consumer bahaver

1. Sustainability refers to development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs. It is a system that
can evolve indefinitely toward greater human utility, greater efficiency of resource use and
a balance with the environment which is which is favorable to humans and most other
species. (Brundtland 1987)Sustainability is about realizing resource potential, Sustainable
development of renewable natural resources implies respecting limits to the development
process, even though these limits are adjustable by technology. The sustainability of
technology may be judged by whether it increases production, but retains it other
environmental and other limits. (Hugh Synge 1993) The aim of this essay is to describe and
discuss the challenges faced by the environment today are Global Warming, Energy
Conservation, Water Conservation, Waste Management and Air Pollution with respect to two
countries namely India and Australia.India, known as the republic of India is situated in South Asia.
It is seventh largest country in area with 3,166,414 sq kms area and the second most populous
country in the world with 1,103,371,000 people. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the
Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, with capital New Delhi.
Australia, known as Commonwealth of Australia is situated in Southern Hemisphere
Comprising Mainland as world’s smallest continent with area of 7,692,208 sq km and
population of 21,610,000 with capital Canberra.
Energy is provided so easily for the developed world that thought is rarely given to where it
comes from, whether it will run out or whether it is harming the environment. Energy is also
cheap enough that little serious attention is given to it.World`s energy comes from the burning of
fossil fuels, which generates a large proportion of the greenhouse gas emissions in to the
atmosphere.(John Houghton 2004) According to (Kirk, p 47, 1996) the energy conservation
management is the “Reduction in the amount of energy consumed in a process or system, or by
an organization or society, through economy, elimination of waste, and rational use”. (Sharma,
2004) Energy managing methods like using CFL lamps, radiators with individual thermostats,
insulation of roof and wall cavities, fuel efficient transport and so on. If a large portion of the
infrastructure is inflexibly built and run on non-conventional sources of energy like the solar and
the wind energy, a lot of fuel and water could be saved. Hospitality Industry consumes
tremendous amounts of energy to meet guest needs. The Environmental Protection Agency
has calculated that the cost savings associated with a 10 per cent improvement in energy
efficiency is equivalent to increasing average daily room rates by 62 cent.(Express
Hospitality) Efficient use of energy not only helps protect the environment, but also helps
in better margins for the hospitality sector. The benefits of an energy-efficient hotel include
greater guest comfort, extended life of equipment, lower operating costs, a cleaner
environment and significant financial rewards. Therefore hotels are taking crucial steps to
deal with it for example The Lotus Suites do not have switches made of plastic, which are
harmful to the Environment. Instead they have a Master Control Panel, which is made of
reprocessed plastic. Within the room the guest can participate in the energy saving
programme by pressing the ECO BUTTON on the Master Control Panel placed alongside
the bed. When the guest presses this button the air-conditioned temperature increases by 2
degrees making the room a little warmer. This information is brought down by the Building
Management System showing the number of guest's participating in this program.
To reduce energy consumption, Holiday Inn, Flinders is working on improving lighting types,
and installing timers and sensors so that lights are only on when needed, introducing a daylight

