by Brianna Crandall — February 21, 2014—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched on February 5 the WaterSense H2Otel Challenge as a way for agency partners and other organizations to encourage hotels to use best management practices that will save water and money and gain a competitive edge in today’s green marketplace, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
The EPA is building on the success of its voluntary WaterSense program, which has helped Americans save more than 487 billion gallons of water since 2006, to help the hospitality industry take its sustainability efforts to the next level.
From New York City’s Times Square to the Las Vegas strip, hotels across the country will take a pledge to “ACT”—assess, change, and track their water use in the following ways:
- Assess water use and savings opportunities throughout the hotel.
- Change products and processes to more water-efficient models and methods.
- Track water reduction progress before and after incorporating best management practices.
Caesars Entertainment is the first company to sign up for the H2Otel Challenge, notes the EPA. “At Caesars Entertainment’s resorts throughout the country, we know that sustaining our local water supply is as important as providing the best entertainment experience we can to our guests. Over the last few years we successfully implemented several water saving projects, such as adding low-flow showerheads and sink aerators at our Las Vegas resorts. We are excited to participate in the WaterSense H2Otel Challenge and to identify where we can make even greater improvement to our operations,” said Eric Dominguez, corporate director of engineering, utilities and environmental affairs for Caesars Entertainment.
By tackling projects throughout their properties, hotels can find ways to improve their water efficiency and performance while providing the highest quality experience for guests. To help hotels make operational changes and meet growing customer demand for green lodging, the EPA initiated a series of educational Webinars on February 13, 2014, and is providing free tools based on the online guide, WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices for Commercial and Institutional Facilities. WaterSense will also offer outreach materials for hotels to publicize their efforts and celebrate their successes with guests and employees.
