Eco Friendly Housekeeping

Introduction

In today’s world there is a need for conserving the environment. Global warming is on a high and due to this different climatic changes are taking place affecting many. Hence there is a need for a sustainable environment. Every Industry is finding new methods and technology to improve its production and profit not realizing how much they are affecting our environment. In today’s world the trend of being environmental friendly is increasing. Hotels are trying to play their part and as every person irrelevant whether they are travelling for leisure, business or any other purpose use a hotel. As a hotel has a wide network of influence on people the hotels are going environmental friendly by introducing the concept of Ecotels. The housekeeping is where there is the widest scope for being environmental friendly and preserving natural resources. As they are the ones who use the most amount of resources such as water and energy.

Hotels

A Hotel can be defined as a place where a bonofide guest stays for a particular period of time and avails the facilities and services given by the hotel and pays for the services and facilities available. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, a safe, a mini-bar with snack foods and drinks, and facilities for making tea and coffee. Luxury features include bathrobes and slippers, a pillow menu, twin-sink vanities, and Jacuzzi bathtubs. Larger hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, business center, childcare, conference facilities and social function services.

Eco –Friendly

Eco – Friendly or environmental friendly is a term used to send a message that the product or service claims not to inflict harm or minimize or prevent any harm to the environment or any ecosystem or diversity. There are companies that use this concept as a sales promoter of their goods and services. There are countries that have started their own agencies to see whether the product is in real environmental friendly or is it just a sales promoter. These agencies also give certificates to state whether the company is a green company therefore its infrastructure and technology is also environmental friendly.

The Origin

Eco friendly is a shorter form of environmentally friendly and this word may also be called green and these terms are a result of ecology. The term ecology is derived from two Greek words (oikos – means ‘house’ or place to live and logos means ‘a discussion or study’).Ecology is actually the study of organisms at home or in their native environment. The Environment consists of abiotic and biotic organisms. Change or any harm to these organisms diversity can relate to harmful conclusions. If an ecosystem is tampered with, it can cause: Changes in Timing of Seasonal Life Cycles: As the climate influences organisms annual life cycle, migration, blooming and mating process. Any changes to this can affect their pattern and may result in growth and survival issues. Range Shifts: As temperature increases many species move upwards towards the northern latitudes, changes in this will affect their range by either increasing or decreasing make them settle in less hospitable habitat. Food Web Disruptions: Due to changes in climate animals food chain patterns will be disrupted risking their life.

Extinction Risks: As climate increases, the habitat of the species keep changing hence disrupting habitats and risking loss of life of these species and hence causing extinction. To curb these problems eco-friendly practices have come into play such as making the most of what you have. For example one can start by doing small things such as turning of the light. One can introduce thermostats in their homes so that it can regulate temperature when someone is present in the house. For companies to start eco-friendly practices it has to be planned as it has to be done on a large scale. For starters the employees can come to work by telecommunicating with each other therefore decreasing fuel consumption as well as air pollution. The company itself can start by starting a green program therefore using the 3 R’s strategy of recycling reusing and reducing. In this way every person can help contribute their part to the environment.

Ecotels

Ecotels or also known as green hotels are earth friendly hotels or eco-sensitive hotels that feature innovative and imaginative programs for conserving natural resources, reducing waste, minimizing pollution, and maximizing sustainability. Many such properties are designed and constructed keeping in the concept of being environmental friendly. Many ecotels consists of recycled or renovated building material with upgrades to conserve water, energy, minimize waste incorporate natural landscaping or utilize recovered building materials. Examples of these building would be: Shipping Container Travelodge, Uxbridge, UK

Travelodge lands in the top 5 for its Uxbridge outpost, built from 86 different shipping containers by Verbus Systems. While the rooms and exterior cladding may make this look like any other motel, the modular construction process by which it was built saved considerable time, money, and materials – so much so that the savvy global motelier is planning to erect a 307-room version at Heathrow for a savings of up to 10 million pounds ($18.6 million). Once it’s built, the Heathrow shipping container motel will make the perfect first night’s stop for a green traveler on the move.

