Thursday, September 22, 2005
Why Building Green s Good for Hospitality Business
Economically Sound, a recent find, has a good summary on the advantages of green building, especially for the hospitality industry. Kit Cassingham argues that the hospitality industry is more likely than others to be influenced by customer opinions on the type of building used. Additionally, customers will give repeat business to those hotels that don't make them sick, especially if they have allergies.He also reiterates some points about green building:
... Bill Reed, one of the LEED's rating system developers, observed that the key to successful projects with successful economics is the willingness to focus on the environmental issues, ask many questions, and explore many ways to reach better ecological integration. The "3 E's" -- Everyone, Everything, Early -- are important too. Engage all those effected by the project, consider every aspect of the project in an integrated way, start early in the development process. This approach is true about business strategy, product design, industrial processes, food and system and transportation infrastructure, it is also true about buildings.
As Neal Pierce of the Washington Post commented, "It seems obvious: the reason only a tiny percentage of new American buildings and retrofits aren't green isn't cost. It's lack of ingenuity or knowledge of new construction techniques." ...