Green Initiatives
The American hotel lodging industry is a leader in the energy conservation movement to reduce operating costs and provide a cleaner environment for the nation.
Green is the buzzword of the lodging industry, and AH&LA is at the forefront of this issue. The industry is banding together to find sustainable solutions meeting both consumer business demands─ and improving the health of our planet.
The hotel industry uses a lot of energy. In 2005, our industry spent around $4 billion to provide light and heat to our facilities, fuel our restaurant kitchen stoves, gas up our courtesy shuttles and golf carts, and power a myriad of other modern conveniences and critical infrastructure machines and devices. So going green is not just about environmental sensitivity—it is also an essential part of lowering a hotel’s operating costs.
From small, limited-service properties to deluxe accommodations, a range of properties have found innovative means to make "going green" work for their bottom line. Click here to read about industry best practices, as well as case studies and current news stories about hoteliers using green practices to improve the environment and their profit margin.
Many state and local goverments are adopting EPA's ENERGY STAR tools to seek reductions in energy use in commercial buildings like hotels. View this document for a quick summary of state and local legislation that use ENERGY STAR programs to track energy use, energy costs, and energy perfomance targets in new and existing structures.
In the 111th Congress (2009-10), legislation to specifically address energy development has not been introduced. Instead, the Democratic leadership has turned its attention to climate change legislation, addressing the demand side of the energy equation, instead of the supply.
A major climate change bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) narrowly passed the House 219-212 on June 28, 2009. The vote marks the first time either chamber has passed a bill to cap the emissions of greenhouse gases. The bill would limit emissions at 17 percent below current levels in 2020, 42 percent in 2030 and 83 percent in 2050.
The bill also would allow companies such as electric utilities, refineries and factories to buy and sell pollution allowances and get credit for funding special projects to reduce emissions on farms and in forests. The legislation would require utililities to produce 15 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020, with another 5 percent energy savings from efficiency.
The bill also mandates that new office and commerical buildings--including hotels--must be 30% more efficient by 2012.
The bill passed was the product of months of negotiations with members in both industrial and rural districts. It faces even tougher odds in the Senate, where similar disputes among moderate Democrats are expected and where some Republican support will probably be needed.
DOE’s FY2009 budget request seeks $1,256.1 million for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs, compared to $1,722.4 million for FY2008. The FY2009 DOE appropriations bill has not been passed by Congress.
For more information about the hospitality industry's environmental initiatives in Congress, contact AH&LA's Governmental Affairs Department at (202) 289-3120.
(Updated July 2009)