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Sustainability article:
Hotel Floats Ideas for Soap Savings
October 25, 2010
Source: Community Partnership Update/November 2010
 Emory Conference Center Hotel is redoubling its recycling efforts and adding a few interesting items to the list of those recycled and reused -- used bars of soap and bottles of shampoo.
"Patrons take full advantage of the free soap we provide, but many guests leave the partially-used bars behind," says Kathy Johnson, general manager, Emory Conference Center Hotel. "One of my staff heard about 'Clean the World,' a non-profit group that promotes cleanliness and improved hygiene with families around the world. The group takes partially used soaps, cleans and sanitizes them, then processes them for use in the U.S. and abroad. For example, nearly 8,000 pounds of soap were distributed in Haiti in August as part of the ongoing relief effort there."
The reuse of soap bars is just one area where ECCH is exploring charitable and environmental efforts. "We are also donating opened but unused shampoo and conditioner containers to Saint Mark's United Methodist Church in Midtown for use in their outreach efforts to the local homeless population," says Johnson.
"We discarded so many used bars of soap and bottles of shampoo," continued Johnson. "I am thrilled that now, not only are we reducing the amount of waste we generate, we are recycling it for use with groups that serve real needs."
ECCH continues to looking for new and creative ways to support green business practices. Among its efforts:
• Cooking grease is taken from kitchen facilities and reused in biodiesel that fuels part of Emory’s Cliff shuttle fleet;
• Single stream recycling, a system where all paper fibers are mixed or co-mingled, that allows ECCH to increase the amount of materials recycled;
• A third of the hotel guests choose to conserve water and energy by not having their sheets and towels changed daily;
• LEED silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for the hotel expansion that opened May 2009; and
• Certification by Green Seal, Inc., and independent, non-profit, environmental certification organization dedicated to promoting environmentally responsible products and services.
Johnson adds that she "is proud of our efforts to date and we are always open to new ideas on how to reduce our impact on the environment."
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