Sustainable Travel

Legislation Will Create Jobs and Strengthen the U.S. Economy; Historic Achievement for Travel Community

Legislation Will End Multi-Billion Dollar Loss in Visitor Spending; Recapture $23 Billion in Lost Tax Revenue

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 3232, the "Travel Promotion Act of 2008," by voice vote. The legislation will create thousands of new jobs and spur economic growth nationwide by attracting millions of additional international travelers to the United States who, since 9/11, have found ever-changing security policies and negative foreign press coverage to be a deterrent to visiting the United States.

"The U.S. House of Representatives took decisive action today to jump-start America's struggling economy and create thousands of new jobs by passing the 'Travel Promotion Act,'" said Roger Dow, President and CEO of the Travel Industry Association. "We now call on the U.S. Senate to act quickly to reverse the decline in overseas visitation to the United States and utilize the power of travel to strengthen the American economy."

The "Travel Promotion Act," H.R. 3232, introduced by Representatives William Delahunt (D-MA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) and co-sponsored by 243 additional members of the House of Representatives, establishes a public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier international travel destination and communicate U.S. security and entry policies. The bill specifies that travel promotion would be paid for - at no cost to U.S. taxpayers - by private sector contributions and a modest fee on foreign travelers who do not pay $131 for a visa to enter the United States. Nearly every developed nation in the world spends millions of dollars to attract visitors.

"This is a historic, unprecedented achievement for the travel community," said Dow. "In response to the tragic events of 9/11, the government put in place needed security measures. This legislation creates a public-private partnership to ensure proper communication of those measures and attract millions of additional international visitors."

Two million fewer overseas travelers visited the United States in 2007 than in 2000. The decline in overseas travel since 9/11 has cost America 46 million visitors, $140 billion in lost visitor spending and $23 billion in lost tax revenue. If the United States had simply kept pace with global travel trends, the U.S. economy would have created an additional 340,000 jobs in 2007 and the total U.S. unemployment rate would have dropped from 4.6 to 4.4 percent.

Source: TIA

Posted by BrianM at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new, landmark study on the impact of an emerging global “green economy” on the world of work says efforts to tackle climate change could result in the creation of millions of new “green jobs” in the coming decades.

The new report 1/ entitled Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World, says changing patterns of employment and investment resulting from efforts to reduce climate change and its effects are already generating new jobs in many sectors and economies, and could create millions more in both developed and developing countries.

However, the report also finds that the process of climate change, already underway, will continue to have negative effects on workers and their families, especially those whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and tourism. Action to tackle climate change as well as to cope with its effects is therefore urgent and should be designed to generate decent jobs.

Though the report is generally optimistic about the creation of new jobs to address climate change, it also warns that many of these new jobs can be “dirty, dangerous and difficult”. Sectors of concern, especially but not exclusively in developing economies, include agriculture and recycling where all too often low pay, insecure employment contracts and exposure to health hazardous materials needs to change fast.

What’s more, it says too few green jobs are being created for the most vulnerable: the 1.3 billion working poor (43 per cent of the global workforce) in the world with earnings too low to lift them and their dependants above the poverty threshold of US$2 per person, per day, or for the estimated 500 million youth who will be seeking work over the next 10 years.

Green jobs reduce the environmental impact of enterprises and economic sectors, ultimately to levels that are sustainable. The report focuses on “green jobs” in agriculture, industry, services and administration that contribute to preserving or restoring the quality of the environment. It also calls for measures to ensure that they constitute “decent work” that helps reduce poverty while protecting the environment.

The report says that climate change itself, adaptation to it and efforts to arrest it by reducing emissions have far-reaching implications for economic and social development, for production and consumption patterns and thus for employment, incomes and poverty reduction. These implications harbour both major risks and opportunities for working people in all countries, but particularly for the most vulnerable in the least developed countries and in small island States.

The report calls for “just transitions” for those affected by transformation to a green economy and for those who must also adapt to climate change with access to alternative economic and employment opportunities for enterprises and workers. According to the report, meaningful social dialogue between government, workers and employers will be essential not only to ease tensions and support better informed and more coherent environmental, economic and social policies, but for all social partners to be involved in the development of such policies.

Among other key findings in the report:

* The global market for environmental products and services is projected to double from US$1,370 billion per year at present to US$2,740 billion by 2020, according to a study cited in the report.

* Half of this market is in energy efficiency and the balance in sustainable transport, water supply, sanitation and waste management. In Germany for example, environmental technology is to grow fourfold to 16 per cent of industrial output by 2030, with employment in this sector surpassing that in the country’s big machine tool and automotive industries.

* Sectors that will be particularly important in terms of their environmental, economic and employment impact are energy supply, in particular renewable energy, buildings and construction, transportation, basic industries, agriculture and forestry.

* Clean technologies are already the third largest sector for venture capital after information and biotechnology in the United States, while green venture capital in China more than doubled to 19 per cent of total investment in recent years.

* 2.3 million people have in recent years found new jobs in the renewable energy sector alone, and the potential for job growth in the sector is huge. Employment in alternative energies may rise to 2.1 million in wind and 6.3 million in solar power by 2030.

* Renewable energy generates more jobs than employment in fossil fuels. Projected investments of US$630 billion by 2030 would translate into at least 20 million additional jobs in the renewable energy sector.

* In agriculture, 12 million could be employed in biomass for energy and related industries. In a country like Venezuela, an ethanol blend of 10 per cent in fuels might provide one million jobs in the sugar cane sector by 2012.

