Good Example Of Saving The Environment And The Bottom Line Research Paper

Environmental sustainability focuses on making sure that the present generation uses the environment and other resources in such a way that it does not hurt the future generations’ access to and use of the same. In this regard, it is important for all organizations to adopt initiatives to ensure sustainability (Klak & Ross 5; Alvord et al. 262). The hotel industry is also called upon to exercise sustainable tourism. Xavier Hotel must also do its part. Towards eco-compliance, Xavier Hotel must look to increase efficiency and meet new environment standards. This paper makes recommendations for efficiency in water and electricity usage, as well as heat transfer and waste management.

Increasing Efficiency

Water
Today, the scarcity of water is a globally recognized problem. Projections show that 2030, demand will exceed supply by about 40 percent. Hotel companies have a strong motivation (both commercial and moral) to address water use. Water accounts for 10 percent of hotel expenditures. Moreover, hotels pay twice for the water they use: when they purchase it for use; and when they dispose of it after use as waste water (Tuppen 1).
Towards water efficiency, Xavier hotel should focus on reducing water consumed by each guest by 50 percent. To do this, the hotel should develop a water management plan. To do this, the hotel should measure the water consumption in the three key zones (guest room, public and service areas) to help set realistic goals. This can be done using installed meters as well as taking regular readings. Sub-meters can help identify the areas of greatest water use.
It is also important to know the cost of water. This helps to calculate and/or estimate potential cost savings as well as payback periods for any capital investment. Using cost as the basis for water management plan helps to win over the support of key stakeholders. It also helps to improve overall efficiency of the property (i.e. hotel). These plans help to place limits to water use. For example, the hotel should look to limit water use in bathrooms to a maximum of 10 liters per minute. Duel flash toilets can make guests prefer shorter flush. The taps used should also use no more than 6 liters per minute. This flow of tap water can be limited using flow restrictors and/or better aerators (Charara et al. 237).
A system for the management of waste water is also important. This is an initiative toward water recycling. This may involve a water treatment plant.

Other areas of water use on which to direct efficiency initiatives include laundry, swimming pools and grounds, etc.

Energy
The hotel industry is one of the sectors most reliant on energy and other resources. Hotels consume substantial energy to provide comfort and services to the guests with many of those guests willing to pay for exclusive treatment and amenities, including entertainment. According to Bohdanowicz et al. (2) energy costs in hotels account for 3-6 percent of all operational costs. Unfortunately, energy efficiency in hotels is among the lowest. As a result, energy consumption in hotels may be having a bigger impact than in other typical buildings. These effects may result from excessive consumption, emissions, etc.
Xavier Hotel is no different. In its efforts towards energy efficiency, it is important for the hotel management to know how its energy consumption is distributed throughout the building. Generally, there are three zones of energy use in the hotel.
The guest room areas include bedrooms, toilets and showers, as well as individual spaces. These areas experience extensive glaring as well as asynchronous utilization of energy, and other varying energy loads. The public area includes the reception areas, restaurants, lobby, bars, sauna and swimming pools, etc.). These areas experience high rates of heat exchange and even high internal loads. Finally, the service areas (such as offices, kitchens, machine rooms, staff facilities) are the most energy-intensive areas and require advanced air handling (including heating, ventilation and cooling), etc (Bohdanowicz et al. 2).
The different energy flows in all the three sections require careful handling. While installation and use of advanced and high maintenance and expensive technologies can help save substantial energy, these are not enough. Xavier hotel should go further and adopt a common sense approach which does not place emphasis on advanced expertise and high expenditures. In this regard, Xavier hotel should consider a number of factors. The appropriate site selection for its key facilities aims to ensure equilibrium with the ecological system as well as economic, social and cultural aspects in the context. At the same time, in its constructions, the hotel should make use of locally available material to avoid using much energy in transportation, etc. Zoning and the use of autonomous temperature control systems in individual rooms can help save up to 20-30 percent of energy in space conditioning.

Conclusion

There are many issues to focus on when speaking about sustainability in hotels- and other areas for that matter. This paper focuses on water and energy efficiency (as the two most spent resources in the industry). Water and energy efficiency adds value to the organization through benefits to local and national economies (which empowers the local population by giving them spending power).

Works Cited

Alvord, Sarah H., Brown, David L., & Letts, Christine W. “Social Entrepreneurship and
Societal Transformation”. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 40 (2004), 260–282. Print.
Bohdanowicz, Paulina, Churie-Kallhauge, Angela & Martinac, Ivo. Energy Efficiency
and Conservation in Hotels- Towards Sustainable Tourism. 4th International Symposium on Asia Pacific Architecture Hawa’il, April 2001. Web, 30 March 2015
Charara, Nadim, Cashman, Adrian & Bonnell, Robert. “Water Efficiency in the Hotel Sector
of Babados”. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 19.2 (2011), 231-245. Print.
Klak, Thomas & Ross, Flynn. Ecotourism-Based Sustainable Development: General Principles
and Eastern Caribbean Case Study. In Ed, Jackiewicz & Fernando Bosco, Placing Latin America. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print.
Tuppen, Holly. Water Management and Responsibility in Hotels. Green Hotelier, March
22, 2013. Web, 30 March 2015