FINAL CHECKLIST (1)

Hotels, no matter the size have one main thing in common, and this is the similarities in departments. No matter how limited the scope or size of a hotel, every hotel; small, medium or large have the following function(s): House Keeping Food and Beverage Engineering and or Maintenance Administrative office(s) Front Office Safety and security With these departments, management has the dreadful task of trying to reduce both cost outputs as well as its impact on the environment. For every hotelier the main areas includes: Waste reduction, energy conservation, and water conservation. All of these elements if managed properly can result in thousands of dollars in savings (from both reduced overheads

and also increased acknowledgement by visitors for simply “just doing their part for the environment”) for any size establishment especially small hotels where every rising costs and limited occupancy is a major challenge. Before any major step to “Going Green” construct a Green-team or a designated person whose main job function is to maintain the company’s going green initiative. A Green- team or person will help to ensure that the initiative(s) of the organization are maintained, working and or rectified whenever possible (preferably preventative maintenance). It may not be possible to implement all these steps or changes all at once, this is not a problem. Like, before a marriage one has courtship, relationship, proposal and then marriage, everything happens in stages (not ten year intervals but maybe a 5 months period would be fine).

The staff of an establishment is key players in helping to ensure that all ones planning works. TRAIN YOUR STAFF. Train does not have to mean hours locked-away in meetings, it can simply mean 15 minutes of information and questions at the beginning of major shifts and bulletins further emphasizing what will happen and what is expected to be the outcome. START SMALL

THE ECOTEL CHECKLIST  WASTE MANGEMENT  WATER CONSERVATION  ENERGY CONSERVATION Indicate with a tick for YES OR Indicate with an cross for NO

WASTE MANAGEMENT Fact: At least 75% of a Hotel’s waste can be recycled or composted Administrative Office Best Practices Buy reusable ink and toner cartridges which can be sent back to the supplier Purchase paper with at least 50% recycled fibers, or non-whitened or chlorine-free bleached paper Utilize equipment with low energy consumption, having recycled or recyclable components and long life spans Use the “energy saving” functions that switch an appliance into sleeper mode if it is not used for a certain length of time and the “cancel” function to suspend a print job in case of a mistake

Use rechargeable batteries. Purchase in bulk (for all departments, not only one.) v v *Adopted from Sustainable Business Associates “Best Environmental Practices for the Hotel Industry.” Permission was received on the 02/24/2015 from Karim Zein, President. Food and Beverage Best Practices FACT: Hotels often pay a 100% surcharge or more for single-portion items that could be readily purchased in bulk and served to guests in reusable containers or dispensers. Use soda fountains or carbonators as opposed to glass or plastic bottles for refreshments. Purchase food items in bulk rather than single portion-packages.

Do you reduce the purchase of products with excessive packaging and avoid Styrofoam packaging altogether. Return boxes, crates, bottles and containers to suppliers and use refill containers for some bulk liquid? Use reusable metal or nylon coffee filters Use filters in deep fryers to extend the life of cooking oil. Distribute condiments, paper napkins, and straws upon request instead of offering them self- serve for take-outs. Put frozen foods in bulk and store un-served portions in airtight reusable food containers. Draft beer in returnable/refillable kegs to reduce the quantity of bottles and cans requiring disposal.

Solid Waste Management Do you have a functioning water management system? Do you re-use Grey water for plant irrigation? Does the property have an effective recycling program for items that can be recycled locally? Is waste collected and kept in tight-fitting containers and in an enclosed area? Are left over foods donated to local pig farmers? Does the property minimize its use of individually bottled guestroom amenities and plastic bags? Does the property compost garden and kitchen waste? Does the property minimize its use of disposable items (e.g. plastic bags, plastic tableware, disposable cups, cook caps and aprons, paper napkins) and single serving food packages (e.g. butter, sugar, cream, jams, condiments, milk, juices and cereals)?

