It’s time the industry and the government brought in legislation to increase eco-awareness in various industries says Harinakkshi Nair of HVS who heads the Ecotel Certification in India
When we were growing up we were never reminded of the fact that there may be a day, not far in the future, when most of the natural resources that we took for granted would, slowly but steadily, leave us forever.
It is not as if we did not care, but those were the days when the Internet and media as communication channels were not as strong or as visible as they are now. Fortunately today these media are so strong that awareness is not restricted to the young, but is reaching out to each and everyone who cares to listen and is urging and encouraging everyone to act.
With greater awareness come questions – the most common being the one about who would tell people what is right and what is propaganda. As more industries started getting their respective standards in place, the hospitality industry started asking analogous questions.
Traditionally the hospitality industry in general and the hotel industry in particular consume a lot of natural resources, such as energy and water, and are one of the biggest generators of solid waste and dangerous pollutants. This is an industry that does the job of showing the world that people can travel away from their homes and still be treated like royalty – epitomising the old adage of living life king size.
The issues faced commonly by the hotel industry are by far the same, be it in any part of the world.
Unwarranted energy consumption in the form of excessive lighting, unnecessary running of air-conditioners, using of high-powered lamps where not needed, and leaving lights and air-conditioners running while rooms are unoccupied are some of the things which were accepted as a norm in hotels.
The huge number of air-conditioners and refrigerators in an average-sized hotel led to greenhouse gas generation and carbon emissions, with the side-effect of ozone depletion so much so that the effect on the atmosphere was not just damaging but downright frightening.
Water wastage, in the form of uneconomically designed water tanks and flushes which purged more water than they put to good use, was huge. Solid waste being generated from the massive kitchens and in-house restaurants of hotels in the form of food, which was wasted more than it was consumed, or the waste generated by guests, that the housekeeping department threw away, was colossal.
Keeping the hotel lobbies and rooms spic and span involved the use of a lot of chemicals, most of which were hazardous not just to the people using them, but also to the symbiotic environmental balance around the globe. The sewage that was generated at the end of it all was being pumped into the city sewers without any treatment being done, which in turn led not just to the polluting of our environment, but also to bringing about with it a host of intangible but related maladies to the populace around.
Somewhere in the midst of making their guests feel on top of the world, there must have been an inkling of self-doubt that crept in, nudging this industry to look inwards; and helping it realise that it too felt the need for an outside agency or third party certification authority to lay down environment standards that could guide, elucidate and educate the hospitality industry in the do’s and don’ts of environmental preservation. This, in turn, led to standards and certification programs being formed and refined.
Thus the Ecotel Certification program was created to help the hospitality industry leaders enhance the value of their hotels through eco-initiatives. Today the Ecotel Certification is widely regarded by hoteliers and environmental groups as the pinnacle of environmental achievement for hotels and resorts.
The need of the hour now is for the Indian government to inject some momentum into this global eco-movement by bringing in legislation to get varied industries certified as being eco-aware. It is time for the Government of India or perhaps the local hotel organisations like FHRAI or HAI to make it mandatory for the hospitality industry to have an eco-commitment, or make environmental responsibility a key criterion while awarding a hotel its star rating.
We started late but does it mean that we do not catch up?
Time to catch up
(NULL)
It’s time the industry and the government brought in legislation to increase eco-awareness in various industries says Harinakkshi Nair of HVS who heads the Ecotel Certification in India
When we were growing up we were never reminded of the fact that there may be a day, not far in the future, when most of the natural resources that we took for granted would, slowly but steadily, leave us forever.
It is not as if we did not care, but those were the days when the Internet and media as communication channels were not as strong or as visible as they are now. Fortunately today these media are so strong that awareness is not restricted to the young, but is reaching out to each and everyone who cares to listen and is urging and encouraging everyone to act.
With greater awareness come questions – the most common being the one about who would tell people what is right and what is propaganda. As more industries started getting their respective standards in place, the hospitality industry started asking analogous questions.
Traditionally the hospitality industry in general and the hotel industry in particular consume a lot of natural resources, such as energy and water, and are one of the biggest generators of solid waste and dangerous pollutants. This is an industry that does the job of showing the world that people can travel away from their homes and still be treated like royalty – epitomising the old adage of living life king size.
The issues faced commonly by the hotel industry are by far the same, be it in any part of the world.
Unwarranted energy consumption in the form of excessive lighting, unnecessary running of air-conditioners, using of high-powered lamps where not needed, and leaving lights and air-conditioners running while rooms are unoccupied are some of the things which were accepted as a norm in hotels.
The huge number of air-conditioners and refrigerators in an average-sized hotel led to greenhouse gas generation and carbon emissions, with the side-effect of ozone depletion so much so that the effect on the atmosphere was not just damaging but downright frightening.
Water wastage, in the form of uneconomically designed water tanks and flushes which purged more water than they put to good use, was huge. Solid waste being generated from the massive kitchens and in-house restaurants of hotels in the form of food, which was wasted more than it was consumed, or the waste generated by guests, that the housekeeping department threw away, was colossal.
Keeping the hotel lobbies and rooms spic and span involved the use of a lot of chemicals, most of which were hazardous not just to the people using them, but also to the symbiotic environmental balance around the globe. The sewage that was generated at the end of it all was being pumped into the city sewers without any treatment being done, which in turn led not just to the polluting of our environment, but also to bringing about with it a host of intangible but related maladies to the populace around.
Somewhere in the midst of making their guests feel on top of the world, there must have been an inkling of self-doubt that crept in, nudging this industry to look inwards; and helping it realise that it too felt the need for an outside agency or third party certification authority to lay down environment standards that could guide, elucidate and educate the hospitality industry in the do’s and don’ts of environmental preservation. This, in turn, led to standards and certification programs being formed and refined.
Thus the Ecotel Certification program was created to help the hospitality industry leaders enhance the value of their hotels through eco-initiatives. Today the Ecotel Certification is widely regarded by hoteliers and environmental groups as the pinnacle of environmental achievement for hotels and resorts.
The need of the hour now is for the Indian government to inject some momentum into this global eco-movement by bringing in legislation to get varied industries certified as being eco-aware. It is time for the Government of India or perhaps the local hotel organisations like FHRAI or HAI to make it mandatory for the hospitality industry to have an eco-commitment, or make environmental responsibility a key criterion while awarding a hotel its star rating.
We started late but does it mean that we do not catch up?
Zee Zest Unlimit Awards 2024: A spectacular evening of excellence and glamour
Leisure Hotels Group introduces new ‘Sociotel’ concept
JM Financial Private Equity invests Rs 45 Crore in Energy Beverages Pvt Ltd
Fortune Hotels inks a new alliance in Palampur
Pride Hotels debuts in Punjab
One Rep Global inaugurates luxury roadshow, ‘One Edge’