Resources on Energy Efficiency, Waste Management and More

Multiple Categories

The Green Hotel Revolution

Governments are Asking Commercial Buildings to become Fossil Fuel Free; How can Hotels Achieve that Standard?

HVAC, Domestic Hot Water

The Value of HVAC and Ductwork Cleaning and Inspection

Mandarin Oriental Boston's Chiller Plant Optimization Project Saves
> $60,000 / Year

Sealing Leaky Ducts Improves Ventilation, Air Quality, Energy Efficiency

Video Shows that Constant Airflow Regulators Work Well

Reduce Airflow through Elevator Vents to Cut Energy Bills

How To Replace Your PTAC Units with No Capital Expense

Combined Heat and Power (CHP): New Utility Policy and Power Purchase Agreements (PPA's) Make CHP Feasible for Boston Hotels

Comfort Inn in Revere Installs Combined Heat and Power System

Heat Recovery and Transfer (Besides CHP)

Is Your Property Reusing its Waste Heat?

Dishwasher Heat Exchanger Wins the NRA's Kitchen Innovations 2014 Award; Company Offers it ½ Price to First Boston Hotel Customer

Boston Hotels Recover and Reuse Heat from Steam Systems' Condensate

Smart Buildings

Hotel Thermostat Brouhaha

Automated System Optimization Tools: Slash Energy Use, No Capital Expense

Guest Room Occupancy Controls Study

Energy Storage, Reduce Demand Charges, Microgrids

New Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems with Lithium-Ion Batteries Last Longer and Reduce Waste

Tesla Introduces Batteries for Commercial Businesses, Industry, Homes: What Does it Mean for Hotels?

Coming Soon: Energy Storage Systems that Enable Hotels to Cut Their Bills

Two SF Hotels Cut Electricity Bills by Using Batteries during Peak Hours

Motors

EC Motors Make Sense for Hotel Pools

The Langham, Boston Saves $37,000/Year by Installing Variable Frequency Drives on Medium and Small Motors; Similar Opportunities Exist at Most Hotels

Program Offers Variable Frequency Drives for Free in Commercial Buildings; Hotels Benefit by installing them on Motors Large and Small

Variable Speed Drives: Has your Hotel Finished Installing Them?

Lighting

LEDs Improve Garage and Parking Lot Lighting

Ready for Prime Time: LED Lights Sparkle in Candelabra Lamps

Smart Stairwells: ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 Code Requires Stairwell Lighting Controls

LED Desk Lamps

Kitchen

Ice Machines: Energy Efficient, Water Efficient and Well Maintained

Walk-in Coolers and Freezers: How to Save Energy

What's New with Kitchen Ventilation Hood Controls?

Elevators and Escalators

Advances in Elevators Call for a Quicker Replacement Cycle

Laundry

How Many Towels does your Hotel Issue to its Guests?

Plug Load

Reducing Plug Load Electricity is an Often Overlooked Opportunity

Building Shell

Langham Boston Hotel Window Film Case Study Released

Sheraton Commander Addresses Noise and Saves Energy with New Windows

New Development in Window Film Makes it More Appealing

​Transformers

Is it Time to Replace your Hotel's Transformers?

Does it Make Sense to Replace Transformers Before they Fail?

Maintenance

HEI Hotels and Resorts: Fab Four Energy Buddy Program and Checklists

​Renewable Energy

Community Solar Offers New Opportunity for Hotels

Is it Time to Reconsider Solar Electricity?

Purchasing Solar Panels has become Cheaper and Easier

Element Hotels Now Powered by Renewable Energy

The Colonnade Hotel and Saunders Hotels Now Powered by Wind Energy

Financing / Business

Purchasing Renewable Energy: Advisers Could Help

New Option for Funding Energy and Water-Saving Projects

Other

Hotel Chains’ Energy and Water Use Reduction Goals

Boston Approves Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance for Commercial Buildings

Waste Management, General

Reuse Marketplace Website Helps Businesses Get Rid Of or Find Reusable & Surplus Items

Educate Staff to Cut Home Utility Bills and Recycle--and Gain their Cooperation with your Hotel's Green Program

Waste Reduction

Coffee to Go: The Worst and Best Cups to Use

​What will Replace the Plastic Straw?

