Hospitality Design - September 2012 - 75

perspectives

purchasing POV
By Mitchell Parker

is sustainable obtainable
I think most people, including most of our customers, would do the right thing if given the opportunity. I also believe that more than ever, being socially responsible is becoming more important in how we live and how we conduct business. Sustainability is one of the big buzzwords of today and most of us want to do our part for future generations. Clearly, sustainability and green practices are in the spotlight. You can’t read a magazine or watch a commercial without ge ing the message: Sustainability is important, and you should do business with our company because we care about the environment. The real question in the hospitality industry is not ‘does the hotel company care,’ but does it truly incorporate sustainability practices as a standard of doing business? I think sustainable design is becoming obtainable. From a purchasing perspective, the amount of suppliers o ering sustainable products has increased exponentially, and as purchasing agents we are responsible for educating our customers when there is a comparable product being o ered. As usual, we have to evaluate any cost di erential related to the sustainable product and until recently, savings always won out. In my opinion, the trend is shi ing and the cost di erential of comparable products is decreasing, which will increase the percentage of sustainable products in hospitality projects. I was fortunate enough to hear Jean-Michel Cousteau speak last year at HD Boutique. JeanMichel is the son of the famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau and founder of Ocean Futures Society (OFS). Part of his passion, and its mission statement, is “to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection.” Sustaining our oceans might very well be the most important thing we can do for our future, as Jean-Michel aptly pointed out, because it is the source of all freshwater on the planet and thus the source of life. Interestingly, OFS has teamed up with Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico, to create an environmental education and eco-adventure program using Dorado Beach as the natural classroom. This partnership is a perfect example of a hotel owner actively embracing the sustainability movement to the bene t of all parties. As consumers of hospitality, all of us have the capacity and responsibility to encourage hotel owners and operators to do more—that is not to say that many companies haven’t already embraced programs related to sustainable practices. But ultimately it is the consumer who will make the di erence in how much a company contributes to the practice. I believe that every hotel and hotel company should publish their practices on their corporate websites, so as consumers we can decide who is acting and not just talking. If the metrics indicate that more people stay at hotels owned or managed by owners or hotel companies that are socially conscious, there will be more sustainable products and practices in hospitality. As I write this article, my review of ve of the largest hotel companies in the U.S. shows that three had a link on their corporate sites to their sustainability practices. That’s progress that should be sustained. hd
MITCHELL PA R K E R i s a p a r t n e r a t t h e Parker Compa ny, a U . S . G re e n Bu i l d i n g C o u n c i l member, and t he f o rm e r p re s i d e n t of t h e International So ci et y of Ho s pi t a l i t y P u rc h a s e r s , www.ishp.org

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