Landmark Los Angeles Hotel Awarded Green Seal(TM) Silver Certification
Officials at Los Angeles' iconic Westin Bonaventure today announced that the property received L.A.'s first Green Seal(TM) Silver Certification, making it the largest environmentally responsible hotel in the city. The 1,354-room hotel earned the certification as a result of implementing a variety of energy-saving and waste reduction initiatives that management estimates will save the property approximately $225,000 each year. The Green Seal Silver Certificate is awarded through Green Seal, an independent environmental non-profit based in Washington, DC. Green Seal works in partnership with the City of Los Angeles' Green Lodging program, LA INC/The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau and City Councilmember Richard Alarcon.
To receive the certification, the 1.5 million square-foot property had to pass a preliminary Green Seal inspection and continue to pass monthly inspections. As a part of the certification, the property now composts all leftover food from all food and beverage facilities inclusive of the restaurants and banquets events, reuses all wooden delivery pallets, participates in an extensive waste recycling program that is monitored monthly through a refuse account, adheres to an environmental purchasing policy and uses light sensors and energy efficient light bulbs. It also replaced all paper, plastic and Styrofoam dining products with reusable dishware and encourages guests to reuse towels and sheets.
"We consider 'greening' the hotel to be our responsibility," said Michael Czarcinski, managing director of the Westin Bonaventure. "By implementing these programs and monitoring them, we're reinforcing that wasting resources is not an option. While some of these initiatives may seem simple, they've already made a noticeable difference in our energy use and waste output. The flick of a light switch is more significant than you think--particularly in a hotel of this size. This is not something that's optional or just a trend. We're in a position to make a great deal of difference by reducing our carbon footprint."
By 2012, the hotel will have replaced all existing guestroom water fixtures with water conserving fixtures, including faucets, aerators, showers, toilets and waterless urinals, saving as much as 10 million gallons of water per year. Light sensors, currently operating in all 27 meeting rooms, also will be added to all hotel linen closets during the next five years.