 Gyreum Ecolodge, County Sligo, Ireland

Straight from Middle Earth, the Gyreum Ecolodge is the first lodge in Europe to be awarded the EU Eco Label and a recent finalist for the LAMA Awards as the Best Ecofriendly Building. This 100 ft diameter solar and wind powered circular fort is half buried in the County Sligo earth and constructed from renewable resources. Did we mention that it’s also aligned to three solar events and points towards surrounding megalithic cairns? Accommodations are simple but perfectly adequate

Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm, Sweden

We head a bit farther north to visit the Jumbo Hostel, an eco-hostel that soars to the top of our list this summer. This 747-200 logged countless miles during its years of service but an early retirement to the landfill is not in the stars (or skies) for this particular plane. The jet now houses weary travelers in compact 6 square meter rooms. Some lucky visitors may even get to sleep in the cockpit, and soon more rooms will be added to the mechanical part of the plane. The interiors are decorated in simple and modern Scandinavian style and still feature the original lounge and first class seating.

ECOTEL ® Certification Services

Concept Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. has entered into a MOU with HVS Eco Services (the certifying agency for environmentally sensitive hotels) to facilitate growth of Ecotels in Asia and particularly India. Ecotel is the `Hallmark of Environmentally Sensitive Hotels’. Concept Hospitality Pvt. Ltd operationalizes the certification and markets the brand. The ECOTEL® Collection is an exclusive group of international inns, hotels and resorts that define the concept of environmental responsibility in the hospitality industry. All Ecotel certified hotels must pass a detailed inspection and satisfy stringent criteria set by environmental experts.

Examples of Ecotel Certified Hotels in India

The Uppal, an Ecotel Hotel, New Delhi. Cabana Hotel, an Ecotel Hotel, Phagwara, Punjab. The Fern Chain of Hotels is an Ecotel in Mumbai Gurgaon and Jaipur. These hotels have been given their distinction of being named an Ecotel as they fulfilled the 5 areas needed to be called an Ecotel. These 5 processes are called “THE 5 Globes.” The 5 globes consist of:

Energy Efficiency: This mind requires for the hotel to formulate a plan in such a way keeping in mind to reduce the energy consumption. Water Conservation: This all depends on how the hotel conserves water in all department and all levels of the hotel. It also sees how well the water is being recycled and reused. Solid waste Management: The hotel must see to it that it has a plan to recycle and manage waste. It should see to it that proper methods are being used for disposing of waste and have proper systems for recycling waste as well.

Environmental Commitment: The hotel must demonstrate their commitment for the preservation of the environment. This can be done by showing through their mission statement how they plan to preserve the environment. Employee education and community development: The hotel should show how involved its employees are in showing their efforts towards contributing to the environment by having workshops and training.

Eco-Friendly Concept

In today’s world, hotels have a huge network of people, and for any program to be a success the operations would have to be changed behind the scenes. A successful environmental program will depend on communicating activities to all employees. The fact that the hotel recognizes the importance of the environment can help send an important message across to the outside world. Due to the hotels network of people it can a huge influence in creating environmental awareness thus creating a tremendous change. Eco- friendly hotels are becoming a popular concept and many new and old hotels are playing their part in contributing. Eco-Friendly concepts are followed by the hotel may be:

The plan of the Hotel

Skylights may be used to reduce heat and noise levels and provide natural sunlight Hotels use a cool deck around the swimming pool to reduce the ground surface temperature. The cement used in hotels should contain fly ash as it is eco-friendly. Waste water can be recycled and with the latest technology can be reused in air conditioners or gardens. Drip irrigation is another way to conserve water.

Use reused wood in the interiors

Use PL lamps and fluorescent tubes as they consume less energy. Hotels are trying to aim towards zero garbage hotels by introducing programs such as vermiculture. Wooden hangers or hangers made of saw dust.

Recycle bins are kept in guest rooms for recycling items.

The First World Ecotel

The first world Ecotel was a major asset and was known as The New York Vista Hotel in the World Trade Center. After the bomb blasts in 1993 and after renovation took place the hotel opened as a certified ecotel in 1994 and was run by the Port Authority. Renovating the building took about 144 million dollars out of which only 30 million dollars were paid by insurance. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is launching the world’s first Green Hotel. This hotel could be a 100% ecological hotel and set the benchmark for other hoteliers. The solar powered hotel is known as the “Innovation Hotel” and is the latest in energy conservation and water recycling and conservation. The green features of this futuristic hotel are:

Forwarding of unused non-perishable food to charities
Solar panels to heat water.
A rainwater harvesting system to supply water to toilets. A roof garden rich in shrubbery to provide extra insulation. Wind power to generate electricity for the hotel.
Furniture and fitting made entirely of recycled matter.
Household waste to provide heat and power.
The next few hotels made by IHG are going to be made using the concept of the innovation as they want to be the first to roll out its green credentials company worldwide.

