History Team Practices Contact
 

 

Comprehensive Review of Environmental Practices
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1.1 Charity and Service to Humanitarian and Environmental Organizations.
2.0 Development, Construction, and Land Use Planning.
3.0 Preservation of Natural Surroundings

4.0 Resource Use and Disposal
5.0 Interaction with Local Communities.

 

 

6.0 Guest Education and Awareness.

 

 

 


1.1 Charity and Service to Environmental and Humanitarian Organizations:

Saunders Hotel Group’s (SHG’s) corporate motto “Preserving the Past and Protecting the Future” ™ and The Lenox Hotel’s motto “Serving You and the Environment” clearly indicates this family business’ longstanding devotion to historic preservation, community, and environmental leadership.

We take genuine pride in our relationships with numerous local and national non-profit organizations. We also find real satisfaction in helping support our community, including the less fortunate members of the population.

Because of our unusually deep level of corporate philanthropy and involvement in charitable efforts, the combined impact of the Saunders Hotel’s owners and employees makes a significant difference in our community. One of our core goals as a family business is to help create a more equitable and sustainable society.

Though quantifying our complete achievements is a challenge, we hope that a snapshot of our contributions will demonstrate our devotion to environmental and humanitarian causes.

 

Charity

·         SHG created The Swan Fund for the Environment, which has donated over $180,000 to local and international environmental groups since 1992.

·         The Lenox Hotel regularly donates meeting space at our hotels and money to local groups, including Clean Water Action, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC), and the Environmental League of Massachusetts’ “Earth Night”, New England Aquarium, Ceres, Manomet Center for Science, Woods Hole Research Center, Harvard School of Public Health, and Alternatives for Community & Environment as well as many others.

·         SHG funds an annual $11,700 scholarship to a college student in need of financial aid at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration

·         The Lenox and each Saunders property provide the child or grandchild of an employee with a 4-year scholarship worth $120,000 at the Newbury College, Roger A. Saunders School of Hotel & Restaurant Management.

·         Over the last four years, SHG has made $14,000,000 in contributions to create affordable housing around Boston.

 

Service

As a service-oriented family business, we have cultivated a culture of service within and outside of our hotels. The Lenox Hotel serves in area clean-ups and fundraising efforts.

·         We donate redeemable cans and bottles to You Can Help, Inc., a non profit that raises funds for cancer research and helps reduce unemployment. The hotel also collects canned goods for donation to Can Share.

·         “Green Team” employees participate in the Boston City Year Serve-a-Thon, the Walk for Hunger, the AIDS Ride, and of course, Earth Day events as well as the Revere Beach and Charles River Cleanups.

·         Provide hormone-free, Thanksgiving turkeys to food shelters (as well as to every team member).

·         Outdated furniture, mattresses, TV’s, linens, and other hotel items are donated to area homeless shelters.

·         Used toner cartridges are given to a recycling group that donates all of its proceeds, called Toys for Tots

·         Partially-used guest amenity bottles are donated to Rosie’s Place, a local women’s shelter.

·         Most team members make paycheck donations to the United Way every year.

·         The leadership team donates time and expertise to local and nationwide conservation efforts and community groups including the Harvard School of Public Health, The Woods Hole Research Center, New England Aquarium, National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), the Boston Preservation Alliance, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), local food pantries, and many others.


 

2.0 Development, Construction, and Land Use Planning

2.1 Development

SHG’s historic hotel’s were acquired and renovated by the Saunders Family over the last three generations to preserve their antiquity. Rather than starting anew, we restored and renovated the historic Copley Square and Lenox Hotels, built in 1891 and 1900 respectively to help preserve Boston’s unique sense of place and provide guests with the individual experience that historic properties can best provide.

During the past 16 years we have initiated many affiliations with non-profit and governmental organizations such as the EPA’s EnergyStar, Green Seal, The New England Aquarium, Ceres (The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies), The Climate Neutral Network, CIC (the Convention Industry Council’s Green Meeting Task Force), ACE (Alternatives  for Community & Environment), CERC (which greened the 2004 DNC Convention) NWF,  CLF (Conservation Law Foundation), Env 2004, AH&LA (American Hotel Assoc.) Env. & Eng. Committee, as well as numerous colleges and schools.

