Students Savor Chance to Study EcoGastronomy

A major in EcoGastronomy? Where do I sign up? The University of New Hampshire (UNH) just announced that it is hosting a group of Italian students this summer who are the first foreign exchange students to participate in the university’s new EcoGastronomy dual major, the first such program at any U.S. university.

Fourteen students from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, are spending the summer living on campus in Durham and learning about the science of food and eating, ecotourism, and advertising. They also are participating in a number of field studies, including those focused on organic gardening, maple syrup production, historic gardens and food preparation, and aquaculture.

In the fall, a group of UNH students will spend the semester at the University of Gastronomic Sciences as part of the joint student exchange program. While in Italy, UNH students will complete a series of upper level core courses such as history of cuisine and gastronomy, food communication, aesthetics, food and wine tourism, food business economics, and sensory analysis. Sensory analysis? I certainly have the nose for that.

A one-of-a-kind learning experience that links the fields of sustainable agriculture, hospitality, and nutrition, the EcoGastronomy program is a partnership of UNH's Whittemore School of Business and Economics and College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, in collaboration with the University Office of Sustainability. EcoGastronomy—the word connects "gastronomy," meaning "the art and appreciation of food," with agriculture and the environment, connoted by "eco"—came about after Slow Food International founder Carlo Petrini came to UNH to receive an honorary degree in 2006. Petrini is founder of the University of Gastronomic Sciences.

"Today’s hospitality students are interested in food and sustainability and how it connects with the local, regional and global food systems. The EcoGastronomy program gives them an advantage in the job market because it sets them apart in a competitive industry that is becoming more sustainably aware," says Dan Winans, faculty coordinator of the dual major and an adjunct professor in hospitality management at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

More information about the dual major in EcoGastronomy is available at http://www.unh.edu/ecogastronomy/.

AAA to Highlight Green Properties in TourBooks

AAA currently publishes 26 TourBook guides that have a total circulation of 16 million. The guides include detailed information on more than 31,000 hotels. Millions of travelers rely on AAA TourBooks to help them make their travel plans. Those travelers who prefer to stay in green lodgings will soon get a little help from AAA. Beginning this fall, AAA Publishing will include an "eco-friendly" icon in the 2010 TourBook editions to indicate those properties that promote environmental and energy conservation. The icon will appear in both print and online editions.

How is AAA deciding which properties to include? It is currently working with those organizations that run state and national green lodging programs to get lists of certified properties. For example, all Green Globe International certified properties will be included, as well as those hotels in Canada that are part of the Hotel Association of Canada's Green Key program. What about those properties that practice environmental stewardship but are not part of a state or national green lodging program? That is a question I am currently trying to get answered. Look for details no later than next week at www.greenlodgingnews.com.

While AAA's attempt to point out green properties in its TourBook guides is a good one, you can bet travelers are going to be wondering exactly what the icons mean. Let's hope AAA does a good job explaining its methodology.

Be Thankful For Your Freedom on July 4

I have always wondered what drives leaders in government to hold on to power. Is it some form of mental illness? A phobia? An addiction? A warped view of religion or politics? Too much testosterone? (It usually is men.) It is probably a combination of all of these. I thought about this recently while watching the images on TV of Iranians being beaten and shot for expressing their opposition to the results of their recent presidential election. What kind of person would order his followers to use any means necessary to stop democracy in action? Two words come to mind: thug and coward.

Just two days before July 4, our Independence Day here in the United States, I am thankful for all of the freedoms we have. It is something we all too often take for granted. In my case, as editor and publisher of Green Lodging News, I am most thankful for the First Amendment to the United States Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

While times may be difficult in the lodging industry today, our problems are nothing when compared to those who face death for saying what they think or feel. On July 4, be thankful for the freedom that you have. And for goodness sake, don't forget those who do not have that same freedom.

LEED Buildings Not Always More Efficient

Research conducted by several researchers from the National Research Council Canada—Institute for Research in Construction, Ottawa, Canada, reveals some interesting information about the energy performance of LEED buildings. The researchers conducted a re-analysis of data supplied by the New Buildings Institute and the U.S. Green Building Council. The energy use data was from 100 LEED certified commercial and institutional buildings. The data was compared to the energy use of the general U.S. commercial building stock. The researchers also examined energy use by LEED certification level, and by energy-related credits achieved in the certification process.

On average, LEED buildings used 18 to 39 percent less energy per floor area than their conventional counterparts. However, 28 to 35 percent of LEED buildings used more energy than their conventional counterparts. Further, the measured energy performance of LEED buildings had little correlation with certification level of the building, or the number of energy credits achieved by the building at design time.