Ecotel in India

The first ecotel in India was “The Orchid – Mumbai.” The hotel was inaugurated in 2000 and known for its eco-friendly practices such as: The building exterior is made from Portland pozzalana cement which has about 15 – 20% of fly ash. Water conservation is used as The Orchid uses drip irrigation and drinking water treatment as well as it has its own sewage treatment plant. The Orchid uses reused wood for its interiors as well as rubber wood and triple glazed windows. The Orchid uses PL and fluorescent lighting.

The Air conditioners are not CFC refrigerators but are R22 which save a lot of electricity. The hangers are made of saw dust and they have wooden slippers and provide fruits only on request. Housekeeping

Housekeeping is defined as a provision of a clean comfortable and safe environment. It is management and maintenance of the property and equipment of an institution or organization, a house, an industrial or commercial institution. Cleanliness comfort and safety are the essence of housekeeping. The Housekeeping Department of a hotel is one of the most important departments as in this survey ATTRIBUTESGUESTS PERCENTAGE

Quite/Privacy9%
Cleanliness/Appearance 63%
Good Service45%
Facilities35%
Convenience/Location32%
Price/Reasonable Rate39%
Through this above table one can see that cleanliness gets the most preference when a guest chooses his/her hotel. Hence this shows that housekeeping department is one of the most important departments in hotel operations.

The Housekeeping Department consists of:

Layout of the Housekeeping consists of:
Housekeeper’s Cabin
Desk Control Room
Linen Room
Uniform Room
Tailor’s Room
Lost and Found Section
Flower Room
Heavy Equipment Store
Green House

Housekeeping and Eco-Friendly Practices

Since World War 2 the population has almost doubled itself, industrialization is on a widespread. This pace of change is affecting the earth and as we know it also is affecting us and many other species as well. Global Warming has become a widespread element of threat. We are facing global environmental problems which include accumulation of wastes and the pollution of air and water due to dumping of by-products of toxins. To curb these problems new strategies must be adopted to maintain a sustainable planet. Executive housekeepers in lodging operations are in a privileged position to help prevent the continuous decay of the environment.

Eco Friendly Amenities Products and Processes

As a part of the relation that is growing between Housekeeping and Eco – Friendly Practices the practices used are also gaining momentum because of staff and guest involvement. Some of the practices that can be used are:

•Recycling Garbage: An average person’s waste per day is about 3.5 pounds. And now as landfills are also becoming full there is one only other way and that is to burn it but that removes many toxic chemicals which becomes really harmful. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found a solution which states to reducing waste before it originates by recycling and using this material for making other products. By recycling products such as aluminum cans and glass bottles and jars one can potentially save on transport cost. •Water Conservation: Water being a component of all life on earth tends to become the most important resource to man. We are facing the problem of freshwater and the problem of mixing of toxins in the water make it a bigger problem. Waste Management: Use recycled water for horticulture purposes, flushing toilets and air conditioning through separate pipes. A sewage treatment plant should be installed in the hotel.

Rain Water Harvesting: Replenish ground water by rainwater harvesting. By using the concept of rainwater harvesting 25% of the water is unaccounted for and through proper channels can be directed to rainwater harvesting wells. Horticulture: Use of timer controlled sprinklers systems and self-closing nozzles on hoses can save water. The sprinkler can work in the early mornings and late evenings so that the sun is not at its peak and this reduces the amount of evaporation. Drip irrigation can be used to water the roots as that’s the main component of the plant that needs water instead of drenching the whole plant.

•Energy Conservation: Each and every staff member should be made aware regarding the concern of the consumption of energy. Important guidelines and methods should be followed while implementing energy conservation. The particular areas are of importance: Guestrooms: These account for a major portion of hotels total energy consumption. Energy used for air – conditioning ventilation and heating changes with weather conditions but lighting is directly proportional to the occupancy. Laundry: This facility uses a large amount of energy for washing as well as finishing processes. The energy depends largely on the equipment being used. Lighting: This accounts for 10- 25% of the hotels total electric consumption. Different areas use different type of lighting and hence require different amount of power.

