Saving the Planet One Job at a Time
Image via Wikipedia
Hello again after a long absence! Today’s post is a guest post written by Leon Powell, a certified human resource specialist who writes for the interior design career blog to help people who want to become an interior designer. As a hotel owner, these are several types of service providers that you may want to keep an eye out for to help you with your sustainability issues. Enjoy!
With problems such as overpopulation, bad air due to smog and other fumes, and global warming it is no wonder our planet is deteriorating as such a quick rate. Recycling, using a filtered water pitcher instead of bottles, using your own bags at the grocery store, and buying recycled paper napkins are just a few of the many easy things you can do to help save our planet. While the aforementioned tasks can easily be done by anyone anytime, there are a few career paths that you could choose to take which will greatly help to save our planet. If you want to further help make our home a more reliable place to live, consider one of the following green jobs.
1. Home Energy Auditor- There are often many people whose homes add to the damage done to our environment but that doesn’t mean those homeowners are intentionally hurting our planet; they just don’t know what they should be doing differently to help. This is where you, as a home energy auditor, comes in. You inspect people’s homes, looking for ways to increase energy efficiency. One common adjustment is adding insulation to keep the cold air out which in turn cuts down on the amount of gas people use for heat. Another common adjustment is replacing old windows.
2. Green Teacher- If you are experienced in building energy efficient homes, increasing energy efficiency, or creating creative ways to help the planet, you should consider teaching others what you know. People are becoming more curious about what they can do to contribute to our planet, and in order for them to learn, they need teachers. Your expertise will help others to become experienced in said tasks, which leads to them teaching others, resulting in more energy saving people.
3. Green Engineer- Perhaps one of the most crucial parts to building energy saving homes, companies, and other buildings is the engineer. You have to decide where the best place to build is, come up with the plans for the land, create systems to handle water run-off, as well as find a way to manage and treat storm water. If you are interested in becoming a green engineer, your first step is to become certified with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
4. Wind Power Salesperson- Due to the tax breaks offered to people who use renewable energy systems, more people are buying said systems. You can use this to your advantage by choosing a job selling wind turbines, and other renewable energy systems. Not only will you be helping others to contribute to our planet, but you will be making a profit from it. Wind Power Salespeople are much needed in order to get the word out to others about saving energy and maximizing our earth’s natural energy.
5. Weatherization Expert- As a weatherization expert, you are not only responsible for inspecting homes and buildings for ways to improve energy efficiency, but also for finding problems with current buildings and fixing them and submitting ideas to home builders about how to make new projects more energy efficient. This is arguably the most lucrative field to pursue, as there are not a large number of weatherization experts out there.
In conclusion, having a green job helps you and everyone else around you by insuring our planet doesn’t self destruct. Even if you don’t pursue one of the above mentioned professional fields, simply doing the small things to save energy, trees, and natural resources gives you the feeling of fulfillment while evoking a sense of confidence about yours and your family’s future. Everyone should do their part.
Leon Powell is a certified human resource specialist, he writes for the interior design career blog to help peeople who want to become an interior designer.
Green Hotels
If you’ve got a green hotel in Greece, you’ll definitely want to check out this website. The Green Hotels network (site in both English and Greek) gives properties a chance to share their environmental initiatives, showcasing the hotel’s manager as a key part of the hotel’s eco character and sustainability.
You can also compare your hotel’s “econess” against their environmental criteria list (this is worth doing even if you aren’t located in Greece, as criteria are international), helping you determine just how eco your hotel is, and what measures you can take to improve.
They also have a green certification program for Greek eco hotels (site is in Greek).
For hoteliers located in Greece, this site is a very useful resource, as the directory allows eco travelers to easily find sustainable properties for their next Greek vacation. For hoteliers not located in Greece, their environmental criteria list is quite useful.
They also have a fairly new blog with eco travel tips and information in both English and Greek.
Check out the site and blog, and let me know what you think.
Green Hotels and Responsible Tourism Initiative
Image via Wikipedia
Check out this new educational resource called the Green Hotels and Responsible Tourism Initiative, designed to educate both travelers and hotel owners about making more responsible choices.
For hotel owners:
- The green hotels whitepaper in both online and .pdf formats.
- The review your hotel section which includes a questionnaire about your hotel, designed to create a sustainability and environmental statement for your business.
For travelers:
- The responsible traveler guide in both online and .pdf formats.
- The 15 question Responsible Traveler Quiz. Most of the questions are pretty much common sense, but I did learn a few things. Do you know whether it’s better for the environment to fly during the day or night? Check out the quiz.
World Toilet Day, November 19
It’s likely you’ve never heard of it, but November 19 is World Toilet Day, designated to raise awareness of the 2.5 billion people (note: this is almost half the world’s population) who don’t have access to toilets and adequate sanitation. How does this affect people? It kills 1.8 million people a year from diarrheal diseases, mostly children.
For ideas on how to participate and help raise awareness, check out the website, with info on The Big Squat. Involve your staff and your hotel guests: explain the issue to your team members, and post information near the front desk so guests can learn more. Spread the message.
Also look into sanitation issues in your region or country. How can you help raise awareness about local problems near your hotel?
Events are being held all over the world. You can organize a Big Squat at your hotel, or in conjunction with other hotels, and post the event on the World Toilet Day website. Get creative. As they say, “We are raising awareness for serious issues on World Toilet Day, but when the issue is related to poo, let’s have fun with it.“
For additional information, follow World Toilet Day on Twitter or check out their Facebook page.
Embracing Conservation at Lua Cheia Beach Camp
Photo courtesy of Lua Cheia.
Imagine vacationing in complete isolation from any other tourist facility, fishing village, or any other human disturbance…just solitude, untouched nature, and complete relaxation. Sound good? Check out Lua Cheia Beach Camp in Bweni Village.
This gorgeous tented camp located on Mafia Island, just off Tanzania in Eastern Africa. It has only nine tents, all located right on the beach (see photo to the left).
It’s also an excellent example of a sustainable boutique hotel that makes use of a variety of eco practices that you can adopt at your hotel, too. Take a moment as you read the rest of this post to jot down ideas on how you can apply these techniques at your hotel.
World Food Day, October 16
World Food Day is celebrated all over the world on this day in honor of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. This year’s theme is “United Against Hunger.”
I know this is a late post for today, but it’s not too late to act. Take some time to think about how you can help fight hunger in your city/town, state/province, or country. Is there a particular social group or region that is in need? What can your hotel, staff, or guests do to help?
Does your hotel currently take any actions to fight hunger in nearby communities? How can you improve this program?
Please feel free to share any ideas in comments. Thanks!
Quick Survey: eco-friendly supply chains
Save Eco Destinations links up to this quick survey on eco-friendly supply chains. It honestly takes no more than a minute or two to fill out, and once you finish, you’re sent to an article on five companies and what they are doing to go green in their supply chain. Please check it out!
