Strategy #1 - Change Staff Practices to Reduce Waste and Conserve Resources
It is important to note that the majority of resources used and wastes generated are within the control of line staff who are also the least educated and incentivized to the benefits of environmental management. Examples can be found everywhere in the hotel operations, from reporting leaking taps and creeping toilets to turning back thermostats and turning off lights to running laundry equipment at maximum loads.
Changing staff practices requires awareness, training, revisions of standard operating practices, and incentives for staff compliance. Without a comprehensive and reinforcing approach, changes in hotel operations will not take hold and most staff will revert back to standard practices. Reinforcement includes educational videos and lectures, on-the-job training, back-of-house signage, and checklists and supervision for line staff, and recognition for departments and individuals that have adopted best practices.
One of the most successful hotel chain efforts to tapping the full human resource potential for environmental management was Canadian Pacific Hotels (now operated by Fairmont Hotels). Because of the unique and historic properties they operate, Canadian Pacific created an internal competition among its hotels whereby a property was awarded points (green trees) for each successful change in practice. The "green team" of the hotel with the most points was awarded an educational trip to the Caribbean to exchange lessons learned with leading hotels in the region.