Eco Friendly Housekeeping

The Housekeeping department can contribute in a big way to making a hotel eco-sensitive. The department can do the following: Most 5 star hotels change laundry on a daily basis. Since the laundry is almost always very lightly soiled the department may in consolation draw up a policy with the management to change the linen every 2 to 3 days unless perceptibly soiled. This process may save large amount water as well. A tent card that states the purpose behind the same will always encourage a guest to oblige by providing relevant water statistics. Housekeepers and interior designers can use a 9Walt bulb instead of the 60Walt as it uses the gives the same amount of light and will save a lot of energy as well. Ozone Treatment: Ozone Treatment is emerging as a clean and friendly technique that is gaining popularity and can work very well in the housekeeping department. Ozone is a form of oxygen molecule composed of three atoms instead of the normal two. It decomposes quickly and turns into regular oxygen easily. However when the extra atom splits away it tends to oxidize substances it comes in contact with acting as a disinfectant. Ozone is safer and more effective than chlorine as it leaves no harmful chemicals behind.

Air Treatment with Ozone: Ozonizes can be used to treat air in hotel rooms and public areas. Ozonizing air scrubbers in bars and pubs: Specially designed scrubbers can draw out the foul air treat it with ozone to disinfect and clean the air a d then return it through the air handling unit. Water Treatment with Ozone: Ozone can be used to treat drinking water swimming pools etc. Disinfection of drinking water: Ozone acts as an anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent and in a few seconds’ kills germs and bacteria removing the odours and unpleasant taste to provide safe drinking water. Swimming pool treatment: Ozone is injected through the water entry point and through this treatment makes water clear sparkling and appealing and isn’t a health hazard as compared to chlorine.

Ozone in Laundries: Ozone is an effective cleaning agent in all single color laundry operations since it improves efficiency of the washing process by reacting with the dirt molecules and converting them to oxidizers that are easier to treat. Ozone substantially reduces or eliminates the need for laundering chemicals. Its deodorizing properties also help to eliminate any odour from the laundered cloths. Xeric Gardens: Xeriscape is a coined word derived from the Greek ‘Xeros’, meaning Dry. It is used to describe landscaping with water conservation as a major objective. It Often is also accomplished by using plants native to the region. A xeric garden is an attractive, sustainable landscape that conserves water and is based on sound horticultural practices .Eco Friendly Products The different products provided are:

Clover Eco460 All Purpose Cleaner 5Litre – 10.25 pounds
Clover Eco507 Washroom Cleaner 5litre – 10.25 pounds
Clover Eco550 Toilet Cleaner 1L – 1.99 pounds
UltraDose Air Conditioner 2litre UB70 – 16.09 pounds
UltraDose Glass Cleaner 2litre UB80 – 16.09 pounds
Professional Mop bucket and Wringer – 7.65 pounds
SYR Ladybug Combo Bucket 14litre – 23.52 pounds
Karcher 5/11C Cold Water High Pressure Cleaner (1520104) – 270.95 pounds
Energy costs saved are taken from the EPA’s Energy Star calculator. The cost of an ozone laundry generator is $20,000. The labor cost to install one generator is $2,000. The total cost to convert the laundry operations to ozone is $66,000

Suggestions and Recommendations

Through this project I have learnt that in today’s world eco-friendly has become one important tool just not for saving the environment but also is an important sales promoter. The housekeeping department has the widest scope and therefore can do the most from each department to save resources. Making a guest a part of the ecofriendly initiative and hence making him a loyal customer and by making special workshops on the environment it will help the employees get more involved in the trend of using these products.

Conclusion

Through this project based on Eco friendly housekeeping I have learnt a lot about the different practices that take place in the housekeeping department. I have also learnt about the 5 globes and the list of requirements needed to be called an Ecotel. I have also learnt about the practices that can be used in the housekeeping department such as ozone treatments and all the different treatments that can take place because of ozone treatment such as cleaning of the laundry and swimming pool and air. The ozone laundry was a brilliant innovation that will change the process of the laundry department in the housekeeping department. I came to know about the different eco-friendly products that can be used. Overall I have learnt a lot from this project and it is an interesting topic based that it is on conserving the environment.