What is green, anyway?
The first challenge faced by any hotelier or institution seeking to "go green" is determining just what that appealing little phrase means. For printed paper products, for example, there are a dozen accrediting organizations1 with standards covering the species and origins of trees used as well as the source of the pulp recycled in the process, the types of bleaching agents, the chemical makeup of inks, the type of coatings2 on the paper and so on. And that's just printed paper products! For other types of products, still more accrediting organizations weigh in with their helpful standards.
How do I go green?
With so many competing standards, going green is no easy challenge. The underlying goal may be simple—to have the least possible impact on the environment, for example. But moving toward that goal will involve literally thousands of small decisions that gradually improve one's ability to make more sustainable choices.
The good news is that the movement toward greenness, or sustainability, can begin wherever your company currently finds itself. This is, in fact, the basic commitment of our business: helping your operation go green starting here and now. And an important first step in that process involves information gathering.
Toward a single standard
Thankfully, one organization has laid the groundwork for the hospitality industry, formulating relevant standards for most key areas of the typical property's operations. The Green Seal Organization works with manufacturers, industry sectors, purchasing groups, and governmental agencies at all levels to "green" the production and purchasing chain. Products can only become Green Seal-certified after rigorous testing and evaluation, including on-site plant visits. Such certification has become increasingly important as consumers' environmental awareness has grown in recent years.
Toward a single-source supplier
Purchasing agents seeking to acquire green products have, up until now, faced a considerable challenge. Obtaining the top 20 items on their lists has required sourcing each item individually in order to obtain them all. Today, however, a single supplier with deep roots in both the printing and hospitality industries has stepped forward with the goal of duplicating its entire range of offerings to the hospitality industry under one roof—USFI.
Our corporate mission may be summed up as follows:
"To serve as a single-source provider of green products that offers the hospitality industry and institutions a broad range of product choices as to environmental impact, quality and pricing.
Click here to view our Green Glossary
Click here to view our Green Resource Sites
References
1http://www.nationalenvelope.com/prod/UpcomingEvents.htm
2Ibid.