Does the property have an effective program to collect and/or recycle used cooking oil? Does the property ask chemical suppliers to take back empty chemical containers? WATER CONSERVATION Many small hotels see it happening every day, those pipes that drip occasionally and stop so it is tossed off as “it will stop soon”. However, according to a publication by the organization ‘Sustainable Business Associate’ entitled ‘Best Environmental Practices for the Hotel Industry’, these one-off water leakages (drip) add up. Water is very precious and every drop counts. Water conservation in all departments is a team effort. Not a one man job and the sooner you know this the quicker you will try to let your staff know and understand it as well. • Leaking tap | 0.1 litre / h | 1 m3 / year • Dripping tap – occasional drips | 0.5 litre / h | 5 m3 / year • Dripping tap – faster drips |1.5 litres / h | 15 m3 / year • Minor leak in toilet flush valve | 3 litres / h |30 m3 / year • Trickling tap | 10 litres / h | 90 m3 / year • Serious leak in toilet flush valve | 30 Do you have water-saving devices implemented? (flow regulators or a simple aereator on litres / h | 250 m3 / year pipe heads, water flow sensors, self-closing taps, low-flush toilets, etc.)

Do not clean with high pressure hoses. Turn off taps when not in use. Install flow regulators on the showerheads in order to decrease consumption. Installing low-flow fixtures and flow restrictors. Install timed (self-closing) faucets so that they do not keep running for a long time if left open inadvertently Post stickers and posters, inviting guests to save water Utilize drought tolerant plants e.g. Jamaican Caper, Pineapples, Gungo Peas, Blue Mahoe. Install toilet tank water displacement devices, such as toilet dams, bags, or weighted bottles. Set urinals with programmable automatic flush valves to a water saving mode that flushes the urinal after more than one use

Discontinue water circulation pumping in areas not in use ENERGY CONSERVATION FACT: On an average 80% of the energy used in a hotel is procured from fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. THESE FUELS ARE DEPLETING AT AN ALARMING STATE. HVAC Efficiency Install motion and infrared detectors to allow heating and cooling units to turn off or float their temperatures while guests are out of the room. Do you utilize natural lighting? This can be one of the main reasons for the reduction in your water usage rate.

Install sensors on doors to know when a guest enters or leaves their room. Have frequent checks on the electrical control sequence and electrical control terminals to monitor efficiency Check seals around windows and doors to prevent air loss from the inside to the outside of the building. Have you installed a central air-conditioning system rather than individual room units in order to control set-points and monitor performance? If rooms have individual thermostats, limit the temperature range to avoid extreme temperatures (60 F minimum in summer). Install efficiency controls: electronic thermostats adjust the temperature based on programmed occupancy periods, and computerized energy management systems control energy use based on occupancy, weather or time of day. Add variable speed drives to control air handling motors and pumps.

Conduct regular equipment maintenance to prevent energy losses (Daily, weekly, monthly or yearly). Lighting Efficiency Replace incandescent lamps and fixtures in guestrooms with LED bulbs (Light Emitting Diodes). Install lighting controls to avoid lighting spaces that are not in use (i.e. key-activated lighting in guestrooms, occupancy sensors in restrooms and storage rooms, dimming systems that adjust according to day lighting or event requirements). Use high intensity discharge lamps (i.e. low-pressure sodium) for outdoor lighting,, install photo sensors to automatically activate lamps when daylight diminishes, and place motion sensors in lesser-used areas

Conduct routine maintenance: clean and replace lamps on a fixed schedule to avoid dirt and dust build-up and to insure full-light output. For new construction, strategically place windows in guestrooms to take advantage of natural lighting. Turn off lights in unused guest areas at non-peak hours (when guests are asleep) -2 am- 5:30 am Install EXIT signs that use LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) Install nightlights that use light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

References http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/downloads/chtaef_wastemanagement.pdf http://www.sba-int.ch/spec/sba/download/BGH/SBABGEHOTELLERIEENG2008.pdf