Holiday Inn-Gaithersburg
Two Montgomery Village Ave Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Capital Region 301-948-8900 www.higaithersburg.com The B. F. Saul Company Hotel Division is committed to the sustainability of our environment. We will Management and Leadership We use the following best management practices: Environment Policy Statement: Environmental Team: Each hotel will establish "Green Teams" with representation from all departments. A Green Team Champion will be selected to lead Our Big Green Conservation meetings and Green Team members. The Green Team Champion should have responsibility for: (1) Leading the implementation of new programs, (2) Ensuring environmental objectives are set, (3) Encouraging team member participation, (4) Compiling and communicating environmental results, and, (5) Conducting Our Big Green Conservation Meetings. The Green Team committee representative's role in Our Big Green Conservation Meetings is to: (1) Represent their department at the meetings, (2) Set a positive example concerning conservation resources, (3) Assist in setting goals and actions for our conservation initiative, (4) Work with the Green Team to achieve Green Team goals, (5) Help identify solutions to environmental issues, and, (6) Review and discuss appropriate suggestions from team members. "Green Teams" are encouraged to develop a brief statement explaining why the team exists and how it will contribute to the overall goals of the hotels conservation efforts. Green Teams will establish team codes of conduct. The codes of conduct establish ground rules the team is expected to abide by. Codes of conduct are important to convey the team expectations, attendance, preparedness and participation. Our Big Green Conservation Meetings should be held monthly and not last more than 1 hour. Department managers are encouraged to attend on a periodic basis. At each monthly meeting, Green Team members should report how their departments are performing and report any areas for improvement in other departments. Set Annual Goals: Green Team members will review the Our Big Green Conservation Review with the Green Team Champion to familiarize themselves with the conservation review. The review is broken down by specific departmental responsibilities. Upon completion of Our Big Green Conservation Review the results will be shared with the Green Team. The results needing actions will be discussed. Documented meeting minutes are required and should be kept on file with the Green Team Champion, General Manager, Chief Engineer and Human Resource Director. A recommended Our Big Green Meeting Agenda Outline is listed below. An Action Plan worksheet can be found in excel format; Our Big Green Conservation Green Team Action Plan. The Green Team is encouraged to present an Our Big Green Conservation update at monthly All Team Member Meetings. Success measurements for properties conservation efforts will be tracked utilizing Our Big Green Review scores, Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager, monthly utility statements in comparison to previous year’s history, recycling tonnage reports and certification levels. We have a purchasing policy to encourage the purchase of environmentally-friendly products and services List of our environmentally friendly products and services: Whenever a function is designated a "Green Meeting" designated signage must be in plain sight of all attendees and the following standards are must be followed without exception: (1) Function space lights and air conditioning consumption will be used as sparingly as possible, (2) Any printed literature distributed will: (a) Have expanded margins for greater print area, (b) Be printed on both sides of the paper, (3) Note paper will be made available in bulk at the back of the room; not at each place setting, (4) Recycling containers will be located in and around the function space, (5) Filtered water will be available, bottled water will not be served, (6) All items will be served in bulk; limiting the amount of packaging necessary, (7) White boards will be utilized instead of paper flip charts whenever possible, (8) NO Styrofoam products will be utilized, (9) Any pre-convention meetings hosted to review event details will be paperless, and , (10) Serve locally grown products when possible 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 Guest Rooms Instruct housekeeping to save and reuse unopened items Kitchen and Prep / Dining / Catering / Meetings and Events / Campground Snack Bar Use an effective food inventory control to minimize waste Purchase locally grown produce and other foods Purchase organic foods Purchase sustainably grown foods Do not use polystyrene coffee cups Provide condiments, cream and sugar, etc. in bulk Use water pitches and filtered water to minimize the use of single-use bottles Use menus and table placards as opportunity to communicate green activities Restrooms Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms Registration / Office Use electronic correspondence and forms Purchase from vendors and service providers with a commitment to the environment Encourage suppliers to minimize packaging and other waste materials Make 2-sided copies / printed materials and avoid making extra copies Buildings and Grounds Use green cleaning chemicals Dispense cleaning agents in bulk to reduce quantities used Use latex paints that are low or no-VOC 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 have recycling bins in the meeting spaces and corridors. Each guest room has a blue recycling bin. We are recycling: Aluminium Cans Batteries Cardboard Electronics equipment Glass Fluorescent Lamps Newspaper Office Paper Plastic Allied Waste 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 Use or installed the following devices: low flow restrictors on faucets and showerheads low flow toilets (1.6 gpf or less) waterless urinals composting toilets automatic or sensored faucets or toilets in public restrooms high efficiency Energy-Star rated dishwashers 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 Have an energy management system in place to track and meter energy usage Lighting: Designed use of natural lighting Use occupancy sensors to turn on/off lights 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 installed programmable thermostats for each room 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 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 Include information on Green Events / Weddings / Meetings / Conferences in our marketing materials Train all staff event planners on green event techniques Measurable Results The installation of low flow toilets reduced our cost per room in water usage from $1.77 to $1.68.