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Dear Boston Green Tourism Members,
Our next meeting will be Thursday from 2:30 to 4:00 at Sheraton Commander, in the Terrace Room, floor 1.
I hope to see you at there!
Dan Ruben
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| MEETING AGENDA | |
Boston Green Tourism Meeting
July 24, 2014
Location: Sheraton Commander Hotel
Host: Al Vaughn
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2:30 to 2:40
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Introductions
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2:40 to 2:45
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Update
Dan Ruben
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2:45 to 2:55
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Sheraton Commander's Recent Green Achievements and Plans
Al Vaughn, Director of Engineering, Sheraton Commander Hotel
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2:55 to 3:30
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How Big Data Analytics Helps Hotels Improve Maintenance and Comfort, and Save Energy
Alex Grace, Director of Business Development, KGS Buildings
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3:30 to 3:45
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Purchasing Renewable Energy to Benefit Your Hotel
Stephen Beam, Director of Business Development, Renewable Choice Energy
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3:45 to 4:00
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Opportunities from Reusing and Recycling Hotel Furniture
Michelle Blakemore Faroni, Education and Outreach Manager, The Furniture Trust
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IDEAS
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Professional Support for Hotel Beehives
Bees are thriving at Boston hotels! And hotels are reaping the benefits: natural organic honey, beeswax and richer gardens.
Boston hotels use the premium-quality honey in their restaurants, bars and spas. I have sampled some and can attest that its distinctive and delicious.
Many Boston hotel hives are managed by The Best Bees Company, including InterContinental Boston, Four Seasons Boston, Taj Boston, Fairmont Copley Plaza, The Liberty and Fairmont Battery Wharf.
Best Bees offers their all-inclusive beekeeping service here and around New England. They install and manages the hives. Some hotels harvest the honey themselves and others have Best Bees do it.
The company charges hotels under $1,000 per year. This fee supports research to improve honey bee health, which is conducted at the Urban Beekeeping Lab & Bee Sanctuary in the South End.
Hotels need only a 2 x 3 foot plot for each hive. Most hotels put them on their roof.
As you can see in the picture, the most attractive bee homes in Boston might 
belong to InterContinental Boston. They had beautiful boxes created for their hives.
IC Boston features "Bee T.V.," a live camera feed of the hives that is shown in their Miel Restaurant.
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| OPPORTUNITIES |  Second Annual Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference
This conference, organized by Lodging Magazine, will take place October 28 to 30 at the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas. Last year, I learned a lot from the speakers, exhibitors and participants, so I'm excited to return. "The Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference...offers hotel owners and executives valuable information for creating and operating eco-friendly and energy efficient lodging properties. Attendees will hear from thought leaders and experts in sustainability who will share insights about attaining green certification, implementing energy management best practices, and the benefits that come with investing in sustainable properties. Panels and breakout sessions will also cover the latest advances in green design, corporate responsibility programs, and how to market eco-friendly hotels. In addition, the event will feature a dynamic exhibit area." Go here for more information and to register. Boston Green Tourism Presentations are Available We have had over 260 presentations at BGT meetings since 2005. The associated PowerPoints are a good resource for hoteliers who want to research green products or strategies. The list of presentations are organized by topic and date. The topics are: energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management, indoor air quality / toxic use reduction, water use reduction, environmentally-friendly products, green transportation, marketing, food and other / multiple categories. If you want to see any of the PowerPoints, please contact me. |
| ARTICLES |
The Changing Field in Bathroom Amenities
Wen-D Kersten, Hotel News Resource, April 18
The latest generation of refillable amenity dispensers use sanitary sealed systems that address the problem of potential contamination. They also reduce maintenance time and don't leak. All dispensing systems sharply reduce costs and the solid waste associated with individual amenity bottles.
Refillable Dispensers Versus Cartridge Dispensers
Chris Getkorp, Green Lodging News, June 3
This author also touts hermetically closed replaceable cartridges over refillable dispensers.
U.S. EPA, January 2014
This document helps businesses organize Energy Treasure Hunts, and provides examples from business case studies. Treasure Hunts can be used to discover waste reduction opportunities, too.
Bill Brooks, Green Lodging News, July 7
Advances in laundry technology and operations enable hotels to cut energy and water bills, monitor their equipment more effectively, extend the life of their linens, keep linens soft longer and reduce laundry processing time. The author discusses advanced controls, wireless networking, spray rinse technology and over-dry prevention technology.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS
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The following BGT meetings will be 2:30 to 4:00.
July 24: Sheraton Commander
September 18: TBD
October 23: TBD
December 4: Langham Boston
See you Thursday at the Sheraton Commander! |
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