Hey, hospitality industry—Did you know that the world water supply is projected to significantly decrease in the next fifteen years? The United Nations predicts a 40% increase in water scarcity by 2030. A mega-drought could equal mega-problems.Trends show that travelers are seeking eco-friendly hotels with increasing frequency. When given the choice, many guests will pick the sustainably-minded hotel and opt to let those bath towels hang for a day or two.
Hotels can act now to reduce the consequences of a global water shortage. The EPA has even launched an H2otel Challenge to help hotels learn how to reduce water use. Starting is as simple as A-C-T: Assessing, Changing, and Tracking your hotel’s water consumption. Even hotels that have some practices in place can up the ante for significant improvement.
Assessing your hotel’s water:
- Install meters and take regular readings
- Do a water audit to estimate costs
- Compare to industry benchmarks for saving areas
Changing your hotel’s consumption:
- Set goals and get the whole staff involved
- Use handy guides from the EPA to institute changes
- Consider water usage in the bathrooms, laundry, pool, kitchen, and grounds
- Continue training staff in water-conserving practices
Tracking the effectiveness:
- Highlight achievements
- Partner with other hotels or buildings
- Advertise your accomplishments!
860 hotels nationwide have signed up for the H2otel Challenge by setting up effective water conservation plans. Water scarcity is due to population growth, climate change, resource-intensive farming, as well as urbanization and industrialization. But the more industry leaders that take action, the more water there will be to go around.
