Nearly 100 NH properties- including restaurants, hotels, inns, resorts, motels, and bed & breakfast properties-are members of the NH Lodging and Restaurant Association's Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program. Members must pledge to reduce their environmental impact by continually evaluating operations and taking measures to reduce their carbon footprint.
Investments can be large-such as a windmill at Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield- but most are small efforts with big paybacks.
A survey in 2009 of 57 reporting NH businesses participating in the six-year-old program showed impressive reductions:
7,191,039 gallons of water saved through low-flow water fixtures and towel/linen reuse programs;
$586,388 saved in electricity reduction initiatives for both lighting and appliances;
643,203 pounds of solid waste recycled instead of thrown away; and
212,868 fewer bottles thrown away through refillable amenity dispensers.
Our program doesn't require a lot of [financial] investment, says Program Manager Michelle Veasey. A lot of the initiatives are either low cost or no cost and they have quick paybacks.
Veasey says common environmental pro-jects include recycling; installing Energy Star appliances, hallway and bathroom light sensors, and LED exit signs; cutting waste, adding extra insulation; using green cleaning products and landscaping that requires little watering.
Finding savings and efficiencies and increasing profits are not only important for these businesses, but for the state's economic health as well. Tourism is NH's second highest revenue source, according to the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development. During FY2010, tourists and travelers spent $4 billion in NH, according to the Institute for NH Studies at Plymouth State University, and supported 60,500 jobs, or 7.2 percent of state employment.
Going green isn't just about savings for the industry, but also tapping into new markets and customers. The International Green Group selected NH as one of two accredited programs based on the education and onsite audit requirements. That led to participating lodging properties in NH receiving special recognition on Travelocity. Veasey says innkeepers report getting calls from European tour groups wanting to know about green measures before booking rooms. Additionally, there is an iPhone app that allows users to identify green lodging and restaurant properties nearby. There is also a listing of green properties on display at rest areas in Salem and Seabrook.
Making the Pledge
Recognizing that different lodging properties and restaurants have different levels of money and manpower, the program offers three certification levels: endorsing partner, environmental partner and environmental champion (See sidebar for details.) Each level requires different levels of commitment to the five focus areas of energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, hazardous waste reduction and education/community involvement.
Veasey says most participants are environmental partners, with about 30 earning the environmental champion designation, which includes an onsite audit. She conducts random onsite visits to environmental partners, who fill out an extensive application that is reviewed over the phone. Environmental champions are audited every three years. No matter the certification, the pledge always includes a community and education component. We emphasize that it's not just about energy, Veasey says. We require all properties to have initiatives in each of the five focus areas.
At Buttonwood Inn in North Conway, guests are instructed on sustainable procedures at the bed & breakfast, including turning off lights, air conditioning and fans when they leave their rooms. The two owners, the sole employees, use herbs and vegetables from their garden for breakfast and baked treats, and they buy local meat. They installed low-flow shower heads and faucets and added additional insulation to minimize heat loss. All told, their efforts reduced energy costs 30 percent.
Veasey says education is particularly important for hospitality properties, which make up the majority of program members, as guests who feel connected to the area are more likely to return. We try to help them understand the importance of developing the sense of place in guests, Veasey says. Guests are more likely to come back if you connect them with local farmer's markets and biking paths [and other nature-based activities]. They end up caring more about the area.
Meeting properties, says Veasey, find that creating opportunities for making meetings and conventions greener is good for business. Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, also an environmental champion, has instituted green practices as part of its standard procedures when it comes to events and meetings. That includes paperless contracting, a menu with local produce and meat, and electronically distributed meeting materials.
The resort, like many other properties in the program, also offers locally sourced produce, energy-saving light bulbs, and a program to let guests tell staff when they want new linens and towels. What sets the resort apart is a 120-foot wind turbine installed late last year. The resort also purchases renewable energy credits.
Spreading the Word
The NH Lodging & Restaurant Association has about 700 members, and Veasey is working to recruit more. Her challenges include reaching busy restaurant owners and managers (who make up about a dozen of the sustainability program members) and convincing lodging owners that green is good for business.
It's a message that often reaches willing ears and is made easier by people's willingness to share what they've done. Sometimes people have the impression guests aren't going to like it. If they can find a peer just like them who is doing it and it's not as difficult, it's much easier to tackle things that seemed like an obstacle. There is a lot of networking going on now.
Often that networking helps property owners identify green options they didn't know existed, and encourages vendors to change their practices. The Henry Whipple House Bed and Breakfast in Bristol uses biodegradable trash bags, and Veasey says Innkeeper Sandra Heaney often shares her finds with other innkeepers. Heaney also had a green roof installed that uses primarily recycled materials.
The NH Lodging and Restaurant Association provides several networking and educational opportunities for members to share ideas, including Webinars and an annual conference. Veasey also sends out regular e-mails about the program and member news. The NH Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program is now self-funded, with members paying nothing and those not part of the NHLRA paying a $100 administrative fee.
Veasey is now helping Concord-area proprietors create a commercial composting service by calling area waste haulers to discuss future options. In response to requests, Veasey says SYSCO Boston started offering local foods. They've changed their offerings because members of our programs are dedicated and pushing back on suppliers, she says, citing this as just one example of how sustainability has gained traction. At the beginning, it was begging and pleading people to join [the sustainable lodging and restaurant association program]. Now it's great to see how far it's come, she says of businesses' many efforts toward sustainability.
For more information about the program, visit www.nhslrp.com.
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