projects.    

Mr. Harris will show us why many hotels renovate pillows rather than purchase new ones. Pillow renovation saves properties as much as $12/pillow, reduces hauling costs and keeps pillows from the waste stream. Mr. Harris will restore a pillow while we watch.     

Jeff Patterson, Dealer Development Representative at Solutia Inc, a subsidiary of     

Eastman Chemical Company, and

Tom Wallace, Owner, Showroom Glass Coating.

Mr. Patterson and Mr. Wallace will introduce us to newly patented window film that improves window insulation and reduces solar heat gain. They will also discuss safety and security film, decorative film and anti-graffiti film.                                                     

See the article about window film below.   

TripAdvisor Update: 2,100 Properties Certified; Boston Leads Nation  

Credit: hotelmarlowe.com

The number of  TripAdvisor GreenLeader hotels is still surging (Hotels, B&Bs, Travelers Quickly Discovering TripAdvisor's GreenLeaders Program, Glenn Hasek, Green Lodging New, August 29.). The program started in April and is already the most popular green hotel certification in the U.S.

Twenty percent of Boston hotels are GreenLeaders--the highest proportion of any city.   

The GreenLeaders program stands out because 200 million visitors per month access the TripAdvisor website. The GreenLeaders designation is indicated on the line beneath the title of each certified property. By clicking on the designation, readers can see a list of the property's green practices. 

TripAdvisor provides a GreenLeader press kit to each certified hotel.

Some hotel green teams are organized around the goal of achieving or improving their GreenLeader status. Does this make sense for your hotel? If you want my help with boosting your GreenLeader score, please contact me.  

New Development in Window Film Makes it More Appealing 

Window film has been traditionally used to reflect solar radiation and reduce air conditioning bills. Now, some window films also provide significant insulation, thereby reducing winter heating bills. They can transform single pane glass to the insulation value of double pane, and double pane to triple pane. 

EnerLogic is a window film sold by Showroom Glass Coating, a company that recently joined BGT. It has the best insulating value on the market, by far. EnerLogic film was installed in Hyatt Regency Houston, Marriott Winston Salem and other hotels.

Besides reducing energy bills, window film keeps furnishings, wall hangings and flooring from fading; decreases glare; provides UV protection for guests; and many people like its aesthetics.

We will see a presentation on window film at our September 12 meeting.  

Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference + Expo      

The agenda is now set for this Oct. 1 - 3 conference in Dallas. The keynote speaker will be Robert Kennedy, Jr. There will be dozens of other outstanding presenters and panelists. 

Earn Building Operators Certification in Energy Efficiency

The Building Operators Certification course is intended for facility managers with two years or more of experience. It's an eight-day, $1,595 course that teaches how to make buildings, "more comfortable, energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly." Several BGT members have taken it, and found it useful.

The agenda is here.  

You can learn more on the BOC Northeast website or at a webinar that describes the course on Sept. 18 from 11:30 to 12:30. 

Webinar: Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI)

Has your hotel had requests to use the HCMI to calculate and communicate the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings? If so, and you want to learn more about this tool, then I recommend this EcoGreenHotel webinar, scheduled for September 10, 2:00 - 3:00. It will:

• "Provide carbon footprint information your customers are increasingly requesting
• Understand your environmental impacts and start to reduce these, as well as your costs!
• Enhance your reporting."

You can register here.

If you would rather see a recording of the August 7 webinar on the same topic, go here. 

12 Commandments of Recycling              

Robert Gogan Jr., August 8.

Harvard University's award-winning Recycling & Waste Manager provides his advice for a good recycling program in this one-page article.

How the Latest Print Technology Enables a More Sustainable Office

Steve Pond, Environmental Leader, July 10.

The author describes strategies for reducing paper use and saving energy in the office. 

September 12: Seaport Boston

October 24

December 5: Renaissance Boston Waterfront