Each property is financed with proceeds from other SHG properties. The Saunders family is committed to reinvesting profits back into the business and in so doing, helping to provide new employment opportunities for area residents as well as to strengthen the local economy as a whole.

2.1 Location

The Lenox Hotel is in the heart of Boston, an urban city with 600,000 inhabitants. Densely packed and vertically built, the hotels have a small footprint on the land. By drawing leisure guests to our urban hotels, we serve as a “sacrifice site”, said Martha Honey, and pristine areas with rich biodiversity are kept untouched. We believe, in fact, that our ecological vision brings people to an area with less sensitive natural surroundings and therefore minimizes our environmental impact.

 

As an aside, when we developed our Comfort Inn & Suites property, we reclaimed an urban landfill location as the site for the property in 2000. Thus, we transformed a previously unusable urban site into a productive and beautiful one.

 

2.2 Construction, Design, and Renovation

Saunders Hotel Group’s company tagline, “Preserving The Past And Protecting The Future” says much about its commitment to preserving the cultural heritage of Boston. The Saunders Family is dedicated to making Boston a global destination for leisure and business travelers alike, so that visitors can experience the unique culture and history of Boston. As many people know, Boston is the heart of American history, with an unusually rich past for the United States. Boston was the first settling place for pilgrims fleeing religious persecution in Europe and the center of the revolt against British taxation, which ultimately led to America’s Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Saunders Family has actively been involved in the freedom trail and other historical activities and destination, such as the African American museum, Vilna Shul, Boston’s oldest synagogue, and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Below, we show how SHG is an active, responsible member of its community, and a good neighbor that respects the history, sense of place and cultural heritage of where it does business.

  • We completely restored and renovated The Lenox Hotel, built in 1900 by the owner of the Waldorf Astoria, Lucias Boomer, rather than tearing it down and starting over.  In 2003 The Lenox earned national accolades for historic preservation and design.
     
  • In renovations, we used recycled and used materials, such as cork, old bricks, and reclaimed wood. We also purchased highly energy-efficient windows and insulation and used low VOC paints.
     
  • We performed an extensive environmental footprint analysis of SHG properties for the 2000 Ceres Report and we continue to do every other year.
     
  • Despite being an historic property, we have achieved exceptional energy performance and are recognized as an “EnergyStar Leader”.
     
  • The Lenox Hotel and sister properties have helped initiate a citywide program called Greening Boston whose goal is to establish Boston as a globally recognized green destination.
     
  • We maintain partnerships with local and national associations to maintain the hotels’ architectural and operational history, aligning with Boston’s rich history.
     
  • Many employees are as devoted to the Saunders Hotel as the Saunders family is to Boston. SHG is a third generation family business and has many employees who have been a part of the team for decades.

As a result of our efforts, SHG has won numerous historic preservation awards locally and nationally, such as the National Preservation Award given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in July 1999.

 
 

3.0 Preservation of Natural Surroundings

The Lenox is improving its property and its communities’ air and water quality by finding and replacing products with cleaner, healthier alternatives. In addition, our other hotels have impressive eco-features.

 

·         Closed-loop cooling towers, low flow showers, toilets, and faucet aerators in guest bathrooms save approximately 1,800,000 gallons of water annually. In addition, we use water conserving, air-cooled equipment.
 

·         We use low VOC paints, Nature’s Mist air fresheners, and Green Seal certified cleaners that clean naturally without affecting the environment, guests, or team members.
 

·         Our laundries use ozone to dramatically reduce chemical use and hot water.
 

·         Crystal chandeliers are cleaned ultrasonically – using only water and sound waves, instead of harsh chemicals.
 

·         We purchase Philips Alto green cap fluorescent bulbs, which contain less mercury and other heavy metals, and are not considered hazardous waste. 
 

·         We use cleaning products that are phosphate and chlorine free, non-toxic, and biodegradable.
 

·         We buy a variety of locally produced products to support area businesses and minimize air pollution from long distance shipping.

·         To strengthen the recycling market, we purchase many recycled content products, including carpet padding, toilet paper, remanufactured toner cartridges, and printed materials.

o     Toilet paper is bleached without chlorine and is 100% recycled, with 60% post-consumer content.

o     Office paper and letterhead have a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content.

o     File folders and other office products are purchased from Earthwise and have a minimum of 50% post consumer recycled content.

