Greening Salish Lodge & Spa: Hotel receives green audit to lower environmental impact
May 13, 2010
By Laura Geggel
NEW — 3:11 p.m. May 17, 2010
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
The green movement has become so pervasive, that almost no aspect of life goes unexamined.
Consultants, or green auditors, can calculate carbon footprints, measure water-flow rates, compare the efficiency of light bulbs and even see whether cups are disposable or reusable.
Green auditors from Cascadia Consulting Group turned their magnifying glasses onto Salish Lodge & Spa May 7. The inspection was paid for with a grant from the Washington Department of Ecology to the Washington Lodging Association, which then selected Columbia Hospitality, which manages the Salish, as one of two companies to receive the audit.
Those at the Salish were thrilled to learn they were selected for the grant, said Columbia Hospitality Vice President of Operations Lenny Zilz. He said the Salish had already started making environmental changes, but that “there is so much room to improve.”
As a green audit participant, the Salish will form an environmental committee, implement a linen reuse program, increase recycling and start food scrap composting, install LED lighting and encourage guests to have an eco-friendly stay by offering tips and highlighting environmentally friendly features of the hotel.
In general, hotels have generally been slow to jump on the environmental bandwagon. The two best-known hotel rating systems, administered by AAA and Forbes Travel Guide, are just starting to factor in environmental aspects.
“They’re really more about creature comforts,” said Paula Helsel, general manager of Leavenworth’s Sleeping Lady resort, who came on the green audit tour.
Only 40 percent of hotels have recycling programs, according to a 2008 survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which has a green rating system.
The same survey found that the average hotel guest throws away about two pounds of trash every day, more than half of which is paper, plastic, cardboard and cans that those same guests probably recycle at home.
If hotels made recycling available, they could trim their waste disposal bills by as much as 50 percent, the association concluded.
Like other hotels, the Salish has back-of-the-house recycling, but it does not have recycling in its rooms. But if it implements the recommendations from its green audit, the Salish could be well on its way to being greener.
The lead auditor, Amity Lumper, a senior associate at Cascadia Consulting Group, offered myriad recommendations for ways the Salish can reduce its impact, including collecting rainwater, implementing a wash-only-when-requested policy for guests’ sheets and towels, and making room newspaper delivery an opt-in rather than opt-out service.
The Salish could also improve its energy efficiency by switching from incandescent to fluorescent or LED light bulbs, Lumper said.
Puget Sound Energy gives rebates for businesses that switch to energy-smart appliances, including LED-powered exit signs and fluorescent or LED light bulbs.
While the hotel does use a few LED and fluorescent light bulbs, which have longer life spans, it is still working to change from some of its incandescent bulbs, especially in its chandeliers that traditionally take incandescent bulbs.
The Salish will also be keeping its wood-burning fireplaces, one of its signature features since it opened in 1988, Zilz said.
But Lumper commended the Salish for its reusable cups, reusable hotel key cards and for its jetted tubs, which only lose about three degrees in 20 minutes compared to 15 degrees like ordinary tubs.
The Salish will implement at least three of the audit’s recommendations by January 2011 and then hold a workshop for other hotels interested in the greening movement, Lumper said. Cascadia Consulting Group will measure the impact of those actions in terms of utility and cost savings, as well as employee and guest awareness.
Hotels aren’t the only businesses looking at their environmental sustainability. Many restaurants are also making the move, especially when trying to get local ingredients and sustainable equipment in the kitchen, Lumper said.
Gus Takala, energy management engineer at Puget Sound Energy, encouraged businesses to call PSE early in the green auditing process for information about potential rebates.
Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 221, or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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