The Refinishing Touch Blog

In December, we wrote about the City of Palo Alto, California and their web conference with AltaTerra Research called Carbon Footprint Reduction for the Long Haul. One of the key voices behind the conference was that of Karl Van Orsdol, Sustainability Leader and Energy Risk Manager for the City of Palo Alto. Karl was kind enough to take some time to talk to TRT and share his thoughts on sustainability as the first to take part in our series of “Keeping it Green” interviews.

What inspired you to get involved in sustainability?
I have always been inspired and awed by the natural environment. Starting out as a tropical biologist, I realized that forest use by timber companies, water use by power companies, and industry were major threats to the natural environment. So I focused my career on the interface between business and the environment. Sustainability is a natural outcome of that evolution. Sustainability is business and people acting to preserve nature and natural resources for future generations.

What does your job involve?
I work to help the City of Palo Alto develop and manage renewable power. At this point, about 70% of the City’s electricity comes from renewable, non-fossil sources. I also manage the City’s Greenhouse gas emissions work, where we are working to cut emissions by 15% by 2012 from their 2005 levels. This involves setting up an enterprise-wide system for monitoring electricity, natural gas, water, gasoline, diesel and compressed natural gas use in our fleet of 130 facilities and 600 vehicles. We are also looking at reducing our CO2 by ensure all products that are recyclable are not discarded.

What’s the best example of sustainability you’ve come across?
This is a tough question. Certainly some European cities, especially in Scandanavia, have developed renewable energy, public transportation, and 100% recycling programs that are clear leaders and which we in government in the US are trying to model. The key is to maximize sustainability while maintaining and improving living conditions.

What’s the most difficult element of your job? Do you find it challenging to motivate others to be sustainable?
The most difficult part of the job involves motivating myself and others to be sustainable. People want to be sustainable and want to make the right choices – or at least if they knew the impact of some decisions and had lower cost options available, they would choose those options. Motivating myself and others to continually look at what they do, what choices they make, and to see if there are better options is challenging sometimes. You can’t aim to achieve perfection, but if you can do the 80:20 rule, we would be so much closer to a sustainable future than we are now.

If you could enforce everyone to follow one sustainable initiative, law, or regulation, what would it be?
I don’t think enforcement works. I much prefer providing options that take into account the true environmental costs of actions, and letting people choose. Ultimately, if we fully account for the hidden costs of environmental degradation in products and services, people would make the lower cost, environmentally sustainable, choice. What we need to do is ensure that those costs are fully incorporated into products and services.

Who is your green icon?
The rural people of sub-Saharan Africa. In my years of working with them they show a resourcefulness in recycling, a lack of conspicuous consumption and an ability to live within the natural environment that is amazing.

What do you do in your everyday life to be more sustainable?
In California we have a looming water issue – so we reuse our dish and shower water to water houseplants and the lawn. We keep what lawn grass we have long to reduce water demands. We minimize our driving whenever possible and when we do drive, we use a hybrid. We manage our energy use very closely. We try to buy less, and when we do buy, we buy locally. Despite our efforts, our personal GHG emissions are still non-sustainable in the long run.

How can people make an everyday difference with regards to sustainability? Do you have an simple tip that can easily help people live more sustainably?
The two biggest factors in greenhouse gas emissions are electricity use and transportation. Keep your home heated or cooled at a reasonable level; put on a sweater if it’s cold. Try to walk, bike, or take public transport to work at least once a week.

Labels: City of Palo Alto, Green, Sustainability

For many organizations and hotels, the uncertainty of 2009 means that 2010 needs to start with a definite direction. But where to head?

In 1900 L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also known as the ‘Great American fairytale’. The story resonated with readers across the globe, with engaging characters, narcoleptic fields of poppies, winged monkeys and the notion that ‘there’s no place like home’. When a tornado lands her in Oz (on the Wicked Witch of the East) Dorothy finds herself wondering where to head after being told to see the wizard in Emerald City for help in getting back home. She’s in an unknown land and doesn’t know quite what to do.

Many hotels, recovering from the tornado of the 2009 economy, find themselves in a similar bewildered state. They’re in an unknown land – one full of low occupancy rates, harsh business conditions, increased competition – with no given directions. Where do they head now?

There may not be a yellow brick road to follow, but a greener path continues to present itself for industry leaders to follow as a means to achieve more sustainable business practices in whatever way possible.