·         At the Comfort Inn & Suites, owned and managed by the SHG, the swimming pool is chlorine free, using an ionization system to clean the water. It has three cleaner-burning compressed natural gas vans to move guests from the airport to our hotels. Occasionally, we even donate the vans to local environmental groups and green conferences.

 

Though direct interaction with rich biodiversity is perceived to be minimal in an urban setting, our progressive conservation initiative at The Lenox Hotel initiatives have further ripple effects by also raising the environmental awareness of over 85,000 guests each year.

 

 

4.0 Resource Use and Disposal

4.1 Measurement

We are continuously monitoring the environmental footprint of our facilities and even, our suppliers. Though a difficult task, we conscientiously track and quantify our monthly usage of energy and water, and disposal of waste so that we can measure the progress of our initiatives.

We have two full-time people devoted to working with managers and front-line employees so that we can monitor the life-cycle impact of our business daily, and discover additional innovative opportunities to lower our environmental impact, advance our program, and spread awareness.  

4.2 Wastewater Disposal

·         The Lenox Hotel is connected with the Boston Public Sewer System as mandated by law.

·         We were the first hotel in North America to establish a towel and sheet program. This offers guests the opportunity to reuse their linens for their second night, as they would at home.  

·         To conserve water, our hotels use high quality, low flow toilets (1.6 gpf), water-saving faucets (2.5 gpm aerators) and shower heads (2.5 gpm). These save approximately 40% of a typical hotel’s water consumption.

 

4.3 (In)Organic Waste Disposal and Recycling

We minimize inorganic waste going to dwindling landfills through extensive reduce, reuse and recycle programs.

·         We were the first hotels in the world to use dispensers instead of throwaway amenity bottles. This innovative approach eliminates the production and disposal of 490,000 plastic bottles annually.

·         We divert hundreds of tons of food waste, paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminum, and bulbs to recycling centers.

·         We prioritize bulk purchasing to reduce trucking pollution and waste disposal.

·         We offer guest a discount for donating old sneakers, which are later recycled by Nike into Safe Turf for area schools and playgrounds

·         Accounting and Reservations’ archival disk systems eliminate the printing of 9 tons of reports annually.

·         Though SHG’s restaurants are outsourced to local companies, we have helped them to set up organic composting and recycling programs. For example, Pacini’s restaurant is composting all food and has reduced disposal by 30% (52 tons annually). Our prize-winning Azure Restaurant, run by the Briar Group, is currently in the process of implementing a composting program.

4.4 Energy Consumption

The Lenox Hotel purchases locally produced renewable energy to support the growth of this market. In addition, The Lenox Hotel’s pioneering energy reduction initiatives include:

·         energy management systems in guestrooms;

·         An ozone laundry system, avoiding the use of hot water and cleaning chemicals;

·         super-efficient boilers and heat pumps;

·         610+ low-energy windows;

·         motion sensors for lighting in intermittent or low-traffic areas;

·         ENERGY STAR office equipment, and televisions;

·         4,800 fluorescent bulbs which use 1/4th the energy and last 10 times longer than typical bulbs. This feature have avoided the use of 58,000 Kilowatts each year.

·         Motion sensors on vending machines save an additional 21,000 kilowatts per year (these past two initiatives remove 52 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere each year).

·         1st in the world to purchase renewable energy which allows guests to have certified “Climate Neutral Accommodations”.


 

5.0 Interaction with Local Communities

5.1 Local Employment

The United States is known around the globe as the world’s melting pot. All employees at The Lenox Hotel are residents of the Boston area. One related American success story about our General Manager demonstrates how we try to create an equitable society. Jose Estrompa, General Manager of The Lenox Hotel emigrated from Portugal at an early age. He worked hard to learn the English language, and gradually developed expertise in hotel operations. Jose is now managing The Lenox and Copley Square Hotels, two of “Boston’s historic treasures.”

5.2 Employee Involvement

 

SHG implements conservation initiatives through its SHINE program (Saunders Hotels Initiatives to Nurture the Environment), which features active hotel Green Teams, regular eco-briefings, team member incentives and recognition, eco-contests, educational fieldtrips, and community service.  It encourages and reward all team members to take initiative and suggest actions that reduce environmental impacts.

In our “Green Teams”,employee volunteers have started new initiatives like guest room recycling, environmental bulletin boards, an eco-suggestion box and community service programs such as the CityYear Serve-a-Thon.

