Whether we’re talking about bakeries, clothing outlets, or energy companies, it seems like green businesses are popping up everywhere these days. Chances are you probably have a favorite in the area.
But a green hotel? Unless we’re talking about a White Mountain bed and breakfast, greening a hotel seems about as likely a prospect as a green football stadium.
The folks at Courtyard Marriott and Grappone Conference Center in Concord beg to differ.
After being approached last year by the New Hampshire Restaurant and Lodging Association (NHRLA) to take part in their Sustainable Lodging Program, Chef Trish Taylor and her newly-anointed “Green Team” were excited by the prospects of remaking the sizable hotel, which includes the sprawling Grappone Conference Center.
So far the combined hotel, restaurant, and banquet hall have made some impressive strides, including: reducing the hotel’s waste by two-thirds; limited watering of outdoor greens and landscaping; switching to re-usable cloth towels in many of the facilities; reduction of paper use and using 100 percent recycled paper when they have to; using all safe, non-toxic chemicals in both the kitchens; replacing 75 percent of the lighting with high-efficiency CFLs; as well as placing a heavier emphasis on sourcing much of their food locally – including for the banquet hall.
No small feat for a space that occupies tens of thousands of feet.
In an effort to further bolster and promote their growing green credentials, in April the Courtyard Marriott joined the Seacoast-based Green Alliance, a “green business union” and discount member co-op which provides green certification and marketing strategies for area businesses.
Similar to the Green Alliance’s own Sustainability Evaluation, the NHRLA also provided Courtyard with a green checklist of sorts. Now, less than a year later, the hotel is making their way down that list at an impressive clip. They’ve already achieved the level of “Environmental Partner”, the second of three tiers which culminates in the “Environmental Champion” status, and they’re only about 50 points away from achieving that.
But for all of no-doubt admirable steps towards reducing their environmental footprint, the hotel’s biggest dangling goal – sourcing their food locally – will be no easy task. According to Taylor, getting enough food delivered to meet all of the function needs – while having it be local – is a monumental challenge, particularly during the winter. And with more and more functions demanding an emphasis on local for conventions, expos, and other gatherings, it’s not just something that NHRLA wants to see; it’s something Courtyard’s customers are demanding.
Luckily for them, Trish Taylor is more than up to the challenge: “Even though it only counts for five points on the NHRLA audit, it’s still important to me and everyone here to source our food locally,” says Taylor. “I’ve been going around to area farmers’ markets and touching base with some potential suppliers, so hopefully we can piece it together. But it’s already starting to fall into place.”
