HG Principal, Evadne Giannini, to Present in Zero Waste Webinar on June 27

Interested in eliminating excessive waste at your company? Please join HospitalityGreen's Principal, Evadne Giannini, as she copresents in a Zero Waste Through Green Business Programs Webinar on Thursday, June 27 at 1:30pm.

Please see the invitation below:

Zero Waste through Green Business Programs

Join us for a Webinar on June 27 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM EDT


Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/663891458

U. S. EPA will be hosting this webinar in partnership with experts who work with businesses and sponsors of green business programs.

• Learn what motivates businesses to join a green business program
• Discover what has made the Westchester County Green Business Challenge a success
• Hear how county governments in Ohio and Pennsylvania encourages green businesses 

Title: Zero Waste through Green Business Programs
Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Time: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM EDT

ATTENTION FACILITY MANAGERS: IT’S MORE THAN CHANGING LIGHT BULBS, IT’S CHANGING PEOPLE’S BEHAVIORS AS WELL

School districts around the country are notorious wasters of energy. With budgets tighter than ever, many institutions are finding ways to cut back on their excess energy usage.

Holmdel, New Jersey has saved close to $1,000,000 each year though improvements in energy efficiency. With the help of the district’s Energy Manager, William Balicki, the school has made some simple, but effective improvements, to remind students and staff of ways to save energy.

“Anytime we can ask people to physically do it, we do,” he said. “This is pretty much a people-based program. It’s changing behavior.”

Mount Sinai and Yonkers, among other school district, have also found quick, easy, ways to decrease energy spending such as turning off computers overnight and turning off classroom lights when the room is not in use.

For the full article, please visit: http://nyti.ms/pCYy5T

LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SAVE YOUR COMPANY MONEY?

HospitalityGreen (HG) will be offering a “Green Facility Managers Training” for managers and operators to learn how to evaluate and implement sustainable practices in two Massachusetts locations, Pittsfield and Holyoke.

"Green Facility Training for Operations and Management" will be offered at Berkshire Community College’s Intermodal Education Center in Pittsfield on Wednesdays, Sept. 7 and 14, from 9am to 5pm. The course, “Green Facilities Training for Managers,” will also be offered at Holyoke Community College on Sept. 8 and 15, from 9am to 5pm.

The workshops will look at practical approaches to comprehensive facility assessments, developing an improvement plan and conducting a site audit. It will cover topics such as source reduction and usage, purchasing and marketing, contractual negotiations and green assessments. Green meeting standards and the LEED EB program will also be discussed.

The courses use the framework of a national certification program to teach participants how to implement water, energy and source reduction programs, lower their use of toxic chemicals, and source local "green" products and services.

HospitalityGreen (HG) offers an extensive tool box equipped with proprietary measurement and calculators tools as well as access to on line references, guide books and on site check lists through a customized class website. All participants are given a 12-month subscription to the HG Tool Box as part of the training fee.

For information and registration, please contact Mimi Fierle at HospitalityGreen,

(845)-436-6173 or Training@HospitalityGreen.com

FROST VALLEY YMCA GOES GREEN, COMPLETING A RIGOROUS SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The First Certification Granted by Green Concierge, a Program that Works to Green Tourism and Lodging Facilities throughout the Catskill Watershed Region

June 27, 2011 – Frost Valley YMCA, a 6,000 acre residential camping, environmental education, and conference center located in the heart of the Catskill Mountain Park is the first to complete the necessary training and assessment to receive Tier 1 – Bronze Certification from the Green Concierge (GC) Project.

Green Concierge, which is conceived of and administered by environmental consulting firm HospitalityGreen, has been working with Frost Valley since December 2010. During that time, 24 members of the Frost Valley staff have participated in an onsite Green Facility Training and the institution has implemented a number of major sustainable practices, including: replacing all light bulbs with energy efficient ones, recycling, composting, disposing of hazardous waste according to state regulations, using non-toxic cleaning products, upgrading sinks, showerheads and toilets to water-conserving models, purchasing recycled-content soft tissues, paper towels and office paper, and sourcing local produce whenever possible. HospitalityGreen’s online Resource Tracking Tool (The RTT) helps them track measurable environmental improvements and target opportunities for reducing costs.

Sustainable living has always been a core value for Frost Valley, and the organization continually strives to be conscientious caretakers of their facilities, natural resources, environment, community and each other. Tom Holsapple, Frost Valley’s Director of Operations, has led the participation in the Green Concierge program. “I’m thrilled at the advances we have made through the Green Concierge Project. Working with GC has formalized our sustainable efforts and presented an opportunity to refresh what was started years ago. Ultimately, it has changed the culture of our organization and our efforts will be passed along to the 40,000 people a year who come to use our facility. Seventy percent of those guests are kids, so we are creating a healthy and sustainable place and environmental awareness for the next generation.”