Outside of the Green Teams, eco-training sessions and recycling orientations ensure employees understand the importance of their role in the hotel’s greening efforts.

5.3 Employee Benefits

For both union and non-union employees at The Lenox Hotel, we offer:

 

·      Medical and Dental Insurance

·      401(k) Savings Plan

·      Vacations / Paid Personal Time / Holidays

·      Complimentary Meals

·      Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance & Life Insurance

·      Tuition Reimbursement

·      Spousal Equivalent Benefit

·      Direct Deposit & Credit Union

·      Reduced Rate Parking

·      Movie Passes

·      Team Member Recognition Programs

        

A full description of The Lenox Hotel benefits is in the Appendix.

 

 

5.4 Community Contributions

·         We created the Boston Naturally Map (below) which highlights low-impact activities around the city, and funded the Boston Green Space Alliance’s Eco-Calendar.

·         The Lenox Hotel’s “Tread Lightly”Ô shoe collection box displays were designed and built by local art students. The project gave the students valuable experience working with a real-world business client. The boxes are prominently displayed in the hotels’ lobby (right).

 

·         By regularly providing meeting space and weekend package donations to local environmental groups, the hotels strive to enable like-minded organizations to prosper, and help facilitate our collective goal of moving towards a more healthy and sustainable society.

 

For an expanded list of The Lenox Hotel and SHG’s involvement in the Boston community, please see Section 1.1.

  

5.6 Environmental   or   humanitarian   organizations

 The leaders of The Lenox and Saunders Hotel Group and are very civically oriented. We are continuously offering our time and expertise to local environmental and humanitarian groups, such as:

·         Roger Saunders who served as President of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Jeffrey Saunders who is the current President of the Massachusetts Lodging Association (MLA).

·         Roger Saunders created the Lodging Institute at Newbury College in 2003.

·         Gary Saunders is President of the Back Bay Association and a board member of the National Conference for Community and Justice.

·         Todd Saunders is on the board of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Boston Preservation Alliance.

·         SHG was an early supporter of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and The Dudley Street Initiative, two major environmental justice organizations in the greater Boston area.

·         Tedd Saunders sits on nine environmental boards and is a Founding Member of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC), an organization created to promote environmental best practices for large conventions, starting with the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. SHG is working with CERC  - leading the effort to green Boston’s entire convention and lodging industry.

 

Please see Section 1.1 for a larger list of our environmental and humanitarian contributions

 

5.7 Innovative Practices

We have been a pioneer in the industry for many initiatives, including:

·Being the first hotel company in the world to endorse the prestigious CERES Principles (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies), a ten-point code of environmental sustainability. Other endorsers include such notable companies as Nike, Bank of America, Royal Dutch Shell, and the Body Shop.

·Guests can stay in the world’s first Climate Neutral Accommodations. We are one of the first hotels anywhere to be certified to offer Climate Neutral Accommodations. Lenox Hotel guests can now stay in a “Cool Room”, which means that their stay will have no negative effect on global warming.  Our hotel’s are unique positioned to offer this amenity because of our comprehensive energy efficiency measures and purchasing of renewable energy from local solar and wind farms. 

·First hotels anywhere to use attractive dispensers that eliminate 490,000 throwaway shampoo, soap and lotion bottles, and enables the hotel to offer even higher quality amenity items.

·Using a new ionizing system in our pools which is healthier for swimmers and the environment. It cleans the pool without chlorine.

·We were the first hotels in the US to create a linen reuse program; and one of the early adopters of closed-loop cooling towers; low-flow showers, toilets, and faucet aerators; and water conserving, air-cooled equipment.

·Our Comfort Inn & Suites purchased 3 cleaner-burning compressed natural gas vans that make trips to pickup guests at local airports.

5.8 Cultural Impact

Most of the Boston’s cultural sites are not culturally or ecologically sensitive; however The Lenox Hotel offers an Eco-Chic weekend package and bikes for guests to tour the City of Boston.

We have also created “no-idling” signage and posted them outside of The Lenox Hotel to prevent unnecessary pollution.

SHG is attentive to the social, ecological, financial, and cultural impact of our business. Please see Section 2.2 to understand how we have supported the cultural authenticity of our surroundings and minimized our environmental footprint.  

