The Refinishing Touch Blog

Going green hasn't always been cost-effective, but in recent times the cost of applying eco-friendly practices and employing new green technologies has dropped significantly. Companies like many of our clients are now able to explore new methods of reducing their carbon footprints, and are doing just that. Today we're taking a look at how the cost of going green, specifically in transportation, has been reduced even further thanks to assistance from government funding from the most recent stimulus plan.

This past week saw the end of the government's $3 billion "Cash for Clunkers" program, which offered up to $4,500 in rebates to consumers looking to trade in their old cars for newer, more fuel-efficient ones. While the widely popular program had come under harsh scrutiny, car dealers everywhere from northeast Wisconsin to New England have praised the program and its affect on the automotive industry. By the end of the program, between 700,000 and 800,000 new cars were sold, most of them fuel-efficient. Some have even reported selling out of several types of cars.

Meanwhile, the 2009 Green Fleet Conference, has people buzzing about sustainable transportation too. With its focus on helping private and public fleet managers, the conference drives toward helping fleets obtain stimulus money that is necessary to becoming more environmentally friendly and has just been endorsed by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America).

Government agencies have enlisted the help of The Refinishing Touch to help them become more environmentally conscious for many years now. It is great to see the stimulus plan helping others to do the same. We're thrilled to see individuals and organizations alike working to reduce their impact on the environment and how the government is providing a vehicle for them to do just that.

We’ve blogged several times about new initiatives adopted by colleges and universities to reduce their carbon footprints. Now it seems that schools are taking even bigger steps to promote sustainability for the future by offering new programs and degrees on sustainability.

As more industries and businesses focus on being environmentally responsible, there are potential opportunities for future graduates.

For example, many students are taking advantage of MBA programs based around sustainable business operations. One school that offers this program is the University of Pennsylvania, which allows students to earn both an MBA and a master’s in environmental studies at the same time.

Other examples of new green university programs include: Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, which now has a concentration in sustainable design; Arizona State University, which has opened a School of Sustainability that just celebrated its first graduating class this past May; and Bucknell University, which requires future students to take at least one course on the human connection to the environment.

For students looking to make a quicker transition into employment, many community colleges are offering short-term programs that provide students with the technical skills to operate green technology, such as wind turbines, in response to escalating demands for trained technicians.

All of these education programs are a response to increasing demand for green industries - as well as a growing interest from students.

With the environment becoming an increasingly important factor in all areas of life, it’s a matter of time before schools and colleges across America respond with relevant courses. This means that tomorrow’s students will be better equipped to look after tomorrow’s planet, which is a comforting thought.

As a specialist in the preservation and sustainability of furniture assets, we work with hospitality clients that range from large chains that are household names, to smaller boutique customers. This provides us an invaluable broad, first-hand view of the hospitality market.

We've noticed that across California, renovation projects are underway to drive new business to hotels. Two good examples are the Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs and the Wyndham Palm Springs in sunny Palm Springs, CA. The hotels are renovating their hotel exteriors and guest rooms – between them to the tune of$35 million - with plans to finish by mid-to-late fall. The Wyndham will also be changing its flag to that of a Renaissance.

These hotels' renovations follow in the footsteps of several other Palm Springs hotels, such as the Riviera Resort and Spa, Holiday Inn Palm Springs City Center and Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, all of which have spent millions of dollars in upgrades since 2004.

The reasons behind the growing number of hotel renovations in the area are many, and the drive for greener hotels is certainly one of those, and yet there is one over-riding driver - competition.

As technology advances and new trends develop, hotels need to keep up with each other as well as the desires and needs of demanding consumers.

In Palm Springs projects have focused on technological improvements, such as enhanced internet access and new gadget charging stations, as well as the introduction of more ecologically sound materials. Keeping up-to-date is especially important to the Wyndham in Palm Springs, where the new convention center has brought in a wealth of new customers. These consumers want to stay in quality hotels that deliver a great guest experience, but they also want to support chains that meet their greener values.

Should hotels feel forced to evaluate their offerings and upgrade in these ways? We would argue that with continued fierce competition for hotel guests combined with an ever-increasing public awareness of greener hospitality, many hotels are discovering they simply cannot afford not to.

Labels: Hospitality, renovation, Sustainability

With the rapid development of new technologies for environmental sustainability, we are highlighting locations around the globe that are making the most of them with a series of posts about what has become a global initiative: sustainability.

Following our post on India, we’re taking a look down under at Australia’s University of Sydney, which was recently awarded the Green Globe Public Sector Sustainability Award for the work of its Integrated Sustainability Analysis research team. The team developed a new method that facilitates and improves how businesses calculate their carbon footprints. This new method analyses every aspect of a business’ product development including energy and water consumption, industrial interdependency and carbon emissions to accurately gauge its environmental impact.

The University of Sydney was also honored for its innovative stormwater recycling system with a Stormwater Industry Association NSW Award for Excellence. With the new system the campus collects water runoff from nearby public areas, pavements and rooftops, filters the water through rain gardens and then recycles the water for irrigation and for use in the university’s newer buildings. This system recognizes the ecological and recreational uses of stormwater and allows for a nearly “drought-free” campus.

It’s inspiring to see the innovation and enthusiasm supporting sustainable living across the globe. In our next post we’re going to be slightly closer to home with a post about some North American initiatives.

More large hotel chains are demonstrating their commitment to sustainability right in their home offices. In a recent post by Green Lodging News’ editor, Glenn Hasek, Hilton Hotels Corp., Wyndham Worldwide and Marriott International were all recognized for their efforts in promoting environmentally friendly practices from within their headquarters. Each of these hotel chains has either moved into a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rated green building or is pursuing a LEED rating in existing buildings.