Recycling, General

Managing your Waste in a Challenging Market: Reduce Contamination /Get Your Recycling and Trash Loads Accepted

Recycling Signs: Are Yours Attractive and Effective?

These Days, Even Waste Compactors are Smart

What is Your Hotel's Recycling Rate?

How do Single Stream Recyclables get Sorted at Material Recovery Facilities?

How to Find a Hauler for Almost Any Recyclable Commodity

Recycling Everyday Items

Plastic Pollution: How Can Hotels Reduce It?

Restaurants are Moving Away from Polystyrene Foam

InterContinental Boston Switches to Reusable Water Bottles

Is Your Cardboard Baler Used to Capacity?

Food Waste

Buying in Bulk

​Source Reduction of Food Waste Guidance

Sustainability Through Food Rescue

Westin Boston Waterfront Starts Food Donation Program; Donates 1500 Pounds in First Two Months

Food Waste Solutions: EPA Launches Website Resource Center

InterContinental Boston Cuts its Food Waste--and Reduces its Food Budget

The Lenox Hotel Now Donates Food Regularly to Boston Rescue Mission

Local Food Waste to be Converted to Renewable Energy

Boston College Dining Service Cuts Pre-Consumer Food Waste by 60%

Daily Table Provides Free Pickup of Surplus Food from Hotels

LeanPath Introduces New Food Waste Reduction Product for Restaurants

Marriott Quincy Uses a Smart Biodigester to Dispose of Food Waste

Processing Food Waste: What Do We Now Know about Biodigesters and Dehydrators?

Donating Surplus Food

Bio-Digesters: An Alternative for Reducing Food Waste

Complying with the New Massachusetts Food Waste Disposal Ban

Food Waste Diversion Case Study: The Eliot Hotel's Clio Restaurant and Uni Sashimi Bar

Prevent Food Waste and Cut Your Bills

MassDEP Changes Rules to Spur Increased Use of Organics for Recycling, Composting and Renewable Energy Production

Are you Getting the Best Price for Used Cooking Oil?

Furniture

InterContinental Boston Donates Lamps to EcoBuilding Bargains; How to Donate Furniture, Appliances, Electronics and Other Goods

Sheraton Boston Lights the Homes of Families Moving Out of Shelters

Sheraton Boston Finds Home for its Used Furniture, Saves Money; IRN Made Arrangements

Mattresses

Modular Mattresses Reduce Costs, Waste and Downtime

Mattress Recycling Vendors

Amenities

44 Massachusetts Hotels Recycle Their Soap with Clean the World

InterContinental Boston Donates 1,945 Pounds of Soap in 2014

Electronics

How to Recycle and Dispose of Electronics Properly

Paint

Leftover Paint: What to Do With It

Universal Waste

Battery Recycling Made Easy

Clothing

The Green Way to Manage Used Clothing

Construction & Demolition (C&D) Materials

The Greener Way to Buy, Use and Dispose of Carpet

Hotel Achieves 97% Reuse and Recycling Rate for Renovation

General Principles

Chemical Footprint Project Assessment Tool Introduced

IAQ

Comfort Inn Boston/Logan Installs Chemical-Free Electronic Water Treatment System for Cooling Towers & Heat Exchanger

Will Hotel Guests Start Measuring Indoor Air Quality?

Tips for Creating a Healthy Environment for Guests and Staff

Where to Find Toxics in the Hotel

What's in Your Hotel's Hand Soap?

Product Substitution

Healthy Hotel Mattresses

EPA's Safer Choice Label Helps Businesses Provide a Safer Environment

Johnson & Johnson's Commits to Reducing Cancer-Causing Chemicals from their Personal Care Products; Will Others Follow?

Green Cleaning

Study Shows that Long Term Exposure to Cleaning Chemicals Harms Women's Lungs

Chemical Free Cleaning Making Inroads

Alternatives to Bleach and Other Laundry Products

Indoor Plants / Biophilic Design

Green Walls Boost Winter Mood

General

Chemical-Free Water Treatment Systems Save Money and Improve Safety

Leading Hotel Groups Collaborate to Launch First Standardized Water Measurement Tool for Lodging

Whole World Water: How Hotels Add a Revenue Stream While Helping People Access Clean Water

Hotel Chains’ Energy and Water Use Reduction Goals

New Option for Funding Energy and Water-Saving Projects

Bathroom

Water Conservation Toilet Technology Helps Hotels Conserve Water and Reduce Water Damage

Low-Flow Showerheads: Can You Do Better?