2. lighting control in bus bay and car park entry, installing instant domestic gas hot water system.
The hotel has appointed an environmental committee with representatives from all departments
which meet on a fortnightly basis and audit current initiatives. The Environmental Committee
explores new opportunities to reduce the hotels environmental impact. The Alto Hotel, Bourke`s
energy consumption of 37 mega joules per guest per night is far below the best practice target of
140 mega joules – an amazingly small amount, demonstrating the benefits of their energy
conservation initiatives The hotel has on trial 2 watt LED light globes as reading lights, which use
90% less electricity than incandescent light globes and last 22,000 hours longer. If they are
successful the hotel will introduce them as reading lights throughout the property. The Radisson
on Flagstaff Gardens has made an effort to reduce energy usage, including switching off lights in
unused areas, changing to energy efficient fluorescent lighting. they are also encouraging
awareness amongst their guests with three new initiatives, which are purchasing 10% of their
energy from renewable Green Power sources. Introducing an optional carbon offset on their bills,
publishing an environmental newsletter, discussing the hotel’s initiatives and running a
competition to find further ways to improve energy efficiency, with the best receiving a free night
and breakfast at the hotel. They have achieved a 70% reduction in energy usage, which means
that this hotel is performing at best practice standards for energy efficiency in hotels. by working
to reduce energy usage, the hotel has kept its electricity bill down, even while electricity prices
have gone up.
Our Earth seems to be unique among the other known celestial bodies. It has water, which
covers three-fourths of its surface and constitutes 60-70 wt % of the living world. Water
regenerates and is redistributed through evaporation, making it seem endlessly
renewable.Waste Management is “Disposal, processing, controlling, recycling, and reusing the
solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes of plants, animals, humans, and other organisms. It includes
control within a closed ecological system to maintain a habitable environment”. (Englande and
Jin, 2006) Hotels consume big amount of water in different activities like in guest rooms, public
toilets, irrigation, kitchen, Laundry, Public Amenities and swimming pool.The Lotus Suites in its
endeavor to become a zero garbage hotel has taken various measures to reduce the waste
being generated. To reinforce this they have undertaken the project of vermiculture on
hotel site. For this purpose they have built 9 bins on site wherein all the kitchen garbage is
diverted for the process. This endeavor of hotel has helped them to achieve their mission;
the second benefit of this act is that they are not adding to the waste stream of our city.
They have added some operational practices like the hangers used in guestroom are made
from Sawdust, the fruits are served on request so as to avoid wastage, In keeping
environment theme in mind at the hotel use Herbal products, which are manufactured
under an Ayurvedic license; these products are not tested on animals and do not contain
any animal fat. In their strive to reduce waste they have reusable cloth laundry bags instead
of the standard paper or plastic bags as in other hotels, in which the guests could send the
clothes for laundering and the same will be delivered in reusable cane baskets wrapped in
muslin cloth. A laundry button is incorporated in the master control panel, eliminating the
use of laundry pick up tent cards.The Holiday Inn, Flinders has developed a comprehensive
environmental policy to ensure the hotel’s continued long-term environmental improvement and
best practice. The hotel has introduced significant waste reduction initiatives like working with
suppliers to reduce wasteful packaging, working with staff and guests to increase paper,
cardboard, plastic and metal recycling and working with charities to redistribute partially used
toiletries and linen. Through these simple changes, the Holiday Inn on Flinders has now reduced
its annual waste by 80 per cent to 4.3 litres per guest. By investing in signage and bins of less
than $1,000, spending time on getting the support of staff and changing pick up and delivery

3. processes, the hotel will make a saving of $11,400 per year on waste management. The hotel is
currently looking at the introduction of dual bins in guest rooms and function areas which will
enable customers to separate recyclables so that paper, cans and bottles are not going to landfill.
The Alto Hotel, Bourke has developed some great ways to vastly minimise their waste output by
installing body wash, moisturiser, shampoo and conditioner dispensers in showers rather than
using disposable containers. All toiletries used are biodegradable, using dual chamber eco-bins
in all rooms where guests can sort their recyclables, processing all organic waste on the premises,
the worm castings being used as fertiliser, using recycled paper and toner cartridges in the offices,
using recycled toilet paper and facial tissues.The Radisson, Flagstaff Gardens has been a part of
the Savings in the City program The hotel was provided with a water and waste audit and
organised their own energy audit separate to the program. They believe that environmental
sustainability is an increasingly important issue for their guests, and that in time guests will
demand that the hotel takes action to reduce its environmental footprint. Through their waste
audit, the hotel identified a variety of ways in which they could reduce the amount of waste they
send to landfill. The hotel responded by increasing their capacity to recycle, particularly
cardboard and paper. Attaining a Waste Wise accreditation is helpful from a financial and a social
responsibility point of view, as both the clients and the staff believe increasing environmental
sustainability is important.
The Lotus Suites believes in the three quot;Rquot; theory of reduce, reuse, recycle. Water being one
of the earth's most precious resources and vital to life they have tried to put this theory in
practice by taking special care to conserve this resource by employing energy efficient PL
lamps are used which provide as much light as ordinary bulbs, yet consume substantially
less energy The mini bars used in the guestrooms by us save up to 40% energy, as it is
equipped with fuzzy logic which senses the load inside the refrigerator and cools it
accordingly. Also an added advantage is that these mini bars are CFC free. During the start,
the motor acceleration is controlled by gradually increasing the motor current to a reference
current ramp limit. In the energy saving mode the applied voltage is adjusted by sensing
that the motor current is The heat generated from the air conditioners provides hot water to
the guestrooms, laundry, toilets.
ITC Maurya has undertaken a number of steps towards maintaining a greener and healthier
environment. The hotel undertook a host of multi-faceted programmes to not only improve its
own environment, but also to propagate environmental causes. Their guiding principle is
‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. The hotel has its own program, encompassing local participation,
creating awareness among employees and internal conservation, through energy-saving gadgets
and environment-friendly material. ITC Maurya consumed an average of 1300 kilolitres of water,
per day, some ten years ago. The average consumption was down to 800 kilolitres, until a couple
of years ago. Today, the hotel consumes 625 kilolitres of water on an average and is striving to
bring the consumption level down to an ambitious 450 kilolitres of water per day, by the end of
the current year. There was a time when the chillers, one of the major consumption areas in the
hotel, used to consume 300 kilolitres of water, which has now been brought down to 150
kilolitres.
The Holiday Inn, Flinders has invested in water saving devices in guest rooms and back-of-house
including installation of flow restrictors on taps to slow the flow of water and therefore prevent
excess water use, signs to encourage guests to save water by re-using towels and sheets, rather
than washing them after just one use, signs also advising guests of the range of environmental
initiatives and encouraging guest participation.

