Hospitality Suppliers Go Green, Save Cash

This article talks about the Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Supply show that celebrated its 34th annual showing which took place in Myrtle Beach. "The event...showcased energy-efficient and so-called green products and services to the estimated 22,000 hospitality employees who attended from across the region." The people in attendance are obviously looking for ways to cut costs in their businesses and this seems to be the best way. Tammy Rausch talks about LED bulbs which she claims "will last 10 years going 12 hours a day, and there's no heat from them, which is a huge savings." Though the cost of one of these bulbs is $35, which may seems like a lot up front, but when you consider the how long it will last compared to a regular bulb as well as the energy savings, then it is well worth it! They also talk about high-efficiency washing machines that remove as much water as they can so that the dryer can be run for a much shorter time and savings can be made there. There are also water faucets that "reduce the flow of water from normal faucets of 2.2 gallons per minute to 1.5 gallons per minute." Water usage can add up and become very expensive, so any cut backs that can be made from that will save money and unnecessary water usage. All of these are great ways for restaurants and hotels as well to "go green," and though the start up costs may seem like more in the beginning, it really is the best for the long term.

Eco-Friendliness to be a trend in 2010?

The article I found goes along with a lot of things we've talked about in class. In this article, it talks about how "sustainable and locally grown and sourced ingredients will be the top menu trends in 2010, according to chefs polled." It seems that this could turn out to be more than fad that people might feel like it is because it appeals to what people are now looking for in many places they go to eat or when they go food shopping."Of the top 10 anticipated trends, half fell into the sustainable, eco-friendly or organic categories." was another interesting fact in this article. It seems that a lot of chefs noticed the substainable, locally grown food makes a better product, therefore it brings in more business. The article also mentions, "surveyed chefs said the top trend in restaurant kitchens next year would be the inclusion of environmentally friendly equipment and practices." which would be another step in the right direction.

I really liked this article, because it explained how this one company called Filtagroup, was going green long before celebrities and other figures made it so important. This article also explains how certain appliances they have can help with going green, such as their filtafry, which is a frying machine that once you are done with the oil, the company comes in and takes the oil and makes it in to biodisel. Another thing that i found really interesting about this article, is the fact that they were talking about how everyone wants to go green, but most people don't know how. I also like how Filtagroup doesn't call going green a trend, but an "integral piece of the business puzzle". They are going to continue making products to help businesses go green, and i am really interested to see how everything will work out with them.

http://www.rimag.com/article/367757-Eco_Friendly_Foodservice_Green_and_Growing.php whats so appealing about this article is that. most of the articles I've ever been able to find have always been about the economic benefits, and how specific restaurants that have gone green have seen an increase in sales. but this article shows the amount of consumers who appreciate eating in green restaurants and how much it appeals to them

KFC in North Hampton, Mass. Going Green

In this article I found, it talks about a KFC/Taco Bell joint in Mass. introducing new equipment that will help our environment. They have recently installed the SolarWall System, which "is a solar air heating system that uses the sun’s energy to heat ventilation air for commercial and industrial buildings. It substantially reduces traditional heating fuel expenses and carbon dioxide emissions, requires no maintenance and lasts more than 30 years."
Each year, the system can displace about 9 tons of carbon dioxide from the earth's atmosphere -- thats about 270 tons of carbon dioxide that can be displaced throughout the 30 years this system will last.
This, yet again, shows the efforts that small, quick service restaurants are putting forth to help improve the environment we live in.

"Wellness, green initiatives planned for government buildings"

I found this article and I find it interesting how much attention 'going green' is getting in Washington. I like that they are trying to "introduce wellness and sustainability into the federal system." As in another article I posted, I am hoping that if the Obama administration is promoting the whole green thing people will be more likely to do so. Which is like what they stated in their article, “The wellness part is about introducing food items that are inherently healthy... What [the GSA is] trying to do is get customers to pick food items that are going to contribute to well being and health.” This is a really great influence to show everyone, and not just those in Washington but to everyone as a great example of not just being green but encouraging exercise and healthy eating as well. I hope that this continues to the trend and that way more people will catch on.

This article kind of annoyed me! There should not be a competition to "going green," that is not at all the purpose. This is something that EVERY country should be taking part in because it will help save the environment that we have all been killing for hundreds and hundreds of years. This is not "Sputnik," it is not uncharted territory or anything even remotely close to that. We are all just as responsible for the torture we have inflicted on this world so it really is stupid to try to say that it is just China's fault and name-call them ("global pollution villain"). It is useless to put all the blame on one country because we are all equally to blame. Instead, we need to look towards the future and find ways to be more environmentally friendly now that it has become a huge problem. We should just be happy that they are being responsible about it now and trying to fix their past wrongs instead of looking at it as a threat (China can do NOTHING right apparently; we blame them for the problem and then get annoyed when they try to fix it!) Obviously we have discusses how it is expensive to "go green" so if businesses could buy this equipment at a lower cost in China then I do not see where the problem lies. Like the article states, just because China is opening up tons of new jobs because of the "going green" trend, does not necessarily mean that that is taking away any United States jobs that will also be created for this trend. I agree with the article when it talks about the "folks in green-tech and environmental frontlines" who believe "the green-tech "race" is not one that one side wins and the others loses, but a scenario where partnerships are sought out and the final equation doesn't have to be a zero-sum game." If we could all work to help each other out it would be a lot more beneficial then trying to compete against every other country out there.