Ernst & Young has released a report that looks at the efforts of hotel companies to become more eco-friendly in eight regions of the world. The Ernst & Young's 16-page report specifically looked at the lodging industry's environmental policies and practices in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, Oceania and the U.S. during 2008.
The report builds on the global environmental certification program that was developed for the travel and tourism industry in 1996 as a joint effort between three international organizations: the World Travel & Tourism Council, the World Tourism Organization and the Earth Council. Together they launched a plan familiar to many now teaching hospitality and tourism courses: Agenda 21 for the Travel & Tourism Industry: Towards Environmentally Sustainable Development.” Now named, “Green Globe.” With respect to the hospitality industry, hotels can receive “Green Globe” certification by addressing sustainability issues realted to: greenhouse emissions, energy efficiency, management of freshwater resources, ecosystem conservation, and waste water and solid waste management.
At the end of the report are 10 areas in which lodging and travel operations could take action to become more eco-friendly, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Green Globe and Agenda 21 programs:
* Waste minimization, reuse, recycling
* Transportation
* Energy efficiency, conservation, management
* Land-use planning and management
* Management of freshwater resources
* Involvement of staff, customers, communities in environmental issues
* Waste water management
* Design for sustainability
* Hazardous substances
* Partnerships for sustainable development
The report is a great educational or research tool for those teaching hospitality and tourism courses that focus or touch upon sustainability. I found it to have many practical examples of hotels around the world that have made the move to be more sustainable as well as some of the challenges that hold back well intended efforts to be more eco-friendly.
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