Most Efficient Toilets Use Less than One Gallon Per Flush

Two New Devices Reduce Hot Water Use in Showers

Sheraton Boston's Bills Plunge after Toilet Replacement Project

Toilet Uses Only 0.8 Gallons per Flush

How Many Towels does your Hotel Issue to its Guests?

Laundry

Two Green and Lucrative Laundry Solutions: Wastewater Recycling and Ozone Laundry

Midtown Hotel Eliminates Hot Water for Laundry

Hotels Laundries Recycle Wastewater, Cut Energy and Water Bills

Restaurant

Innovative Plate Scraping Product Saves Restaurants Water, Energy and Money

Pool

Reduce Water Loss in Your Pools and Spas

General

Green Restaurant Association Distributor Program Helps Users Find Green Equipment, Supplies and Food

GMO's to Get More Attention from Customers

Publicizing Your Restaurant's Use of New England Food

Certifications

All InterContinental Hotel Restaurants in U.S. and Canada are now Green Certified

New Certification for Healthy Restaurant Menus

Brasserie Jo Pioneers Green Dining in Boston Hotels

Guidelines

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guides for Food

Bees

Feed the Bees this Fall

Professional Support for Hotel Beehives

Seaport Hotel Serves Beer Made from its Own Honey: Seaport Honey Ginger IPA

General

InterContinental San Francisco's Travel Tool Helps Guests Find Greenest Ways to Destinations

Seaport Hotel Makes Transportation Greener for Guests and Staff

Electric Vehicles / Charging Stations

Electric Vehicle Car Share Services

​Electric Vehicle Sales Expected to Rise Rapidly

Electric Vehicles, Charging Stations Advance; Charging Station Incentives are Rich

Does It Make Sense to Convert your Hotel Van to a Hybrid?

The Bright Future of Electric Vehicles and EV Charging Stations

Advice for Incorporating EV Charging Stations at Hotels

Is an Electric Van in Your Hotel's Future?

Do Hotels Charge Customers who use their Electric Car Charging Stations?

Green Parking

Making Parking Lots Greener, Safer, More Attractive

You Can Even Green Your Parking Garage

Hotel Guests Can Rent a Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle, and Plan Greener Trips

General

A Pen Can Speak to Your Guests: The Value of Eco-Friendly Promotional Items

Video Conveys Hotel's Commitment to Environment and Wellness

Hotel's Stylish Website Communicates its Environmental Commitment

New Trend: Online Hotel Environmental Reports

Certifications

A New Kind of Green Certification: Healthy Hotels

TripAdvisor Update: 2,100 Properties Certified; Boston Leads Nation

TripAdvisor Launches GreenLeaders Program; Fourteen Boston and Cambridge Hotels Recognized

Green Key Launches a Meetings Certification

Standards

ASTM Publishes Its Accommodations Standards for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings

Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative to be Used in RFP's

Earth Hour, Earth Day

How Hotels Will Celebrate 2016 Earth Hour and Earth Day

Will Your Hotel Celebrate Earth Hour or Earth Day?

InterContinental Boston to Celebrate Earth Hour in Style

Survey: January "Bombogenesis" Storm Stimulates Boston Businesses to Adopt Resilience Measures

Waterfront developers prepare for a sea change

Green Program Observations from Rachael Solem, Irving House at Harvard

Sheraton Commander's Recent Green Achievements and Plans

Saunders Hotel Group Publishes Sustainability Report

Fabienne Eliacin of InterContinental Boston is MassRecycle's Recycler of the Year; InterContinental Boston is MassRecycle's Hospitality Business of the Year

Saunders Hotel Group Develops Creative Strategy for Purchasing Greener Products and Services

Green Leasing: An Effective Tenant/Landlord Strategy for Energy Efficiency

A Resource for Furnishing Your Property with Sustainable Products

Does Your Hotel have a Sustainable Purchasing Policy? Does it Work Well?

Management Strategies for a Successful Green Program

Breaking Down the Barriers to the Success of your Green Program