 

6.0 Guest Education and Awareness

6.1 Guest Impact

Environmental education of guests, team members, the community, and the hospitality industry is an integral part of SHINE (Saunders Hotel Initiative to Nurture the Environment). SHG’s SHINE Program has an annual budget of approximately $275,000, and is privately funded by the Saunders family and Saunders Hotels.

SHG educates tourists about its initiatives even before they visit on web site and sales materials. We tell them about our Environmental Policy and provide regular updates on ecological initiatives. Education continues during guests’ visit.

 

·In every guestroom, a dedicated eco channel shows free environmental videos.

·Engaging eco-brochures in every room raise awareness of the hotels’ initiatives. Eco-Tips show guests how they can be a part of the solution whenever they travel. See Appendix for a picture of our brochures.

·Guestroom Eco-Plaques include facts about recycling and energy and water conservation to inform guests of the environmental implications of their activities, and suggest simple ways guests can help the hotel to reduce our environmental impact.

·The Eco-Chic Weekend package encourages guests to be eco-tourists by including mass-transit passes and National Wildlife Federation’s Ranger Rick magazine to learn more about conservation. We also offer information about local green activities.

·2 Environmental books: The Bottom Line of Green Is Black by Tedd Saunders and UCS’ Consumers Guide To Effective Env Choices are placed in every Lenox guestroom.

·Eco-tours of the hotel are offered to guests, team members, as well as business, school, and community groups.

·Bike rentals are available for all guests.

·In the near future, guests will receive driving tips for fuel economy and free usage of compressed air to fill their automobile tires.

 

 

 

 

6.2 Environmental Training

We provide eco-training sessions and encourage employees to participate in Green Teams, which monitor and improve the environmental efforts of the hotels. Please see Section 5.2 for a more detailed description of each of these employee training and involvement efforts.

6.3 Environmental Personnel

Both the full-time Environmental Coordinator and I are extensively educated on environmental issues. In an urban setting, our focus is environmental management. We are devoted to working with managers and front-line employees so that we can monitor the life-cycle impact of our business daily, and discover additional opportunities to lower our environmental impact and continue our leadership.

Our responsibilities include outreach, education, and implementation of the environmental program at SHG. The environmental program includes the following five components:

·         Implement innovative energy efficiency measures;

·         minimize solid waste through source reduction and aggressive recycling/reuse;

·         conserve water resources actively;

·         test and  purchase environmentally friendly products and services; and

·         educate guests, employees, our competitors, and the public.

Please See the Environmental Coordinator job description in the Appendix 4.

 

6.4 Guest Education

In guestrooms, we provide an dedicated eco channel; eco-brochures; eco-plaques; and 2 environmental books. In addition, we offer eco-tours and an Eco-Chic Weekend Package. In our lobby, we also provide promotional materials on many of Boston’s finest cultural and historical attractions. The Lenox Hotel concierges are also well-informed about these local destinations. For a more detailed description, please see Section 6.1

 

6.5 Typical Day

Luxury hotels constantly search for opportunities to “wow” guests with elegance, abundance, and attention to detail. In business, environmental stewardship and profitability are perceived as oil and vinegar, absolutely contradictory. Few in the service industry attempt to combine luxury service and environmental concern, and fewer can do so profitably. Each day, we’re working to minimize our environmental impact by maintaining existing and developing new environmental initiatives because we have seen our bottom line improve.

Hotels are oases of diversity in lifestyles, ethnicities, and personalities. In a customer-service oriented business, no day is typical. Though our values are unchanging and our commitment to guests and employees is steadfast, each day carries unusual challenges and opportunities for continuous improvement. In our family of hotels, we grow and learn, and appreciate the diversity of every day.

 

6.6 Guest Feedback

In an encouraging survey, 97% of our guests said they prefer a more environmentally sound guest room, adding comments such as: 

·         “I applaud your efforts. More firms in your industry should follow your lead.”

·         “This is the first time I’ve seen a U.S. hotel with environmental concern. Keep up the wonderful work.”

