The initiative also addresses electronic waste with an electronic waste diversion program, but it is limited to certain markets. “We are dependent on the local environment,” said Gupta. Recycling may not be possible in certain countries in Africa, for example, or markets in Vietnam, because recycling programs might not exist, he said.
A new procurement policy will require all technology products and services to be rated by either EPA Energy Star or the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) and address Extended Product Responsibility (EPR) programs.
Fairmont’s IT strategy “makes 100 per cent sense,” said Tony Pollard, president of the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC). “By going ahead and implementing this system-wide … not only in Canada and the States, but all around the world, they really are leaders in this and it’s a good case study for other hotels to follow suit.”
But setting an example for green practices isn’t new for the hotel group. Fairmont has always been a leading hotel company in terms of green environmental policies, according to Pollard. “Right since day one, they played a role in helping us set up our Green Key program,” he said.
Over 1,200 hotels across Canada participate in the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, which HAC started in 1997. The online audit determines a hotel’s environment footprint based on 150 questions in nine areas of sustainable hotel operation. The ratings are included in Canadian Automobile Association and American Automobile Association materials, and used by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives.
Six properties in Canada currently have “five out of five” keys, noted Pollard. Hoteliers recognize the promotional value of participating in the program, but it also helps reduce their operational costs by providing a report outlining where they can do more, he pointed out.
Fairmont’s Green IT strategy is part of the larger Fairmont Green Partnership Program, which began in 1990. The hotel group pledged to cut overall carbon emissions in March 2009, when it became a member of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Climate Savers Program.
“This is a company that’s been environmentally responsible since 1990, so they’re reaching that next level of maturity where they are ready to look at the different business lines,” said Vreeswijk.
But the hotel industry in general still has a ways to go, according to Vreeswijk. There is a lot of activity in terms of ecotourism and green hotels, but they are still trying to figure out how to balance encouraging air travel, which has a high carbon footprint, with sustainable travel, she pointed out.
