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The first hotel in San Francisco to be LEED-EB certified was the Orchard Hotel. Stefan Mühle, the general manager explained how the efficiency process developed, initially through a need to cut operating costs after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent recession that dramatically reduced business and personal travel.

"After 9/11, we really looked into opportunities to reduce expenses."  Department managers got creative with solutions to save money.   The housekeeping department, for example, discovered cleaning products that are natural, less abrasive to the guest rooms, better for the environment and not any more expensive. In fact, if applied properly they would be less expensive. In maintenance, we found a rebate program with  the utility company (PG&E) that offered free light bulbs, if you discarded your old incandescent lamps and replaced them with compact fluorescents. Every department participated in this and slowly but surely, we started to go green."

"For five or six years we were just trying to save money."

For the hotel industry, cost cutting can lead naturally to green solutions. Since it's hard to raise rates, the best way to increase profit is to cut costs, but it must be done without harming the guest experience. Working with partners such as electric and water utilities was very important for the hotel.

The direct impetus for the LEED-EB certification was a new hotel, the Orchard Garden Hotel, built nearby in 2006 for the same owner. This hotel achieved LEED for New Construction basic certification, the first for a hotel in California. Then, according to Mühle, the owner said, "Now it really does make sense to get both hotels on the same pedestal and make sure that they all have the same types of certifications." In looking around for opportunities, the company came across LEED-EB as a way to certify the existing property.

While greening an existing hotel obviously requires an effort by a lot of people, including vendors, employees, management, and ownership, each successful project does require one person to say, "let's do it." In this case, it was the personal interest of the owner in creating a healthier property for guests and workers.

It's becoming more and more feasible to make positive ROI cases for green building and green operation strategies.  It saves money in the long term.  And incentives and rebates can make it cost effective upfront, as well.  Add to that the ability to leverage these operational cost savings with a marketing advantage to discriminating customers -- and every property that is added to a "green portfolio" makes the company stronger and more competitive.

One of the main killers of productivity faced by today's workers is the Sick Building Syndrome.
 
The US Environmental Protection Agency defines the term "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) as situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.
 
With 30% of U.S. workers suffering from health problems caused by Sick Building Syndrome, companies are vastly underusing their human assets and underestimating the benefits of switching to green cleaning. With the same effectiveness as traditional cleaning, and little or no cost increase, the return on investment for switching to green cleaning is immense.

Bacteria such as Leginella pneumophila can easily multiply in an office and lead to workers suffering from pneumonia or even Pontiac fever. Pontiac fever is marked by fever, chills, headaches and body aches. These bacteria can grow in the office air ventilation system without your knowledge.
 
Victims of Sick Office Syndrome suffer from a broad range of symptoms such as chronic fatigue, nausea, vision problems and memory loss. Their immune and detoxification systems start to malfunction causing them to suffer from more illnesses and long term effects due to prolonged exposure to harmful bacteria.
 
Sick Building Syndrome can be detrimental towards a company's profitability because workers will not be performing at their optimal level and may spend many days away on sick leave. In this competitive world of ours, more businesses are realizing that a clean workplace is a strategic business tool. It is very important to protect their most valuable assets--their employees.
 
How to prevent your workers from suffering from this unproductive syndrome? The answer is very simple, switch to green cleaning your office. What are the advantages of green cleaning?
 
Green cleaning can:
- Improve indoor air quality
- Provide healthier facilities for workers
- Increase  worker productivity and reduce the number of days that they have to call in sick.
- Improve morale and keep workers thinking positively
- Minimize the possibility of exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals
- Reduce water and air pollution with biodegradable, nontoxic products
- Improve the overall environment with best practices in cleaning and janitorial practices
- Lower operational costs by reducing mold, mildew and accumulation of dust, etc.
 
It is becoming easier to engage the services of a green certified janitorial cleaning company. By using the right equipment and environmentally friendly cleaning products, business and facility managers can be assured that their work environment is cleaner and greener.

The Clean Green Institute certifies companies and individual technicians in green cleaning strategies that include not only the cleaning solutions that prevent toxicity, but strategies and techniques to improve indoor air quality, reduce wasted water, and reduce problems such as mold and mildew from accumulating due to inadequate cleaning, sunshine and ventilation.