Refurnishing and refinishing are two ways that businesses can help themselves as they continue on their way in 2010. From hotels in need of updating accommodations to provide modern and pleasing décor for guests at reduced costs, to colleges that need to update dorm rooms with slashed budgets, reviewing alternatives to ‘rip and replace’ are not only environmentally-friendly, they’re green – good for the planet, the business, and its reputation.

Businesses are more prepared now than ever for the challenges that might present themselves along the way. Similar to America’s beloved fairytale, the business challenge of 2010 will demand a brain, a heart and courage to push us along. In terms of direction, we know that the green-brick road is a solid start and look forward to the adventures we are bound to meet along the way.

Labels: 2010, economy, Green, Sustainability

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

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 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

With the rapid development of new technologies for environmental sustainability, we thought we'd take the opportunity to focus on places around the world that are making the most of them. As a way to spotlight efforts around the world, we've begun a series to keep us up with the happenings in what has become a global initiative: sustainability.

This week, we take a look at India, who is showing great progress in employing new greener technologies across various industries. In the hospitality industry, organizations such as the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur are making use of new rain harvesting techniques to recycle water resources and reduce water consumption. Others, like Jai Mahal Palace, have achieved success in utilizing similar water recycling techniques in their sewerage treatment and biogas plants.

But it doesn't end with hospitality; another area in which India is using new green technologies is construction. Green buildings are fast becoming home to several top businesses throughout India. To qualify as a green building, a building's management of energy, waste, materials and indoor air quality must meet a certain standard and its construction must be environmentally sustainable. One example of a green building is ITC's Green Centre in Gurgaon, which has reduced its water consumption by 40 percent and its energy consumption by more than 50 percent. The building uses materials and tools such as insulated glass and room sensors to appropriately adjust room temperatures.

Through its use of these new technologies and its commitment to further improving these methods, India is a fantastic example of the future of environmental sustainability, and we look forward to learning more about the actions that other nations are taking to conserve, protect and innovate as contributors to a global initiative for sustainability.

Labels: global initiative, Hospitality, India, Sustainability

According to an article on MSNBC.com, women, youth and CEOs are projected to lead the future forge in sustainability throughout the United States.

Bill Roth, the contributing writer, highlighted that each of these three demographics were most likely to become the drivers in the adoption of sustainability.

Noting key motivations of each, Roth examined the three groups segmenting common opinion and found that while the youth have taken on inherited challenges such as climate change, women see sustainability as a goal for overall wellness, and CEOs are managing policies to tackle reducing carbon footprints on a company-wide scale.

June saw the meeting of sustainability leaders and pioneers gather at the Sustainable Brands Conference 2009. Now in its third year, the annual conference holds more relevance than ever. Each year its participants and attendees come together to discuss the ways that business, government and non-governmental organizations can contribute toward the success of sustainability throughout our nation.

At the conference, Travelocity's Director of Sustainability Initiatives, Leilani Latimer, interestingly noted that the greenest traveler is the frequent corporate business traveler. Businesses are adopting the reduction of CO2 emissions as a core business goal, and recognize its influence in the way it shapes travel expenditures, office operations and supply chain purchasing criteria.

Another speaker at the conference noted that women account for nearly 85 percent of retail purchases and added that mothers are embracing sustainability as concerned caretakers. Their contributions to sustainability come from a consumer standpoint through the purchase of locally grown, organic foods that are healthier for their families, and automobiles with lower emissions because they want a cleaner environment for their children.

The youth have adopted sustainability as their "North Star," which Roth notes was a major branding theme at SB09. Implying a point of direction, and enabling information for the execution of a path, the North Star concept sees the youth of our nation recognizing the need to drive the focus for sustainability in order to secure a greener future.

At The Refinishing Touch, sustainability is the driving force behind each and every aspect of our business. We see the work that we do throughout each of the government, hospitality and education sectors as contributions toward a greener, more efficient nation, and hearing of the success and thought leadership that comes from events like the Sustainability Brands Conference reinforces and encourages us to continue on our green path. We look forward to this being a drive for many more individuals and companies to come.

Labels: green efforts, Sustainability, Sustainability Brands Conference 2009

There's a great deal of media commentary and interest in tomorrow's energy bill vote. It's being backed by President Obama, who called the bill 'extraordinarily important' at a White House news conference earlier this week. Weighing in at a hefty 1,201 pages, the document obviously covers a huge range of ideas and implications - though in a nutshell it focuses on limiting emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases that have been blamed for global warming.

It's being sponsored by Representatives Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and also includes a number of provisions to offset carbon emissions created by agriculture.