Hilton Hotels recently relocated its headquarters, originally in Beverly Hills, CA, to McLean, VA. The new building is located in Tysons Corner and is a LEED Gold certified building. To qualify for the certification, the Hilton headquarters was built with a reflective roof, energy efficient windows and sustainable wood. The building uses 40 percent less water with low-flow plumbing equipment and a 10,000 gallon reservoir for preserving rainwater and air conditioner condensation. Furthermore, workers are encouraged to use low-emitting vehicles or bike to work by being offered special parking and showers for more convenience.

Similarly, Hasek noted that Wyndham’s headquarters is experiencing up to 30 percent improved efficiency with a brand new building complete with reflective roof, zoned heating and cooling systems, low-flow water fixtures, energy efficient lights and environmentally friendly materials such as paint, carpeting and furniture. Wyndham is also offering new incentives for employees to go along with their new building such as an in-house gym, dry cleaner, credit union and cafeteria. The idea behind these amenities is that employees can now do more while travelling less. Wyndham is also in the process of pursuing a LEED rating for its headquarters’ interior.

Last, but certainly not least, Marriot is working to improve its current headquarters through practices such as diverting waste through increased recycling and using biodegradable and permanent materials in its kitchens. Other ways Marriot is aiming to become more sustainable include using sustainable paper products, energy efficient lighting, and sending waste to composting facilities. Marriot also provides three hybrid cars for employees to use for business purposes.

Through these changes each hotel chain is making enormous strides in promoting and enforcing sustainability. While each has committed to improving the sustainability of their hotels, by improving the efficiency of their headquarters these companies are showing how truly dedicated they are these initiatives. Here at TRT, we are happy to celebrate these strides and are excited to see what they will do next.

Labels: Green Lodging News, Hilton, Hospitality, Marriot, Sustainability, Wyndham

Here at TRT, we love to hear how organizations throughout the hospitality, government and education sectors are taking steps to become more eco-friendly. Recently, the North American branch of Accor, a global, environmentally conscious hotel group that owns brands such as Sofitel, Novotel and Motel 6, made a commitment to reduce its impact on the environment by joining the EPA's National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP).

The EPA's program aspires to decrease the use of dangerous chemicals that result from various products and processes. These chemicals can find their way into the land, air and water and are potentially hazardous to the health of humans as well as the environment. Partners of the NPEP aim to use resources more efficiently so as to reduce the risk that these chemicals pose.

Along with Accor's partnership with the NPEP, several initiatives have been put in to practice as a means to continue in its commitment to sustainability. These include reducing water waste with water-saving and more water-efficient shower heads and faucets, pledging to reduce electricity consumption by 10 percent in the next year, installing high-tech heating and cooling systems and using energy-saving compact fluorescent lighting.

With more international hotel groups like Accor making commitments to reducing their carbon footprints and taking proactive steps to become more sustainable, we are thrilled to see how hospitality players throughout the world follows suit.

Labels: Accor, EPA, Hotel Industry, NPEP

It was great to see coverage of our new sustainability awards program in one of our favorite publications: Green Lodging News.

We're fans of this publication for several reasons as it focuses on matters close our hearts - sustainability and the environment. Furthermore, it not only analyzes how these issues affect businesses in the hospitality and lodging industry but seriously reviews the interplay between environment-related issues and profitability.

We see a lot of parallels in our goals here at TRT and the goals of Green Lodging News in that we both aim to help organizations in the industry help the environment and yet reduce operational costs.

If you don't read the website or subscribe to the Green Lodging News e-newsletter, we recommend you check them out here.

Labels: Green Lodging News, Sustainability Awards

Here at The Refinishing Touch, we have the good fortune to work with companies and organizations who exhibit environmentally responsible and notably forward thinking behavior in all aspects of their business. From collegiate institutions to some of the hospitality industry's most recognizable brands, down through the ranks of our own government we see efforts across our business that deserve recognition.

As we announced earlier this week, to reward and recognize the sustainability efforts of these organizations, we have launched an awards program.

Companies that qualify for the award are those who have exhibited a commitment to sustainability by observing environmentally-friendly practices such as making use of renewable energy and taking on more eco-friendly forms of waste management such as recycling.

Our hope is that this awards program will honor the most committed and environmentally conscious businesses while encouraging others to adopt similar methods in efforts to reduce their carbon footprints.

We are happy to have the opportunity to shine the spotlight on those who continue to raise the bar for sustainability.

Labels: awards, Sustainability, The Refinishing Touch

With the environment continuing to be a constant concern to throughout the world, we are excited to see how schools and universities across the country are encouraging green practices in the future leaders of sustainability: students.

Colleges and universities in California are implementing new programs to encourage students to minimize their impact on the environment in several ways. Because public transportation is less than ideal in their areas, schools such as San Diego University, UC San Marcos and UC San Diego are rewarding students who opt to carpool and bike to school. Some incentives include prime parking spots for carpoolers and hybrid car users and free parking for 10 days for students who bike the majority of their trips. Some, such as UC San Diego, even upgraded their university bus programs to reduce the number of buses in use while employing biodiesel technology.

Some colleges go a step further and offer financial incentives and free give-aways to students who don't drive to campus. According to the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Stanford University is offering non-driving students up to $282. Others offer free bicycles and helmets. Some commuter colleges go even further by offering students the option of taking all their classes in fewer days to reduce the number of cars on the road.

These incentive programs in colleges and universities are just more examples of how sustainability is a continuously growing priority not only in businesses and governments, but also in younger generations. It's great to see schools and students take steps in unison be more environmentally conscious - and produce future business leaders with green values.

Labels: Education, Sustainability, university