The researchers concluded that, at a societal level, green buildings can contribute substantial energy savings, but further work needs to be done to define green building rating schemes to ensure more consistent success at the individual building level. While the researchers did not focus on hotels in their work, their findings should ring alarm bells for any architect, owner or developer involved in the construction of LEED-ready hotels. Energy savings are not always a given.

Click here for more information on the research.

El Dorado Adds Greenhouse to Hotel Grounds

Farm fresh. Local. Organic. These are just some of the buzz words I read or hear a lot in reference to food being offered by food service establishments within the lodging industry. Increasingly, food service staff are growing vegetables and herbs on site. In some cases, it is more than vegetables and herbs. Where space is available outside of the building, gardens are being grown. In some cases, rooftops have been utilized to grow fresh food items.

The El Dorado Royale in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, has added a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse for the purpose of planting 30 types of fruits and vegetables. The hotel intends to offer guests tours of the greenhouse and include them in planting activities and cooking seminars. The first seeds will be planted on June 30 and guests can expect the first harvest on August 15. Cilantro, thyme, onions, tomatoes, honeydew melons, lettuce and squash are some of the fresh produce guests will enjoy.

By growing fruits, vegetables and plants on its own property, El Dorado Royale is saving money while reducing emissions created via the transportation of products from their harvest locations to the resort. The greenhouse is the latest addition to El Dorado’s extensive Passion for the Environment program, which includes solar heated water, tree plantings and major recycling efforts. Congratulations to El Dorado Royale staff for launching the greenhouse initiative.

Are you growing vegetables, fruit or herbs for your guests? If so, what kind of success have you had? Let me know by writing to editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Canada Expands LEED to Existing Buildings

If you visit the Canada Green Building Council website, you will discover a list of all of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects throughout Canada. Of the more than 1,200 projects, many include hotels. For example, there are currently Element and aloft hotels under way in Toronto that have registered for LEED certification. Those hotel projects that are listed at the Canada Green Building Council site are only new construction. That may soon change.

On June 10, At the second annual National Green Building Summit, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announced details of the LEED Canada for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance 2009 (LEED Canada EB:O&M) program. Available later this summer, this new rating system will provide ongoing certification on the performance, operations and maintenance of commercial, government and institutional buildings that have either never been LEED certified or that have been certified under other LEED programs such as LEED Canada for New Construction and Major Renovations.

“Examining actual performance and not design expectations, LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 recognizes the ongoing efforts of building owners and managers to continually improve the performance of their buildings,” said Thomas Mueller, president and CEO of the CaGBC. “It also provides those operators with the opportunity to demonstrate to their tenants, occupants and the wider community their ongoing commitment to green buildings.”

The new rating system considers the building as a whole, accounting for both common and tenanted areas. It looks at building exteriors as well as site maintenance programs, the optimized use of water and energy, the commitment to purchasing environmentally-preferred products and food, waste management and recycling programs and continual indoor environmental air quality.

If you own or operate a hotel in Canada, or even if you do not, be sure to check out the Canada Green Building Council's new program. And, be sure to visit Green Lodging News for future updates on LEED Canada EB:O&M.

Let's Not Forget the Importance of a Phone Call

I recently received an e-mail invitation to moderate a panel discussion at a well-known industry event. It is an event I have spoken at before. I e-mailed the person back to say I was not quite ready to make a commitment. Time went by and the person e-mailed me again, this time framing the e-mail as if I had already committed to speaking and asking me to supply the name of the presentation I would be moderating. I e-mailed again to say that I was not quite ready to make a commitment. Time went by and I received another e-mail, this time saying that the deadline had passed and that the person needed to know when she should expect to receive all of the information from me for the presentation. Keep in mind that I still had not committed to attending the event!

What I was really waiting for was a phone call from the person to ask me to moderate the session. I thought I deserved at least that much after helping at the event in years past. I finally called the person and expressed my disappointment at not receiving a call. It was the protocol that I had expected and believe I deserved. I still have not made a final decision about participating.

Am I making too much out of nothing? What do you think? What would you do in this situation? Would you have felt hurt? My point in all of this is that we cannot forget how important a phone call is when dealing with a customer, a potential client, business partner, friend, or anyone for that matter. There are times when e-mail just does not cut it. Has e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and all of the social networking tools out there gotten us to a point where we have forgotten how to communicate over the phone? I frequently deal with people who respond to my phone calls with e-mail. It bugs me to no end.

For goodness sake, we are in the hospitality business. Let's not forget the importance of a simple phone call. Your thoughts?