With a bill as far reaching as this, there are obvious wrangling about costs, winners and losers – and how different markets, industries and regions will be affected. For example, there are concerns that if the bill is passed it may act as national energy tax that could destroy jobs in the manufacturing sector, or impact states such as Indiana, which currently gets 94% of its energy from coal, an obvious high-carbon fuel. The list is seemingly endless, and hard to generalize or prioritize.

In a difficult economy, there are also concerns about increasing fuel costs. The Congressional Budget Office and the E.P.A. have responded to reassure the American public that the rise in utility bills for households and companies wouldn't leap up by an extortionate amount. The E.P.A. has also been quick to point out that because of the efficiency provisions in the bill, by 2020 utility bills would be on average 7% lower than if there was no change in the law at all.

It's easy to see both sides of the argument. At The Refinishing Touch, we're in the enviable position of saving businesses and organizations money while promoting sustainability and protecting the environment. The bill needs support but with it going to have an impact on 306 million Americans, its uncertain what effect the bill will have in the end and understandable there is debate. But regardless of the outcome, it’s an important bill that facilitates dialog on energy and the environment and we believe that it is an important step in advancing the discussion. The energy bill is turning on light bulbs for both sides.

Labels: Department of Energy, energy bill, President Barack Obama, Sustainability

Because we have our roots in the government, hospitality and education sectors, we like to keep an eye on any news that comes from each of those industries.

This week, the LA Times recognized a meeting of the minds in education that is set to begin on June 21^st in Santa Barbara and will bring together 70 universities within the state of California at the 8th annual California Campus Sustainability Conference. The four day conference will be packed with workshops and speeches covering topics including energy efficiency and ways to achieve carbon neutrality. It is sure to be a productive and innovative event for universities, an area which we have seen a tremendous willingness to explore going green, and in California, the state that perhaps more than any other supports environmentalism.

In the recent past, we've talked a lot about President Obama's green agenda, and think it is a tremendous movement to see organized events like the Sustainability Conference continue to gain momentum across various sectors in our nation. Though many of us have been out fighting for environmental reform for many years, as we continue to see an increase in visibility for these issues, we are inspired and encouraged to continue in our efforts.

The universities we have had the pleasure to work with have recognized tremendous benefits from going green and we know intimately how much they care about furthering these initiatives. We look forward to sustainability becoming one of the cornerstones of organizations in all sectors, and to it bringing continual vitality and feelings of purpose across all industries.

Labels: California Campus Sustainability Conference 2009, Education, Sustainability

Well, we just returned from the GSA Expo 2009, and we are very pleased with how it went.

The show started with a blur of people coming by our booth to talk with us and express interest in what we do. But more than that, as we watched the show unfold, we began to realize how much is changing for the better this year.

Across government agencies there were days when the mere suggestion of reusing furniture rather than buying new would elicit sneers of disapproval. There are potentially large budgets available and government buyers would automatically first turn towards how to spend these on buying new. That's all changed. In the last few days while walking through the hallways of the GSA and talking to attendees, it's obvious that buyers and users are starting to truly understand why reusing furniture is a better solution.

Across the show itself there seemed to be a greater discussion and focus on best practices to be environmentally friendly. The show featured a brand new range of classes on sustainability and it felt to us that across the convention center, people were all taking the ideals of being environmentally friendly very seriously. It could be due to the changing economic environment we're in, the new administration, the growing focus on the environment or all of the above, but the show definitely felt different this year.

We are proud to have been there to see the change.

Labels: government, GSA Expo 2009, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Sustainability

The TRT team is getting ready to attend this year's GSA Expo – the Federal government's source for quality products and services. As we hold a contract with the GSA, we will be one of the 750 vendors attending this year's event.

This year the expo will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in the beautiful city of San Antonio, Texas. You will be able to find us at Booth 2538. As a free expo and training event for Federal, state, military and local government members and employees, it's a very collaborative event with networking and meetings for attendees that have a thirst for knowledge and innovation.

With our commitment to sustainable and green initiatives in the Federal government (have you read our whitepaper: "Furnishing Government Employees with a Sustainable Future" yet? If not, download it here), we're excited to attend: it's a great chance to demonstrate the simplicity, cost-effectiveness and the sustainability of our solution. It will also give us a chance to talk to a huge number of agency experts about how these relate to Executive Order 13423, the EPA Pollution Prevention Act and to USC Title 40.

