As a commercial contractor, I’ve seen ways in which businesses are changing their practices to become more eco friendly. The travel industry in particular is constantly changing what they do in order to be LEED certified. While much of it has to do with the materials and practices, its what hotels are doing within the building themselves to improve the experience for their guests. These improvements hotels have made, namely to improving air quality, can also be done right at home.
Vegas At Night (from http://bit.ly/17xRzT7)
One city in particular seems to be at the forefront of this eco travel trend. Las Vegas contains a booming construction industry and a number of hotels in Las Vegas alone are all trying to become more sustainable. Las Vegas is actually the city that boasts the “ Most Eco Friendly Hotel in America”. Beyond the materials, these organizations have realized indoor air quality is an issue and have taken steps to improve it. Many hotels across the country are continuing to eliminate any cause of mold and mildew. By repairing leaks, watching for condensation/wet spots, and maintaining a low indoor humidity hotels are able to achieve this. In addition, they are using higher quality eco friendly cleaners and have eliminated the use of deodorizers.
Many of the practices and techniques hotels take part in can be translated to the homes. Using cleaners that are environmentally friendly, the abrasive chemically potent cleaners while tough on stains, are tough on your lungs. Also, ditching the air fresheners is a good idea as they actually do a number on air quality. The most important tip in my eyes is changing the filter on your furnace or air conditioner every three months. It is a good idea to use high-efficiency filter to keep out a third or more of pollutants.
Businesses are taking giant leaps to improving the air quality within their buildings. Many of these practices can actually be translated back to the homes of the hotel guests. Its great to see the buildings I work on striving for sustainability and improving the experience for their guests and employees.
