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Operation
theme content ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE issue content ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT Although environmental building design is critically important to reduce environmental impacts of an operation, on average the operation of the building over its lifetime (i.e. 50 years) contributes 5 times the impacts of the initial construction. Thus, a life-cycle analysis is required to fully understand the environmental impacts of a building. REFERENCES issue content ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT Although environmental building design is critically important to reduce environmental impacts of an operation, on average the operation of the building over its lifetime (i.e. 50 years) contributes 5 times the impacts of the initial construction. Thus, a life-cycle analysis is required to fully understand the environmental impacts of a building. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE issue content ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT It is impossible to measure environmental success without knowledge and data on current and past practices. Benchmarking allows for more accurate decision-making and illustrates the benefits of adopting environmental practices. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT The design and operation of a hotel facility can never eliminate environmental impacts. Thus, the adoption of environmental values requires a continual search for improvements on existing practices. Fortunately, this process also contributes to improved economic performance as well. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE issue content ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT Design the interior layout to facilitate collection and recycling practices by building occupants. Include areas for waste collection, separation, and storage to occur within the building. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT Composting is the transformation of organic material (plant matter) through decomposition into a soil-like material called compost. Invertebrates (insects and earthworms), and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) help in transforming the material into compost. Composting is a natural form of recycling, which continually occurs in nature. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE issue content ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT Serious consideration of life-cycle costs and benefits is needed before any renovation or retrofitting of systems or appliances is done. Renovations can have benefits as long as the end goals are attainable. For example, if the target is to achieve 100% passive solar heating of a building, than it may not be cost effective to increase insulation of exterior partitions of a poorly insulated wall. In some cases, it may be more cost-effective to start with a highly energy efficient building design. On the other hand, retrofits of systems and appliances typically provide instant economic and environmental benefits. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE With utilities and power marketers striving to find ways to differentiate their products and services, many are exploring mechanisms to market green energy products and services. One mechanism that will allow green power marketers to capitalize on the demand for green energy products and services is net metering. Net metering, which allows the electric meters of customers with generating facilities to turn backwards when the generators are producing energy in excess of the customers' demand, enables customers to use their own generation to offset their consumption over a billing period. This offset means that customers receive retail prices for the excess electricity they generate. Without net metering, a second meter is usually installed to measure the electricity that flows back to the provider, with the provider purchasing the power at a rate much lower than the retail rate. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE Food plays a major role in promoting environmental stewardship in a building operation. The production of food has many associated environmental impacts and choices in food sources can make a big difference. Food waste if not dealt with in an environmental manner can cause significant waste products. Moreover, the interaction of food and people provides a distinctive channel to communicate environmental values through food choices. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT The use of conventionally produced food products may have significant environmental impacts associated with them. Large scale industrial agriculture often requires excess inputs (synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, fossil fuels for machinery, annual cropping and tilling that exposes the soil to erosion). ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE Effective, efficient building operations and maintenance (O&M) pays off. The reliability of building equipment improves while the cost of building ownership and operation is reduced. Establishing an effective O&M management system is one of the most cost-effective actions that a building manager can make. Such a management system will maximize the return from your maintenance dollar by identifying on-going problems and eliminating non-productive maintenance practices. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT Although a building may be designed efficiently, the systems and equipment must be maintained and continually monitored to retain the high level of efficiency. Aside from the obvious tasks like changing filters or balancing HVAC systems, maintenance on every piece of building equipment can influence the energy performance of a building. An overheating fan motor will not only raise operating costs of the fan, but may also lower the efficiency of the entire HVAC system. A leaking chiller pump will draw extra power and will also hurt the chiller efficiency. And certain thermostatic controls, particularly pneumatic controls, need to be regularly calibrated to keep them operating properly. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE The benefits of environmental practices are felt by all. A well managed building across the street not only protects and preserves the neighbourhoods environment but encourages others to take action to reduce their impacts. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT An efficient successful environmental organization is one where all the employees including managers, employees, and contractors are aware of the goals and practices of the organization. To achieve maximum success it is important to have an educational program in place that allows for participation throughout the organization. ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ELEMENT The arrival of a new trend or paradigm offers opportunities for those early adopters and those who seek to leverage it to their advantage. Environmental building design and operation is no different. An environmental operation that educates the surrounding community can achieve greater environmental success through cooperation and increased market share.
Overview
Environmental Impacts Operation vs Construction
"Viewed over a 30-year period, initial building costs account for approximately just two percent of the total, while operations and maintenance costs equal six percent, and personnel costs equal 92 percent" (1996) (see Figure 1 below).
FIGURE 1: Environmental impacts of buildings over a life-cycle (30 years).
Public Technology Inc., US Green Building Council., Sustainable Building Technical Manual, 1996.
ENVIROMENTAL DESIGN ISSUE
Overview
Environmental Impacts Operation vs Construction
"Viewed over a 30-year period, initial building costs account for approximately just two percent of the total, while operations and maintenance costs equal six percent, and personnel costs equal 92 percent" (1996) (see Figure 1 below).
FIGURE 1: Environmental impacts of buildings over a life-cycle (30 years).
Enivronmental Management System
Benchmarking
Continual Improvement
Waste Management
Storage and Collection of Recyclables
Composting Organic Waste
An ancient practice, composting is mentioned in the Bible several times and can be traced to Marcus Cato, a farmer and scientist who lived in Rome 2,000 years ago. Cato viewed compost as the fundamental soil enhancer, essential for maintaining fertile and productive agricultural land. He stated that all food and animal wastes should be composted before being added to the soil. By the 19th century in America, most farmers and agricultural writers knew about composting.
