OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
9/12/2005
HEALTHY AIR
Could your family
be affected?
At one hotel, a large
chiller using CFC-12, a
common ozone-
depleting substance,
serviced walk-in and
under-the-counter
coolers. Usually,
retrofitting chillers
requires changing the
type of oil used. By
substituting R-409a, a
less ozone-depleting
substance, no oil change
was needed, and the life
of the original equipment
was extended. Also, R-
409a costs less. Both of
these factors led to a
cost savings.
— United Nations
OzonAction
and Tourism
Programmes
Reducing Air Pollution from:
The Hospitality Industry (Lodging Sector)
Why should my lodging property
reduce air pollution?
People who are exposed to toxic air
pollutants at sufficient concentrations,
for sufficient durations, may increase
their chances of getting cancer or
experiencing other serious health effects,
such as reproductive problems, birth
defects, and aggravated asthma.
Pollution prevention safeguards the
health of your employees, customers,
and families by using materials,
processes, or practices that can reduce or
eliminate air pollution at the source.
Pollution prevention practices also
save money on waste disposal, materials
usage, and the cost of air pollution
controls.
You may already be regulated by
federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies
and may already voluntarily implement
pollution prevention practices. However,
increasing pollution prevention efforts
can further minimize impacts on human
health and the environment.
Why should I be concerned about air
pollution from my lodging property?
• Lodging properties can produce toxic
air pollutants and ozone-depleting
substances.
• Cleaning supplies, synthetic
materials, paints, and pesticides can
release toxic air pollutants and
volatile organic compounds (VOC).
Although emitted indoors, these air
pollutants will also eventually leak
into the outdoor air through doors,
ventilation systems, and other
openings. Once outside, the
chemicals in these substances can
react in the air to form ground-level
ozone (smog), which has been linked
to a number of respiratory effects.
• Ozone-depleting substances such as
chlorofluorocarbons may be released
by improperly maintained heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning
(HVAC) units, refrigeration units,
and fire extinguishers.
How can I reduce the air pollution
from my lodging property?
Change Cleaners
• Choose non-toxic products such as
baking soda, vinegar, and lemon oil.
• Purchase cleaners with less than 10
percent VOC by weight and those
that have low toxic air pollutant
content.
• Choose pump-style sprays instead of
aerosols. These sprays emit fewer
toxic air pollutants.
• Increase cleaning power of low toxic
substances by combining, for
example, baking soda and vinegar.
Building Maintenance Practices
• Use water-based, or other less toxic,
paints and coatings to maintain floors
and walls.
• Reduce the amount of refinishing
needed for hardwood floors by
regularly inspecting floors to
determine where the most wear
occurs. Refinish only those portions.
"Being environmentally responsible really does increase the bottom line
and guest satisfaction at knowing they are contributing to helping our
planet. Business has increased 15%+ since 1994"
— Janet Byrd, Director of Marketing/
Environmental Programs at the Colony Hotel,
Kennebunkport, Maine
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OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET
The Hospitality Industry (Lodging Sector)
9/12/2005
• If possible, use indoor furniture made of wood
instead of pressed wood products. If that isn't
possible, then use pressed wood products that contain
phenol resin instead of urea resin, which is more
toxic.
Control Emissions of Toxic Air Pollutants and
Ozone-Depleting Substances
• Limit idling of tour buses around HVAC intake vents
and entrances to prevent high concentrations of
diesel vapors.
• Use "good housekeeping" measures, such as
checking for leaks in piping, to avoid loss of ozone-
depleting substances during HVAC unit and
refrigeration equipment maintenance and operation.
• Recover and reuse ozone-depleting substances after
dismantling HVAC and refrigeration equipment for
service.
• Retrofit existing HVAC and refrigeration units to
avoid leakage and loss of existing ozone-depleting
substances.
