By Lim Sio Hui

SO you turn off the computer and lights after use, and lower the airconditioning at night. But eco-conscious though you might be, you don't think twice about getting on a plane to clinch some business deal, or trek through some previously undisturbed pristine landscape as part of a well-needed getaway.

Enter the hotel industry, which is working to take the responsibility away from you by adopting more environmentally friendly policies in their premises. It used to be little things like asking guests to go easy on their towel-changing, but lately, sustainability has taken on new and more aggressive forms as new properties start to 'compete' with each other to boast some kind of environmentally sustainable credentials.

The latest catchphrase you will hear now is 'carbon neutral', where hotels offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with guests' stays, often as part of a larger sustainability programme.

Urbn Hotels Shanghai

Marriott, for one, invested US$2 million in a landmark deal to protect 1.4 million acres of rainforest in Brazil in its carbon offset programme last year. But it's not just the giant international hotel chains (who might be obliged to do so under the Kyoto Protocol) that are championing the sustainability cause.

Smaller chains and boutique establishments in Asia are also leading the way by voluntarily reversing carbon emissions. Newcomers like Shanghai's Urbn Hotels and Phnom Penh's The Quay have started carbon neutral operations, while forward-thinking groups such as Alila Hotels and Resorts and Six Senses Resorts and Spas have committed to making their hotels carbon neutral in the near future.

To neutralise their environmental impact, Urbn Hotels Shanghai engages China- and UK-based Emissions Zero, while The Quay works with GERES Cambodia, a local branch of a French not-for-profit organisation, both licensed third party companies, to track the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the hotel's operations. This figure is offset through the purchase of 'carbon credits', which are used to finance projects that reduce carbon emissions, such as green energy or reforestation ventures. The carbon audit takes into account emissions from guests' electricity usage to employee commutes, as well as delivery for supplies such as food.

Apart from these two properties, the hotel representative brand Leading Hotels of the World also runs its own Leading Green Initiative, where guests staying in member hotels (including Asian ones such as Tokyo's Imperial Hotel and Bangkok's The Sukhothai) can opt to go carbon neutral by booking through a dedicated website or asking for the scheme at reservation desks. The room rates on the Leading Green Initiative are the same, and for each night's stay, the organisation donates the equivalent of US$1 - a figure estimated by carbon offset partner Sustainable Travel International - to offset a guest's overnight stay.

The downside to all this is that carbon offsetting is voluntary, and because solutions providers use different methodologies, there is no universal standard that can be used to measure just how much of an environmental impact is being made. Which makes it hard to gauge how successful a hotel's efforts are.

On top of that, US$1 to offset a night's stay is a negligible portion of hotel rates, so it's easy to dismiss a hotel's efforts as a marketing ploy rather than a sincere commitment to the environment. Urbn Hotels Shanghai and The Quay have yet to reveal how much they spend to offset a night's stay in each room, but it's hardly likely to be more than a few dollars. (As a gauge, a typical household of four people is estimated to produce 15-20 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, an amount that is offset with S$200-250 worth of carbon credits.)

So, with increasingly savvy travellers demanding eco-accountability from their hotel choices, it's not enough to pay lip service by declaring their carbon neutral status. The proof is in the action, and hotels know that such claims have to be incorporated into an all-inclusive effort to be sustainable.

For this reason, leading Singapore-based sustainable hotel group Banyan Tree, for one, has no plans to buy carbon credits as an offset measure. The company already has its own carbon measurement and set emissions benchmarks, and says that its long-established social responsibility and environmental conservation policies were 'compatible' with this new carbon neutral trend.

Michael Kwee, group director of corporate social responsibility strategy, adds: 'Like any organisation which cares for the environment, the long-term goal isn't just to become neutral in terms of environmental impact, but to take the extra steps to create more environmental benefit.'

Step-by-step approach

The Quay Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Doris Goh, vice-president of sales and marketing at Alila Hotel and Resorts, agrees with an all-rounded, step-by-step approach. 'Going carbon neutral must be followed by an educated approach to help consumers understand the big picture. It can only be successful if we practise what we preach and share, educate and operate on these same principles.'

Alila has taken a prudent approach with its carbon neutral programme, starting from its management office, before taking the initiative to its guests, and ultimately, to the hotels themselves. The hotel management company works with leading benchmarking Green Globe to ensure that its resorts are certified to its stringent operating standards.

Urbn Hotels Shanghai shares this view. 'We believe that sustainability is not just about the environment, but also about being socially and economically responsible,' says business development executive Geneva Holden. 'Perhaps one of our largest positive impacts is the education we spread to our guests, the hotel industry, the Chinese government and our employees.' The hotel also hosts 'as many educational events as it can' - just last month, it hosted the second annual Shanghai Eco Fair.

In addition, the hotel's location is a strategic move: 'We chose to place the hotel in a very local street, where no multinational brands (are situated) so we can support the local retail business in the area,' says Ms Holden.

The Quay, together with five other carbon neutral hospitality properties operated by management group Food and Beverage Solutions, also indirectly assists social development through purchase of offsets from GERES Cambodia's New Lao Stove project. These stoves reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using 22 per cent less wood or charcoal, and can last 2.5 to 3 times longer than traditional stoves.

The project provides training and generates employment for stove producers, improves indoor air quality, and reduces the fuel costs of stove users, says GERES Cambodia's carbon offset analyst Kimberley Buss.

Despite the drawbacks of the system, Raimondo Chiodi, business development director of The Green Asia Group - and Alila's carbon solutions provider - is a firm believer in carbon offsetting, because eco-friendly programmes are only useful if they are executed in a properly administrated framework, such as in accredited carbon offsetting projects. 'You can plant a tree today, but if it dies tomorrow, it releases CO2 back into the air,' he says. 'It can be completely useless.'

He adds: 'Carbon credits is the most successful environmental programme put together so far - but it's an interim solution ... until we can find and implement a truly green sustainable alternative to carbon fossil fuel and we can cut our dependency from it.'

It is difficult to judge how the new-fangled carbon neutral programmes actually impact on climate change, not least because measuring sustainability is a complex calculation of costs and actions over time and distance. But these hotels have started on a good idea that will help us sleep better at night: do what you can to reduce your environmental impact, before leaving the rest to professional climate change companies.

btnews@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Business Times on Nov 8, 2008.