And, due to our compliance with Executive Order 13423, we will be one of the vendors displaying "Green Products" during the Expo. It is a new labeling introduced for this year, and a definite signal we think of government agencies' awareness of the needs for environmentally sound and sustainable products and services.

We'll be posting up an update later in the week highlighting some of our thoughts from San Antonio. If you’re attending, be sure to drop by and say hello!

Labels: Green, GSA Expo 2009, Sustainability

There are areas where you can easily understand it's more difficult to plan and take action to cut costs, and others that would seem easy and simple to cut back. So we were amazed to see this survey that calculated that the federal government spends $1.3 billion on printing every year, and that $440 million of this is wasted and unnecessary printing.

The researchers, working on behalf of printer vendor Lexmark and O'Keeffe and Co., surprisingly found no differences between generations when it comes to thinking about the environment.

Generation Y employees stated they printed 29 pages a day, and threw or recycled less than a third (31%) on that day, while the baby boomers surveyed gave similar figures, saying they printed 31 pages a day on average, and threw or recycled 34% on the same day.

The study also found that 89% of respondents said their agencies don't have formal printing policies to cut back on printing. This figure didn't surprise us every much as our findings from our own research into policies and procurement processes within government (link to TRT download site) found that agencies can save up to eighty percent of current expenditure on furniture assets from a commitment to sustainability initiatives and a more innovative use of funds and resources.

Sustainability needs to be considered at every level: from the acquisition of hundreds of desks, to the printing of a single piece of paper. It all makes a difference.

Labels: government, printing, Sustainability

With the recession hitting people hard, repair shops are one of the few businesses seeing a surge in their customers in 2009. Now many companies which traditionally sold new goods are also boosting their revenue by promoting their mending/ fixing services.

Following the trend for products with ever shorter life spans, a return to a more 'make do and mend' mentality has been due for a while. This year thrift shops and restorers are booming. And one vintage furniture supplier in California has actually called its website ThisIsNotIkea.com - although the official name is TINI to ensure there’s no confusion with a certain Swedish furniture chain.

The recession may have proved the catalyst for change. But the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle contain all the building blocks necessary to promote a solid sustainable future. Perhaps it shows that every cloud has a silver lining.

Labels: Recession, Repair, Sustainability

This spring the UK government's independent advisory body- the Sustainable Development Commission, published a report entitled "Prosperity without Growth?: the transition to a sustainable economy." The result of two years' of research, the report reviews the relationship between economic growth, the environment and 'social recession.'

Written by Professor Tim Jackson, the economics commissioner of the Sustainable Development Commission, it is well worth a read. It contains some hard-hitting facts and conclusions, yet gives a balanced view, for example, outlining how a crisis such as the recession can provide a opportunity for taking a rethink and be an impetus for change.

Some of the harder-hitting facts within the report include:

- For the last five decades the pursuit of growth has been the single most important policy goal across the world, now the global economy is almost five times the size it was half a century ago.

- If the global economy continues to grow at the same rate the economy will be 80 times that size by the year 2100

- An estimated 60% of the world’s ecosystems has been degraded

- two billion humans live on less than $2 a day

Even as I read those four facts it made me realize how our drive for 'progress' seems to be at any cost. Professor Jackson helps us to think about how we measure prosperity: and really prosperity is about how we live as humans on Earth.

He states:

"At the end of the day, prosperity goes beyond material pleasures. It transcends material concerns.... Prosperity consists in our ability to flourish as human beings – within the ecological limits of a finite planet. The challenge for our society is to create the conditions under which this is possible. It is the most urgent task of our times."

We couldn't agree more.

A full copy of the report is available here.

Labels: government, standards, Sustainability, United Kingdom

This month The Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments and Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS) announced an educational partnership to advance global sustainable product standards. This will target the building trade, including interior finishing and will aim to eliminate market confusion. The first campaign scheduled is an education program set to define and promote sustainable products.

Here at TRT, we support this type of educational partnership and its messages to help people make a difference. The signs look good; between them these two organizations carry a lot of weight. Alliance is a group of industry leaders who are recognized for leadership in sustainability and MTS is a nonprofit public charity of leading environmental groups, governments and companies.

MTS also administers the Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT), a sustainable product standard that covers 80 percent of the world’s products. SMaRT is to products what LEED is to buildings and it offers several levels of certification — Sustainable, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Here at The Refinishing Touch we’re pleased to see anything which promotes and educates companies on the necessity and importance of sustainability. We intend to watch this new partnership with interest.

Labels: Market Transformation to Sustainability, Sustainability