·         “The hotel of the future” – Conde Naste Traveler

·         “Pleasing guests and the planet” – The New York Times

·         “On the environment, this family-owned company has given all businesses a path to follow.” – WBZ TV Editorial

·         “Luxury hotels that accommodate the environment.” – NBC Nightly News

·         “You might think that a stay in a luxury hotel suite doesn’t jive with doing your part for the environment – think again.” – CBS This Morning

·         “Saunders Hotel Group continues to lead the way among businesses when formulating the way they run their organization.” – WBOS Radio

 

6.7 Best Practices

Among our 95+ initiatives, we believe the following address the social, environmental, and financial goals, the so called triple-bottom line:

·         state of the art energy management system

·         chemical reduction

·         food waste composting

·         multi-faceted educational programs

·         extensive outreach and community involvement

6.8 Challenges?

As a family business, we have the opportunity to look beyond the quarterly business cycle which often forces publicly owned businesses to look for “low-hanging fruits” producing only near-term results. Nonetheless, it is a challenge to justify the upfront cost of environmental initiatives with long paybacks, which inherently carry more risk. The solution has been to apply the savings from one initiative to others with longer-term payback.

We attempted to offer Climate Neutral Accommodations to all guests through reservations agents but found the offer too complex for agents to clearly communicate. Agents spent over 15 minutes in some instances talking the guest through the service offering. Our solution is to offer Climate Neutral Accommodations through groups and corporate business where there is more time to explain and understand the idea.

 

6.9 Future Plans

Some of our future plans include:

·         Offsetting electricity usage and carbon emissions by investing in renewable energy from wind turbines. Power generation sources come from Native American lands and small-scale farmers to support their financial sustainability and rural way of life.

·         Eliminating the purchase of bottled water in restaurants and guestrooms. Instead, we hope to contract with an in-house water purification provider.

·         Developing a new process to solicit voluntary donations from guests during checkout or ordering and contribute 100% to fight area homelessness.

The Lenox Hotel’s environmental achievements convey the breadth of our commitment to environmental stewardship.  Our goal is to demonstrate to businesses everywhere that a socially-responsible company can “do good and do well.” 

The pride and enthusiasm of our team members and guests ensures that the ripple effect of our efforts will reach far and wide.  We must, after all, protect the natural resources that we rely upon so heavily for our health, well-being and prosperity.  Working together, we can all make a difference and leave our children a planet that will heal and flourish.

 

Certifications:

The Lenox Hotel and the SHG has been internationally recognized for demonstrating that environmental management should be part of any profitable business.  The company has partnered with and received numerous national and worldwide certifications and awards including:

Certifications

·         Energy Star Leader (2003) and Energy Star Partner of The Year (2005) 

·         First hotel member in the Climate Neutral Network

·         First hotel company in the world to be selected as a member of CERES and adopt its environmental principles.

Awards

·         Gold Medal for Environmental Excellence from former President George H. Bush

·         SHG is also the only three-time winner of the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Environmental Hotel of The Year. 

·         We are extremely proud that SHG’s efforts have also been featured in numerous press including Conde Nast Traveler, The New York Times, CNN, National Geographic Traveler, and NBC Nightly News.

·         Top environmental honors from

British Airways, World

World Travel Mart

National Wildlife Federation

TIA (The Travel Industry Association of America)

International Hotel & Motel Association

Green Globe

Choice Hotel International’s Exceptional Environmental Awareness Award.

Env showcase for its 5,000+ properties

A report of all accolades can be found in the Appendix.

Extra:

Since this list is long, we would like to provide a summary of our work:

We began with a pioneering  recycling initiative at one SHG property sixteen years ago, which has evolved into an unprecedented environmental campaign that has created positive ripples throughout the entire lodging industry (see below). Encompassing 95+ corporate-wide innovative initiatives that dramatically lessen SHG’s environmental impact, this model program has helped bring ecotourism out of the jungle and into the urban mainstream where it can have maximum impact. Saunders’ industry-leading approach conserves natural resources, minimizes chemicals and waste, and improves air and water quality in its properties and communities. It also helps raise awareness for millions of guests, employees, community members, students and businesspeople.

Relevant back-up statistics:

Through its innovative and comprehensive energy, water, chemical, and solid waste reduction programs, The Lenox Hotel annually:

·                     saves 1,700,000 gallons of drinking water;

·                     conserves 110,000kwh of electricity, or enough to power 30 houses for one year;

·                     eliminates 37 tons of trash, which is 35% of its waste stream; 

·                     saves 175 trees through paper recycling; and gently educates and raises awareness of over a third of a million guests.

 

EcoLogical Solutions Inc.
61 Exeter St. Boston, MA 02116
(617) 421-4915

Send mail to tsaunders@ecological-solutions.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 08/09/06