...In The News!
WORLD EARTH DAY MARKS HOTEL’S PLEDGE
TO SUSTAINABILITY
Holiday Inn San Juan takes a structured approach to green its operations
ISLA VERDE, Puerto Rico (April 22, 2008) – The Holiday Inn San Juan celebrates Earth Day for the first time by taking stock of its practices as the starting point towards a more sustainable operation. “This is no small move,” said General Manager Ricky Newman. “It was clear that green-washing the hotel for image purposes was not acceptable; on the other hand, presuming to become ‘green’ overnight is not realistic,” he added. The hotel’s answer is a pledge that calls for a sustained effort over time to improve its performance step by step.
A recent assessment of hotel operations revealed there is already a solid foundation on which to build a comprehensive sustainability program. Through preventive maintenance and the replacement of light bulbs, showerheads and sink faucets with more efficient technologies, the hotel’s engineering department realized a reduction of 30% in its water and energy consumption over the course of one year (January 2007 to January 2008). Now under evaluation is the installation of light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures, which have an exceptionally longer life span (seven years powered 24/7) and lower energy usage (90% more efficient) than traditional lighting. On the other hand, earlier this month the hotel installed two water tanks to capture rainwater, which filtered then supplies the water for the Spray Park - while a second phase calls for a similar system to water the property’s gardens. Both are expected to achieve additional reductions.
In the area of waste management, the hotel kitchen houses a 250-gallon holding tank for used vegetable oil, which is recovered by a local company and repurposed as bio-diesel. This means thousands of gallons of used fats are prevented from contaminating landfills or polluting Puerto Rico’s waterways. In addition, two straightforward adjustments in the kitchen and the housekeeping department also make a difference in the volume of garbage destined for landfills – plastic dishes and cutlery used in the pool area were replaced by china and stainless steel, while paper towels were substituted with micro-fiber cloths.
The hotel, which participates in Holiday Inn’s “Save the Planet” program to encourage guests to reuse bed linens and towels, took part recently in “Earth Hour” to foster guest awareness. On March 29th the hotel joined millions of people, as well as governments, companies and communities around the world turning off the lights for a period of one hour to show concern over climate change.
“Running a sustainable operation makes sound business sense with the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing the right thing. We look up to those properties in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean that are well ahead in their efforts – and take pride in having taken the first steps,” concluded Newman.
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