Green Building Core Concepts and Strategies for Services and Hospitality

In the US alone, hotels constitute over 5 billion square feet of real estate, nearly 5 million guest rooms and close to $4 billion, annually, in overall energy use. Conferences and business meetings, alone, represent a $175 billion industry and, not counting international travelers, Americans make more than 400 million long-distance business trips per year. Given these staggering figures, it is apparent that hotels and other hospitality venues have a tremendous opportunity to reduce their environmental impact by employing LEED principles in terms by increasing water and energy efficiency, reducing waste, and employing more sustainable purchasing and transportation plans. Moreover, indoor air quality, strategic design concepts focused on natural light and increased awareness of occupants and employees with respect to lighting, heating and cooling would make great strides toward improving the overall health and comfort of indoor environments – a principle goal of any LEED strategy.

The Green Building Core Concepts and Strategies for Services and Hospitality course examines the intent and environmental, social, and economic impact of the green building core concepts that are fundamental to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system. This course will review green building issues and core concepts of the LEED framework unique to the services and hospitality industry, as well as the key roles supporting sustainability in these settings. In addition, this course will provide the skills and knowledge for learners to become leaders in their organization’s overall sustainability efforts and allow them to identify opportunities for growing this role in the future.

The Green Building Core Concepts and Strategies for Services and Hospitality course will address the following primary course objectives:

• Define sustainability issues that are unique and of particular importance to the services and hospitality industry
• Distinguish how USGBC and LEED address the unique needs in the services and hospitality industry
• Describe how LEED core concepts can be addressed in services and hospitality settings
• Define roles in supporting green building and LEED principles in services and hospitality settings and in daily practice
• Identify opportunities for advancing a professional path through green building in the services and hospitality industry