4. The Alto Hotel, Bourke has incorporated a range of water saving techniques, including aerators
on all taps and shower heads, flow restrictors on all taps and showerheads, dual flush AAA rated
water efficient toilets, toilet cisterns that use 6 litres full flushes and 3 litres half flushes, push
down plugs in bathrooms, conical hand basins that don’t require as much water to fill, condenser
front loading washing/dryer machines and rain water tanks on the Hotel’s roof that provide water
for gardening, cleaning out laneways, and carports.
In response to the water audit the Radisson, Flagstaff Gardens has made improvements like egg
timers were put in showers to encourage guests to have shorter showers with signage inviting
guests to monitor their time in the shower, flow restrictors were placed on taps to slow the flow of
water and therefore prevent excess water use, guests are encouraged to let the hotel know if
sheets and towels don’t need to be washed.
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particular matter, or biological materials that
cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural
environment, into the atmosphere.The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic natural gaseous
system that is essential to support life on planet earth.( Sandak, Cass 1990) Ozone
depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well
as to the Earth's ecosystems. Therefore the Lotus Suites have taken steps to reduce air
pollution by installing what is known as Air Scrubbers in the boiler outlet connected with
the chimney. The boiler produces high amount of carbon dioxide fumes which passes
through the scrubber and is emitted through the chimney. This is because when the fumes
pass through the scrubber water is sprayed and the carbon dioxide dissolves and settles
down in the shower traps and clear fumes are emitted in the air. The consumption of water
is 300-600 litres per hour for 1000-meter cube of gas, reducing the fume gas temperature
from 250 degrees C to 50 degrees C. The water utilized in the air scrubber is recycled water
from Sewage treatment plant. Similar type of equipment installed in the kitchen exhaust
system is called air washer which works on the same principles
Facilities Management is a key function in managing resources, support services and working
environment to support the organizations core business in both the long and short term”.
(Chotipanich, 2004) therefore it should designed in such a way process in which facility
managers make optimum use of resources available, takes into consideration the factors such as
waste management, water management and energy conservation. Buildings should be designed in
such a way, so that maximum utilization of space will be done keeping cost factor an essential
part.
Ibis Hotel ISO 14001 certification - In 2004, Ibis became the world’s first hotel chain to have
secured the ISO 14001 environmental certification. This environmental certification – the most
recognized worldwide – validates corporate management policies regarding waste reduction and
water and energy consumption. Already one third of Ibis hotels have been certified ISO 14001.
The Ibis brand has set its own target of having 75% of its hotels certified by 2010
Ibis Hotel ISO 14001 certification - In 2004, Ibis became the world’s first hotel chain to have
secured the ISO 14001 environmental certification. This environmental certification – the most
recognized worldwide – validates corporate management policies regarding waste reduction and
water and energy consumption. Already one third of Ibis hotels have been certified ISO 14001.
The Ibis brand has set its own target of having 75% of its hotels certified by 2010

5. Reference
ITC Maurya has undertaken a number of steps towards maintaining a greener and healthier
environment. The hotel undertook a host of multi-faceted programs to not only improve its own
environment, but also to propagate environmental causes. Their guiding principle is ‘Reduce,
Reuse and Recycle’. The hotel has its own program, encompassing local participation, creating
awareness among employees and internal conservation, through energy-saving gadgets and
environment-friendly material. ITC Maurya consumed an average of 1300 kilolitres of water, per
day, some ten years ago. The average consumption was down to 800 kilolitres, until a couple of
years ago. Today, the hotel consumes 625 kilolitres of water on an average and is striving to bring
the consumption level down to an ambitious 450 kilolitres of water per day, by the end of the
current year. There was a time when the chillers, one of the major consumption areas in the hotel,
used to consume 300 kilolitres of water, which has now been brought down to 150 kilolitres.
At The Orchid we believe in the three quot;Rquot; theory of reduce, reuse, recycle. Water being one of
the earth's most precious resources and vital to life we have tried to put this theory in practice by
taking special care to conserve this resource by employing carefully planned techniques enlisted
below, which re-establishes our belief in the above theory
Conclusion
Facing a significant reduction in sustainable resources, crucial steps should be taken to save
energy and water which are vital for today; it is vital for the future generations.
References
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6. • Sharma. N., (2004), “City’s first green sports complex”, [online] available at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/608973.cms [Accessed on March 25,
2008]
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http://www.expresshospitality.com/20081031/edge01.shtml [Accessed on 20
march]
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• www.lotussuites.com
• www.altohotel.com
• www.itcwelcomgroup.in
• www.ichotelsgroup.com