Today there are several different reasons why composting remains an invaluable practice. Yard and food wastes make up approximately 30% of the waste stream in the United States. Composting most of these waste streams would reduce the amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) requiring disposal by almost one fourth, while at the same time provide a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Compost added to gardens improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and water retention. When mixed with compost, clay soils are lightened, and sandy soils retain water better. Mixing compost with soil also contributes to erosion control, soil fertility, proper pH balance, and healthy root development in plants.
The standard means of disposal for most yard and food waste include landfilling and incineration. These practices are not as environmentally or economically sound as composting. Yard waste which is landfilled breaks down very slowly due to the lack of oxygen. As it decomposes, it produces methane gas and acidic leachate, which are both environmental problems.
Landfilling organic wastes also takes up landfill space needed for other wastes. Incinerating moist organic waste is inefficient and results in poor combustion, which disrupts the energy generation of the facility and increases the pollutants that need to be removed by the pollution-control devices. Composting these wastes is a more effective and usually less expensive means of managing organic wastes. It can be done successfully on either a large or small scale, but the technique and equipment used differ.
Decomposition occurs naturally anywhere plants grow. When a plant dies, its remains are attacked by microorganisms and invertebrates in the soil, and it is decomposed to humus. This is how nutrients are recycled in an ecosystem. This natural decomposition can be encouraged by creating ideal conditions. The microorganisms and invertebrates fundamental to the composting process require oxygen and water to successfully decompose the material. The end products of the process are soil-enriching compost, carbon dioxide, water, and heat.
Composting is a dynamic process which will occur quickly or slowly, depending on the process used and the skill with which it is executed. A neglected pile of organic waste will inevitably decompose, but slowly. This has been referred to as "passive composting," because little maintenance is performed. Fast or "active" composting can be completed in two to six weeks. This method requires three key activities; 1) "aeration," by turning the compost pile, 2) moisture, and 3) the proper carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio. Attention to these elements will raise the temperature to around 130=-140=, and ensure rapid decomposition.
The success with which the organic substances are composted depends on the organic material and the decomposer organisms involved. Some organic materials are broken down more easily than others. Different decomposers thrive on different materials as well as at different temperature ranges. Some microbes require oxygen, and others do not; those that require oxygen are preferable for composting.
A more diverse microbial community makes for a more efficient composting process. If the environment in the compost pile becomes inhospitable to a particular type of decomposer, it will die, become dormant, or move to a different part of the compost pile. The transforming conditions of the compost pile create a continually evolving ecosystem inside the pile.
Renovation or Retrofit?
Renovations and Retrofits
Utilities - Net Metering
Net metering is a low-cost, easily-administered method to encourage customer investment in renewable energy technologies. It increases the value of the electricity produced by renewable generation and allows customers to "bank" their energy and use it a different time than it is produced giving customers more flexibility and allowing them to maximize the value of their production. Providers may also benefit from net metering programs because when customers are producing electricity during peak periods, the system load factor is improved.
Rebates and Assistance
Food
Organic Produce and Local Food
Maintenance
Maintaining Building Efficiency
Maintenace procedures may include the following:
1. Performance monitoring — Equipment should be continuously or at least periodically monitored in order to recognize problems that need attention.
2. Defect and failure detection — Equipment errors or malfunctions can be detected through service alarms or predicted based on previous performance histories.
3. System protection — Backups, standbys or other resources can be used to minimize the effects of equipment failures, allowing the failed component to be isolated and repaired without interrupting system performance.
4. Fault localization — Use of test systems, both internal and external, to determine whether information about faults is complete or sufficient for other actions to take place.
Education and Community Outreach
The famous story of the "butterfly effect" (Chaos Theory) illustrates how one small action taken in one part of the world can have dramatic impacts around the globe. Similarly, by operating an environmental hotel, guests are surrounded by ecologically informed practices which over time will be inducted into their own practices, and the cycle continues.
The flapping of a single butterfly's wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month's time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn't happen. Or maybe one that wasn't going to happen, does.
- http://www.imho.com/grae/chaos/chaos.html
Educating Employees
Consider the following educational strategies:
1. Develop an environmental management system that includes managers and employees from throughout the organization.
2. Involve each department of the hotel by empowering employees and managers to benchmark, set targets, and compete for environmental efficiency and performance between each other.
3. Organize an environmental seminar by inviting local and international speakers, consultants, or employees of local environmental institutions and companies. Don't shy away from the competition, but rather embrace their successes and seek to go beyond their achievements.
4. Offer volunteer opportunties for your employees to take time off to volunteer for environmental causes.
5. Join local environmental organizations.
Becoming a Leader in the Community
Some ideas for community outreach and cooperation:
1. Use coconut husks from restaurant as planters to grow indigenous plants to be given free to the community.
[Kandalama Hotel, Sri Lanka]
2. Develop a CD that illustrates and educates viewers on the environmental design and performance of the hotel.
[Orchid Hotel, India]
3. Host an environmental conference.
[Kandalama Hotel, Orchid Hotel]
4. Develop an eco-library within the hotel.
[Kandalama Hotel]
5. Organize a clean up the beach event that includes employees and managers of your hotel.
[Confifi Eden Hotel, Sri Lanka]
6. Refusing to sell endangered local flora and fauna and educating consumers and clients.
[Le Touessrok Hotel, Mauritius]
7. Management of the local marine park and free excursions for local school children.
[Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar]
8. Purchase as much product locally as possible, support small local businesses.
[Yelverton Brook Luxury Eco Retreat, Australia]