Evadne Giannini, Principal of HospitalityGreen LLC, says, “Frost Valley is the first of the more than 30 Green Concierge participants to receive certification. It couldn’t go to a more worthy organization. They have infiltrated sustainable practices into every aspect of their operation and really set the bar high for others to follow.”

The GC Certification process is structured in three tiers (Bronze, Silver and Gold) – with each tier providing a realistic benchmark and advancement to subsequent tiers dependent upon a business’ commitment, their ongoing use of the RTT to track resource use, and their dedication to increasingly rigorous sustainable practices. Frost Valley will be working towards receiving the silver certification in 2012.

The GC Certification was recently recognized and ranked by Greenlodge.org as a Silver Tier Program, placing it within an elite group of national and international third party certification programs.

In addition to the certification program, the Green Concierge Project, through funding from the Empire State Development (ESD) and the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC), provides free one-on-one technical assistance to over 150 tourism and lodging facilities in the Catskill Watershed Region to improve their operational economic and environmental sustainability practices.

--

HospitalityGreen LLC is a New York based consulting firm specializing in environmental and operations consulting services. HospitalityGreen partners with service-based and product-based clients throughout the hospitality, manufacturing and institutional healthcare industries, to implement sustainable business practices.

Established in 1901 as one of the nation's first summer camps, Frost Valley YMCA now provides four seasons of outdoor, experiential and educational opportunities. Frost Valley YMCA is a 6,000 acre residential camping, environmental education, and conference center located in the heart of the “forever wild” Catskill Mountain Preserve and serves over 40,000 visitors per year.

For more information on HospitalityGreen and the Green Concierge Project, visit www.hospitalitygreen.com or call (845) 436-6173.

CONTACT

Samantha Hoover, PR Director

HospitalityGreen

Tel: (917) 337-2979

Email: s.hoover@hospitalitygreen.com

Website: www.hospitalitygreen.com

Denise Owens, Director of Marketing & Communications

Frost Valley YMCA

Tel: (845) 985-2291, ext. 211

Email: dowens@frostvalley.org

Website: www.frostvalley.org

HospitalityGreen's Green Concierge Project Seeks Two Summer Interns

Immediate opening for Two Summer Interns to work with hospitality businesses throughout the Catskill Watershed

HospitalityGreen LLC (HG) is providing an excellent opportunity for two interns to learn and gain experience working with owners and operators in the hospitality industry, promoting and implementing sustainable business practices. Our interns assume a diversity of responsibilities including: answering and researching questions regarding sustainable hotel operations, serving as an HG representative throughout the business community, developing informational material for blog postings, conducting on site assessments and trouble shooting.
There are also multiple opportunities for the development of special projects and PT and FT work depending upon the interest and qualifications of the chosen candidates.

Qualifications
• Must have an insured car and a valid driver’s license
• Educational background in the natural sciences, the hospitality industry, sustainability management, environmental education, or related field.
• Previous experience working with businesses.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, comfortable speaking with business and facility operators, and a professional appearance
• High level of organizational skills to effectively administer the diverse demands of the job, as well as work independently and keep detailed records and receipts
• Motivated, enthusiastic, creative, and willing to work with large and small businesses and independently travel throughout the Catskill Watershed
• Must be able to execute in depth internet research and be facile in MS Word, excel and ppt.
• Familiarity with the Catskills or map skills a plus and love of mountains and clean streams a MUST!
Position: Green Concierge Summer Interns (2)
Location: 35 Main Street, Mountaindale, NY 12763
Position Dates: late May – late August
Work Schedule: 20-24 hours per week / flexible schedule is acceptable
Compensation: Reimbursement for all travel and client visit expenses, private apartment in Mountaindale, $500 stipend, academic credit, extensive B to B experience, opportunity to attend all HG trainings w/out charge, chance to spend the summer traveling throughout and working in an incredibly beautiful place!
Closing date: April 22, 2011 or until filled
For more information or to apply, please email or mail a resume and a brief letter of inquiry or interest to:
Evadne Giannini, Green Concierge Program Director
HospitalityGreen LLC
PO Box 222, 35 Main Street
Mountaindale, NY 12763
e.giannini@hospitalitygreen.com
www.hospitalitygreen.com