• Phase out chemicals that deplete the ozone by
retrofitting HVAC units and refrigerant units to use
chemicals with a low, or zero, ozone-depleting
substance content. There are financial benefits to
phasing out these chemicals that help offset the
expense of retrofitting. The cost savings will result
from the prevention of chemical leakages and from
the improved energy efficiency offered by many of
the newer, zero-ozone-depleting substances and
units.
• At the end of equipment service life, replace with
new and more efficient equipment that does not use
ozone-depleting substances.
Reduce Ozone-Depleting Substance Emissions from
Fire Extinguishers
• At the end of its service life, replace halon-
containing fire extinguishers with alternative non-
halon equipment.
• Inspect halon-containing fire extinguishers
frequently for leaks. Repair or replace if leaks are
discovered.
What is a "green" lodging property?
A "green" lodging property is a property that is
managed to be environmentally-friendly, by making a
conscious effort to reduce pollution. Many people
prefer to stay at a hotel that follows "green"
principles; this may result in increased income.
Being a "green" hotel, which includes improving air
quality, tells the world that the environment is
important to you.
Being a "green" hotel also raises the awareness of
both your staff and guests about the need to be as
environmentally-friendly as possible. When your
guests learn about a hotel's environmental activities,
they provide positive feedback, indicating increased
customer satisfaction.
What else can I do to reduce air pollution?
Your community may already have groups working
for cleaner air. Your expertise and knowledge can be
very helpful to these groups.
Many pollution prevention offices offer free on-site
assessments for interested businesses. A list of these
small business assistance programs can be found at
www.epa.gov/smallbusiness. This site provides
information about assistance and technical help,
environmental experts, environmental regulations and
laws, funding, and cost-saving opportunities.
Also, sponsor employee awards for good ideas,
great efforts, and dedication to pollution prevention.
For example, you could provide a cash award for
workers who implement a work practice that reduces
both costs and pollution.
Green Seal has initiated a certification program to help travelers, meeting planners, and
government and corporate travel buyers identify environmentally responsible lodging properties.
— Green Seal
HEALTHY AIR: A COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS GUIDE
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HEALTHY AIR
Could your family
be affected?
One hotel converted its
fire extinguisher system
to an "Inergen" system, a
combination of nitrogen,
argon, and carbon
dioxide. This mixture is
cheaper than halon, and
these gases do not
produce ozone-depleting
substances.
— United Nations
OzonAction and
Tourism
Programmes
OWNER/OPERATOR INFORMATION SHEET 9/12/2005
The Hospitality Industry (Lodging Sector)
Resources
• EPA Air Toxics Web Site: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/
• EPA Green Meetings Web Site: www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings/
• Community-Based Projects: www.epa.gov/air/toxicair/community.html
• "GreenHotels" program standards: www.vtgreenhotels.org/downloads/GHstds.pdf
• Protecting the ozone layer: www.uneptie.org/ozonaction/library/tech/mmcfiles/1556-
e.pdf
• Success stories: www.deq.state.va.us/p2/lodging/success.html
• Environmental Practices Handbook: www.habitatsuites.com/
environmentalpracticeshandbook.pdf
• Tourism and the environment: www.dep.state.pa.us/depuate/pollpreve/Industry/
hotels/default, htm
• Janitorial products: www.wrppn.org/Janitorial/jp4.cfm
• Indoor air quality :www. state, tn. us/environment/dca/p2/p2air-indoor.php
Organizations
• American Hotel and Lodging Association: www.ahla.com, (202) 289-3100
• "Green" Hotels Association: www.greenhotels.com, (713) 789-:
• Green Seal: www.greenseal.org, (202) 872-6400
One hotel uses naturally-scented, non-toxic, phosphate-free,
biodegradable products. These include:
Vinegar: Cleans mirrors, windows, and metal fixtures
Baking soda: Cleans refrigerators and stoves
Vinegar and salt: Cleans metal
Tea tree oil and lemon oil: Polishes wood.
— Habitat Suites, Austin, TX
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