Introduction: Service Sector Contributors to Carbon Emissions
βKimton Hotels
Kimpton Hotels are able to provide a satisfying answer to the patrons. Founded in 1981, the Kimpton Hotel chain now includes more than 50 properties in the United States. Kimpton hotels boast the highest customer satisfaction and emotional attachment scores of any hotel company operating in America.
In 2005, Kimpton initiated a campaign called EarthCare that examined more than 40 eco-friendly practices performed daily at each hotel.
The program involved such practices as placing recycling bins in guest rooms for the disposal of organic mini-bar items.
This program was developed with a particular interest in guest experience and financial performance
Kimpton recognized early on that this sustainability initiative would only be successful if it did not compromise the quality of the hotel experience or detract from the bottom line for shareholders.
As a compliment to the EarthCare program, Kimpton also developed EarthCare Champions in every restaurant and hotel. Any associate can be a champion from general managers to housekeepers. These champions meet twice a month to ensure compliance with standards, develop tools to train new employees, and keep the sustainability focus on the minds of all employees.
These champions have also generated many of the new ideas for products and services that enable Kimpton to remain at the forefront of sustainability in the hotel industry.
This economic sector includes service businesses (e.g., retail stores, hotels), educational institutions, correctional facilities, religious groups, and fraternal organizations. On a global level, the service sector accounts for 9% of total final energy consumption and 12% of carbon emissions.
The three primary sources of energy for services are electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil.
Kimpton has been able to incorporate sustainability into operations while simultaneously achieving milestones in financial, relational, and environmental performance.
In the first year of EarthCare, Kimptonattributed more than
$500,000 in new revenue to the program. It also saved considerably from EarthCare directives to upgrade lighting San Francisco s Galleria Park Hotel alone saved $4,000 from changing exit lighting to LEDs.
The company has fostered closer relationships with employees via the EarthCare Champions program, and the eco-friendly requirement for food service products has nurtured relationships with local producers.
Among the environmental benefits are reduced water usage and reduced use of toxins. In the first year of EarthCare operations, the company saved more than 103,000 gallons of water at the Hotel Allegro in Chicago.
βServices are product offerings that possess several traits that distinguish them from goods and other product offerings. The delivery of most services is contingent of the action of people, and the personnel-based facet distinguishes these products from goods.
Services are products that are essentially intangible and vary based on the provider. Because services are associated with the time the services provider has available to render the service, the amount of available service is perishable.
The service sector of an economy is an important source of employment and GDP. In the United States, for example, the services sector accounts for more than 80% of the jobs in the economy as well as 80% of the GDP. On a global level, the service sector accounts for 9% of total final energy consumption and 12% of carbon emissions.
