January 9, 2015
Dear Boston Green Tourism Members,  
                                                  
Our next meeting will be Thursday January 15, from 2:30 to 4:00 at the  Millennium Bostonian Hotel in the Josiah Quincy Suite on the 3rd floor.

 

   

I thank our hosts: Robert Rivers, Albert Tsaturyan and Joy Riordan!

 

I hope to see you there.

 

Dan Ruben

SPEAKERS
Albert TsaturyanDirector of Engineering, Millennium Bostonian Hotel  
Mr. Tsaturyan will discuss the Millennium's green projects in 2014 and its plans for the coming year.

 

Jenny Rushmore, Director of Marketing, TripAdvisor

Ms. Rushmore will present her new research into consumer responses to green initiatives in hotels, using data from the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program. We will learn which green practices influence consumers' choices and which don't. Her findings will help hotel green teams prioritize their projects. 


 

Edmundo Duarte, President, EU Power Management Systems

Mr. Duarte will present power optimization technology that cuts electricity bills by reducing total kWh's and peak loads for hotels and other businesses. It also produces performance-tracking reports that identify waste and inefficiency. During his presentation, Mr. Duarte will provide a live demonstration of the technology at work in a U.S. hotel. 

 

Brian Madden, Vice President of Sales, Fuel 21st Inc.    
Mr. Madden will discuss chaffing fuel that produces more heat than traditional fuels, burns cleaner, eliminates odor and smoke, is refillable, recyclable and saves space. 


 

NEWS
The Lenox Hotel's organic waste toters

Saunders Hotel Group Joins EPA's Food Recovery Challenge

The Lenox Hotel, the Comfort Inn & Suites Boston/Airport and the Hampton Inn Norwood have joined the EPA's Food Recovery Challenge

 

Samantha Sorrin, SHG's Sustainability Program Coordinator, said that the program reports help SHG managers visualize their properties' food waste output, identify food items that are over-purchased, develop ideas for improvement and establish reduction goals.

 

Sorrin says that SHG's primary goal for the program is to reduce over-purchasing without compromising the restaurants' luxury dining experience.  Already, SHG has identified ways to reduce their food purchasing and waste hauling bills. For example, they take unused banquet food to their employee cafeterias rather than throwing it out.

 

SHG is also considering other methods for reducing waste, including the Leanpath system for food waste auditing and reduction. 

 

Each hotel has its food waste hauled to compost facilities. SHG bolstered its food waste collection systems with sturdy bins, good signage and training, and it now works smoothly at each property.

 

Renewable Waste Solutions hauls The Lenox's 6.5 tons of waste per month to a local farm where it's composted. The company provides The Lenox with green toters, pictured above, that are easy to transport and tightly sealed to eliminate odor. The toters can also be padlocked to prevent people from accessing them.


 
The Comfort Inn and the Hampton Inn lobby restaurants feature compostable plates, cups and cutlery, which are composted with their food waste.


 
Each hotel recycles its cooking oilThe Comfort Inn's waste oil is picked up by Lifecycle Renewables, which uses it to make heat and electricity at combined heat and power (CHP) stations. 

 

IDEAS

How To Replace Your PTAC Units with No Capital Expense   

Hotels can now acquire PTAC units using Power Purchasing Agreements (PPA's), also known as On-Site Utility Solutions. PPA's are an effective strategy for hotels that want to reduce energy costs and conserve capital.

 

American DG Energy, a BGT member and presenter, provides PPA solutions for commercial CHP, boilers, chillers and heat pumps. Now they offer this financial model for PTAC units, too.

 

PTAC's are self-contained heating and air conditioning units in many hotels and residential buildings. (See a recent BGT presentation on PTAC units here.) As they age, they become inefficient and noisy, leading to guest complaints. Most hotels replace units as they break.

 

The key difference of the PPA approach is that a property's PTAC's are replaced all at once, with no capital costs. Hotels pay only for the energy produced by the system. All capital, installation, maintenance and operating expenses are paid and managed by the provider.

 

Hotels get a monthly utility bill from the provider, often receiving a discount on the price of energy. PPA's typically offer energy savings of 5 to 10 percent off of the hotels' utility rates, equating to $5 to $15 /room/month. More important, the hotels get to upgrade to a new system without using capital.

 

If you are thinking about replacing your PTACs, you now have a new option to consider.

 

 

Mattress Recycling Vendors

Recently, a hotelier asked me for mattress recyclers that serve Boston hotels.* Here's the list that I provided.

 

*I welcome your questions about how to green lodging properties.

 

ARTICLES

The Green Versus Lean Debate  

Kenneth Freeman, Green Lodging News, October 27
  

A study published by the American Psychological Association shows that, "plants offer more than aesthetic decoration and are, in fact, an important driver of well-being, productivity and concentration."

 

Best Management Practices #10: Cooling Tower Management

This Department of Energy web-page discusses cooling tower operation, maintenance, retrofits and replacements.

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS   

The following BGT meetings will be 2:30 to 4:00. 

 

January 15: Millennium Bostonian Hotel

March 5

April 9

May 21

July 16

September 17

October 22

December 10

 

See you January 15 at the Millennium Bostonian!