Best Western Grand Venice Hotel
431 Dual Highway Hagerstown, MD 21740 Western Maryland 301-733-0830 www.grandvenicehotel.com We are a Green Hotel because we have implemented several programs to reduce our carbon footprint on Management and Leadership We use the following best management practices: Environment Policy Statement Environmental Team: Our team consists of myself, my sales manager, my operations manager, and my maintenance manager. We meet twice a month to determine if there are any ways to cut on utility costs and be more environmentally conscience. Set Annual Goals: One way we are reviewing our environmental impact is by measuring our utility consumption in relation to the number of rooms we have and trying to get the number to go lower and lower every year. We have a purchasing policy to encourage the purchase of environmentally-friendly products and services List of our environmentally friendly products and services: To the extent possible, we try to purchase environmentally-friendly products, as long as the cost is not too exorbitant. An example, is the EcoLab laundry and detergent products we purchase our environmentally-friendly. Waste Reduction We use the following best management practices: Have a plan in place to reduce property waste Track overall waste bills and established baseline data for quantity of wastes produced Set a numeric goal of overall waste reduction Guest Rooms Instruct housekeeping to save and reuse unopened items Kitchen and Prep / Dining / Catering / Meetings and Events / Campground Snack Bar Donate excess food from events Purchase locally grown produce and other foods Restrooms Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms Purchase recycled-content paper towels and toilet paper Registration / Office Use a last-in/first-out inventory and effective labeling systems Use electronic correspondence and forms Make 2-sided copies / printed materials and avoid making extra copies Buildings and Grounds Use green cleaning chemicals Purchase durable equipment and furniture Properly recycle and/or dispose of thinners and solvents - required by EPA-RCRA regulations Perform preventative maintenance on all appliances, HVAC systems, plumbing, and vehicles Use less toxic materials Use integrated pest management - IPM Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides in landscaping Recycling We provide guests the ability to recycle by having recycling bins in the parking lot. We are recycling: Aluminium Cans Batteries Cardboard Electronics equipment Glass Fluorescent Lamps Newspaper Office Paper Packing Supplies Plastic Printer and copy machine toner cartridges Steel Cans Water Conservation Have a plan in place to reduce property water usage Track water bills and established baseline data on water usage and wastewater generation Have a numeric goal to reduce water consumption over time Perform preventative maintenance to stop drips and leaks Discourage water-based cleanup, ie. sweep first Have an effective landscape management plan which utilizes: drought tolerant species metering rain gauges minimizes lawn areas	Energy Efficiency We use the following best management practices: Have a plan in place to reduce property energy usage Track overall energy bills and establish baseline energy usage Have a numeric goal to reduce energy usage over time Have had an energy audit to identify efficiency opportunities Lighting: Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms Use high efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs in rooms, canned lighting or wherever possible Use high efficiency fluorescent ballasts and lamps - T-5's & T-8's Use LED Exit Signs Heating and Cooling Have a high efficiency heating and air conditioning HVAC system Perform preventative maintenance on HVAC system Have installed programmable thermostats for each room Housekeeping closes blinds and resets optimal temperatures Have installed additional insulation Energy Efficiency: Purchased ENERGY STAR computers, appliances, office equipments etc. Linen Service and Laundry: We use these best management practices: Provide optional linen service - Change linens only upon request Train house cleaners on the process for optional linen service Use non-phosphate, non-toxic and biodegradable laundry detergents Minimize the use of bleach and chlorinated chemicals Green Events We use the following best management practices: Support event planners who want to hold green events Measurable Results We have switched many of our lights to LED's and energy efficient bulbs, as well as initiated programs whereby electricity is either shut-off or reduced throughout the hotel when possible. These steps have reduced our kilowatt hours consumed per room from 45.88 kwh/room in 2009 to 28.15 kwh/room in 2010.