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Boston Green Tourism
...advancing the green hotel movement
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Dear Boston Green Tourism Members,
The presentations from the December 7 meeting at Le Meridien Cambridge - MIT
are linked and
summarized below. See the other sections, too.
Please note that I'm changing the format for Boston Green Tourism in 2018. I'm developing How to Green a Hotel certification course for professionals and a class for hospitality students.
To make time to write and teach this course, I'm going to reduce the number of BGT workshops from eight to five. Membership dues will be reduced accordingly.
Our next workshop will be February 1.
Happy 2018!
Dan
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Boston Green Tourism Meeting
December 7, 2017
Location
: Le Meridien Cambridge - MIT
Hosts
: Shahram Khan and Melvin Santos
Present
:
Shahram Khan, Melvin Santos, Manoj Kumar, Albert Tsaturyan, Al Vaughn, Samantha Sorrin, Ashley Dilieto,
Cameron Ritzenthaler, Andy Coffin, John Courtney, Karen Weber, Beverly Spence, Ellie Hoyt, Samira Ahmadi, Sarah Hill, Christina McPike, Alison Brizius, Jim Newman, Dana Siles,
Dan Ruben.
PRESENTATIONS
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Christina McPike, Project Manager, Energy & Sustainability, WinnCompanies
The U.S. Green Building Council MA chapter produced 2-page guides for the 17 hotels that housed Greenbuild conference participants, called, "A Guide for Boston Hotels Planning for Climate Resilience." The guides outline the risk posed by extreme weather events to each hotel based on their location, a set of prevention solutions and a list of resources.
The link to the guides is here. I recommend that hoteliers look at the guides for their hotel, if listed, or a hotel in their neighborhood.
Alison Brizius, Director of Climate and Environmental Planning, City of Boston Environment Department
Boston is the 4th most vulnerable city to financial loss from sea level rise in the U.S., and 8th most vulnerable in the world. We face sea level rise of 4 to 8 inches by 2030, more hot days (20 - 40 days over 90 degrees after 2030) and more intense precipitation that will result in stormwater flooding.
Climate Ready Boston is developing strategies to protect the City from these occurrences. Resiliency plans have been developed for East Boston and Charlestown. The planning process has begun for South Boston and other neighborhoods.
Visit the Climate Ready Boston Map Explorer
to see your hotel's,"projected risk of flooding (due to sea level rise and increased precipitation) and extreme heat (due to rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect)."
Also, you can learn more about Climate Ready Boston, Carbon Free Boston and Zero Waste Boston at the City's Greenovate website.
Jim Newman, Principal, Linnean Solutions
In light of the trend towards increasingly severe weather events, like the storms that devastated Puerto Rico and parts of Houston, and rising sea levels, it makes sense for hotels to review their plans for weather emergencies.
In Houston, 30,000 people were housed temporarily in hotels.
If Boston had a similar disaster that closed Logan Airport, roads and rail transportation; shut down electricity for an extended period; cut off hotels from their suppliers; required hotels to house their staff; and cut off other staff from the hotel--how would hotels respond?
Mr. Newman depicted the emergency plans for Waffle House, a 24/7 restaurant chain with an extraordinary plan to react to weather disasters. It enables their restaurants to stay open, serve their communities, communicate with their employees, coordinate with local officials and support emergency crews. Waffle House believes that their effective response to disasters has earned them community loyalty.
[Previous BGT presentations about how hotels can prepare for weather-related emergencies are here and here.]
Dana Siles, Greater Boston Area Coordinator, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
(RLC) makes it easy for businesses to donate their nutritious unused food to local soup kitchens and shelters.
Businesses enter a description of their leftover food onto the RLC website and store it at the proper temperature. Shortly after that, RLC volunteers pick up the food and take it to non-profits that serve the needy.
There's no liability risk for food donors, thanks to the 1996 Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. There hasn't been a lawsuit against food donors since this law was passed.
Donors qualify for tax breaks, based on the enhanced deduction provisions in IRC 170(e)(3). RLC provides donors with the necessary paperwork.
Local hotels that donate their surplus prepared food include Westin Boston Waterfront, Taj Boston, Lenox Hotel, Fairmont Copley Plaza, Sheraton Commander Hotel and The Verve Hotel Natick.
Besides seeking food donors, RLC recruits volunteers to pick up and transport donated food.
New Generation of Building HVAC Analytics: ROI in Months, Not Years
Sean Gaines, Senior Account Executive - Channel Management, BuildPulse
Mr. Gaines was going to discuss the latest news in Fault Detection & Diagnostics (FDD) for HVAC, but he fell ill. I'll reschedule his talk for 2018.
FDD systems reduce energy use and improve guest comfort by promptly identifying HVAC equipment issues and prioritizing the corrective actions that need to be taken.
The cost of installing FDD has recently plummeted, because it's no longer necessary to program or customize it upon installation. Facilities can now achieve ROI's in months, not years.
If you want to inquire about the BuildPulse FDD system, contact Mr. Gaines (sean.gaines@buildpulse.com, 978-272-0279).
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EC Motors Make Sense for Hotel Pools
EC (electronically commutated) motors are much more energy efficient than single-speed motors (shaded pole and PSC motors). They're also quieter, they generate less heat and they reduce maintenance bills.
EC motors can replace many small and medium-size motors. One great ECM application is for hotel swimming pool pumps, because they reduce energy use by 40% - 80%. While these motors cost $400 to $600, they quickly pay for themselves in energy savings. The Century brand claims an 18 month payback. If your property qualifies for a Mass Save incentive, the payback will be even faster.
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U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings website
The Navigator helps businesses find financing options from lenders that fund energy efficiency projects. It:
- describes the different kinds of financing options, and discusses their pro's and con's.
- recommends financing options based on a company's circumstances.
- connects businesses with qualified Better Buildings Financial Allies.
- enables businesses to compare options from different lenders.
Glenn Hasek, Green Lodging News, October 12
The author discusses towels that have the following green attributes, according to their manufacturers:
- last longer than standard cotton towels.
- require less water to wash.
- require fewer detergents to wash.
- dry quickly--saving energy.
- are made from organic cotton.
- are made from cotton waste.
- are made with eco-friendly dyes and chemicals.
Emily Anderson, Green Lodging News, October 4
The author discusses reasons to use balers for recyclables like cardboard and plastic, and can crushers.
This equipment saves money by reducing collection frequency, requires fewer recycling bins, saves space--keep loading docks tidier, and eliminates the need to break down cardboard boxes.
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The following meeting will be 2:30 to 4:00.
| February 1 |
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March 8
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Lenox Hotel |
April 5
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