Air Conditioning Conferences

Conference: Going green makes business sense

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE -- Local college officials hosted a conference on the greening of the hospitality industry last week, reinforcing the modern mantra: green is good.

Atlantic Cape Community College hosted the event at its Cape May County campus, pulling in nearly 50 local business men and women to hear from energy industry executives, representatives from state agencies and other businesses.

To sum it up: green generates green in the hospitality industry.

"JD Power and Associates tracks hotels with green programs and has reported higher guest satisfaction scores for those companies that have introduced sustainable initiatives. Also, Dow Jones, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance and others are tracking sustainable statistics," said Faith Taylor, Vice-President of Sustainability and Innovation for Wyndham Worldwide.

"This has become a factor is how individuals and companies choose to spend their money. These changes deliver economic benefits, conserve resources and prevent pollution," she said.

Taylor delivered the keynote presentation, offering local business owners a view of green solutions within the hospitality industry.

"I feel lucky to have this job," said Taylor. “It didn't exist 10 years ago. This has been an incredible journey, for me and for Wyndham Worldwide."

"I get to do good; do good for the environment and do good business," she said.

Wyndham has been rated among the top 100 greenest companies in America and among the top 10 in the entertainment and travel industry. Wyndham Hotel Group includes 7,200 hotels in 65 countries.

“What you are seeing here is a 'megatrend.' Our industry focused first on quality - with improvements like air conditioning… then on technological innovations for our guests and ways of doing business, like in room entertainment options and internet; and now sustainability is the focus,” she said

“This is a global trend built out of local markets,” said Taylor.

Wyndham's environmental initiatives include front desk staff's uniforms, which are made from recycled plastic bottles; to the use of biodegradable laundry bags, energy efficient lighting, and alternative energy sources.

"These changes cut operational costs for hotel owners by saving water and energy, showing that going green is good business,” said Taylor, who noted that the company's New Jersey headquarters is "…not just talking the talk, but is walking the walk" to lead the company.

Cyprus: 4th International Solar Air-Conditioning Conference in ...

Photo: Zenith Consulting Engineers

The conference covers a wide range of topics concerning solar cooling and solar air-conditioning: from political frame conditions to practical experiences, as well as standardisation and quality management. The conference has again a very international background: There will be presentations held by speakers from countries as far as Australia, China, Egypt, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Tunisia.

The conference includes a technical tour to the new environmentally friendly exhibition building by GEVO in Limassol. This project combines the rational use of energy with the implementation of several new technological systems utilising renewable energy sources. The building has been used to exhibit sanitary wares, fittings and building materials since November 2010. Basically, its heating, cooling and domestic hot water production demands are satisfied by the solar air conditioning system, which is backed up by a high efficiency, geothermal closed loop heat pump chiller. This particular combination of CO2 emission-saving renewable technologies has been the first of its kind in Cyprus. It covers 95% of the building’s annual needs for air conditioning and domestic hot water.

Cyprus has gained the global pole position with regard to the highest collector area in operation per inhabitant. The first commercial solar air conditioning system was installed five years ago, and it is estimated that by the end of 2011, at least another 10 systems of various solar collecting technologies and array sizes will be in operation. The involvement of the newly established academy community of Cyprus, with its two State Technical Universities, is thought to contribute significantly to the increase of know-how by means of scientific observation, research, and development - as both universities have acquired small solar air conditioning systems themselves.

Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Air Conditioning Conference, held at the A & M College of Texas, College Station, Texas, April 26-28, 1948

International Conference on Fans

Heating, piping and air conditioning

The business of conferences, a hospitality sector overview for the UK and Ireland

Annual Air Conditioning Conference, Proceedings