Reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink

by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Tuesday, 11 March 2008

Green Hotelier examines some of the green initiatives adopted by the region's hotels, but which of these policies could be adapted to your property to increase its eco-credentials?

Most hotels in the Middle East have some kind of environmental policy, whether it be a popular idea such as encouraging guests to re-use towels - a concept often derided as a 'token gesture'- or comprehensive changes like installing solar panels or even considering environmental impact during the process of designing the hotel. But more could still be done.

"The UAE is one of the highest consumers of power in the world, but it should be a role model for the entire world, showing others how they can control energy consumption and introduce measures to protect the environment," argues Marriott's Renaissance Dubai Hotel's director of engineering Kiran Acharya.

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The Renaissance Dubai Hotel

The Renaissance Dubai Hotel follows Marriott's Environmentally Conscious Hospitality Operations (ECHO) initiative, concentrating on five key areas: water and energy consumption, respecting and preserving wildlife, clean air initiatives, waste management and clean-up campaigns.

But the brightest feather in its cap is definitely its measures for reducing water and energy consumption.

The hotel has installed water flow restriction devices, as well as flow limiters in guest bathrooms and automatic shut-off valves in public toilets, and treating and monitoring water has led to a 20% reduction in water usage.

Cooling tower fans and fills have been replaced with FRP fans in the AC units, which has also reduced energy consumption by 20%.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts is a pioneer of green practices, and has produced the award winning Green Partnership Guide so that other hotels can learn from their initiatives.

The Fairmont Dubai operates the group's Green Partnership Programme and is partnered with the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), which is committed to raising environmental awareness.

The hotel has reduced water consumption at its property by 40% by installing flow restrictors on all its faucets, as well as using low wattage and low voltage light fittings, dimmer systems and timer controls to reduce energy consumption.

InterContinental Dubai Festival City

The InterContinental Hotel Group's three new properties at Dubai Festival City - the InterContinental DFC, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental Residence Suites - adopted an "aggressive" recycling programme from the pre-opening phase by recycling packaging material from deliveries, and staff will continue to recycle waste from back-of-house and guestrooms, including newspapers, bottles and cans.

The hotel prides itself on its staff education programme, which ensures that every staff member participates in environmental information sessions and workshops to improve their awareness of environmental issues.

Radisson SAS Resort, Sharjah

The Radisson Resort Sharjah has introduced some unique green initiatives, including its 2200m² Kitchen Orchard, which produces bananas, mangos, papayas, oranges, lemons, curry leaf and sugar cane year-round to be used in the hotel kitchens.

The orchard also grows tomatoes - more than 900kg in 2006 - and uses waste, such as seeds and roots, from the kitchen to grow trees and plants.

The hotel also operates a bird sanctuary, caring for injured birds by providing them with individual cages or housing them in the Bird Condo where they are rehabilitated by the local Wildlife Manager and his team before being released into the wild.

The hotel has also taken in several feral cats, providing them with a home and the property with a homely feel.

Millennium Towers Hotel Dubai

Millennium Towers Hotel Dubai's executive housekeeper Tanya Vitanova has a masters degree in ecology and believes that green measures back-of-house are just as, if not more, important than front-of-house initiatives.

Back-of-house measures include evaluating the chemicals used by the housekeeping department to eliminate the use of toxic substances, fixing wallpaper with water-based glue and most importantly, according to Vitanova, conserving water by checking for leakages and outdated equipment.

"At the moment the consumption of water in the UAE is the highest in the world due to the local climate and the growing tourism industry," she says.

"Educating and developing talents is one of my key priorities in the housekeeping department."

Top tips

Reduce

Water consumption: measure your water consumption and utilise technology, such as flow restriction devices.

Energy consumption: use energy efficient light bulbs and timer controls to turn off lights in unoccupied periods.

Reuse

Encourage guests to reuse towels and reuse paper in your office.

Recycle

Glass, paper, plastic, light bulbs, wire coathangers, batteries and linen can all be recycled or even sold.

Rethink

Education: start a green education programme for staff to broaden awareness and understanding of environmental issues.

Animals and plants: being green can also mean providing protection for wildlife and plant life, build an aviary, grow your own fruit and vegetables or take in a stray cat.

Visit: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it to purchase Fairmont's Green Partnership Guide.

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