* A worldwide transition to energy-efficient buildings would create millions of jobs, as well as “greening” existing employment for many of the estimated 111 million people already working in the construction sector.

* Investments in improved energy efficiency in buildings could generate an additional 2-3.5 million green jobs in Europe and the United States alone, with the potential much higher in developing countries.

* Recycling and waste management employs an estimated 10 million in China and 500,000 in Brazil today. This sector is expected to grow rapidly in many countries in the face of escalating commodity prices.

The report provides examples of massive green jobs creation, throughout the world, such as: 600,000 people in China who are already employed in solar thermal making and installing products such as solar water heaters; in Nigeria, a bio fuels industry based on cassava and sugar cane crops might sustain an industry employing 200,000 people; India could generate 900,000 jobs by 2025 in biomass gasification of which 300,000 would be in the manufacturing of stoves and 600,000 in areas such as processing into briquettes and pellets and the fuel supply chain; and in South Africa, 25,000 previously unemployed people are now employed in conservation as part of the ‘Working for Water’ initiative.

Pathways to green jobs and decent work

“A sustainable economy can no longer externalize environmental and social costs. The price society pays for the consequences of pollution or ill health for example, must be reflected in the prices paid in the marketplace. Green jobs therefore need to be decent work”, the report says.

The report recommends a number of pathways to a more sustainable future directing investment to low-cost measures that should be taken immediately including: assessing the potential for green jobs and monitoring progress to provide a framework for policy and investment; addressing the current skills bottleneck by meeting skill requirements because available technology and resources for investments can only be deployed effectively with qualified entrepreneurs and skilled workers; and ensuring individual enterprises’ and economic sectors’ contribution to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases with labour-management initiatives to green workplaces.

The report finds that green markets have thrived and transformation has advanced most where there has been strong and consistent political support at the highest level, including targets, penalties and incentives such as feed-in laws and efficiency standards for buildings and appliances as well as proactive research and development.

The report says that delivery of a deep and decisive new climate agreement when countries meet for the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009 will be vital for accelerating green job growth.

The report was funded and commissioned by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) under a joint Green Jobs Initiative with the International Labour Office (ILO), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE), which together represent millions of workers and employers worldwide 2/. It was produced by the Worldwatch Institute, with technical assistance from the Cornell University Global Labour Institute.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

* ILO’s Department of Communication: +4122/799-7912, communication@ilo.org

* UNEP: Jim Sniffen, New York: +1212/963-8094, sniffenj@un.org or Nick Nuttall, Nairobi: +254/733-632755, +4179/596-5737, nick.nuttall@unep.org

* ITUC: Mathieu Debroux, +322/22-40204, +324/766-21018, mathieu.debroux@ituc-csi.org

* IOE: Peter Glynn +4122/929-2000, peter.glynn@ioe.emp.org

1 - Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World,
www.ilo.org/integration/greenjobs/index.htm - www.unep.org/labour_environment/features/greenjobs.asp

2 - The Green Jobs Initiative is a partnership established in 2007 between UNEP, the ILO and the ITUC, joined by the IOE in 2008. The Initiative was launched in order to promote opportunity, equity and just transitions, to mobilize governments, employers and workers to engage in dialogue on coherent policies and effective programs leading to a green economy with green jobs and decent work for all. The ILO is a tripartite UN agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of its member states in common action to promote decent work throughout the world.

IOE is recognized as the only organization at the international level that represents the interests of business in the labour and social policy fields. Today, it consists of 146 national employer organizations from 138 countries from all over the world. ITUC is the International Trade Union Confederation. Its primary mission is the promotion and defense of workers’ rights and interests, through international cooperation between trade unions, global campaigning and advocacy within the major global institutions. The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. UNEP is the voice for the environment in the United Nations system. It is an advocate, educator, catalyst and facilitator, promoting the wise use of the planet’s natural assets for sustainable development.

For more information on the green job initiative:
www.ilo.org/integration/greenjobs/index.htm - www.unep.org/labour_environment/features/greenjobs.asp

The study is being launched at the United Nations Press Briefing Room (room S-226) at 09h00 on Wednesday, 24 September 2008. The panel launching the report will consist of: ILO Director-General Juan Somavia; UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner; the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Guy Ryder, and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) Vice President Ronnie Goldberg.

Posted by BrianM at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Faced with water restrictions and rising propane costs at its lodging operations in Alaska’s Denali National Park & Preserve, Denali Park Resorts had to do something to reduce laundry-related expenses. It was taking a lot of hot water to clean the sheets, towels and kitchen rags from 986 guestrooms and nine restaurants. Thanks to the installation of a $45,000 ozone laundry system in May, the savings have been significant. In fact, as of early September, the system had already generated $75,000 in utility savings. The savings came quick thanks to the company’s 97 percent occupancy during its busy May through September season.

“I had been looking at ozone for a long time,” says Craig Pester, general manager at the property level for Denali Park Resorts. “The technology has been improving. We worked with a local supplier to get the system we needed. We wanted to get a lot of water savings out of it.”

Prior to installing the ozone system, the company used two gallons of hot water per one pound of linen. That is now down to 1.25 gallons of cold water. It previously took four boilers to supply the hot water needed for the laundry; it now takes just one boiler. A water reclamation system purchased four years ago has also helped Denali Park Resorts save water.

“We are using half the amount of propane that we used a year ago,” Pester says. “We went to a different type of chemical and chemical consumption decreased by 33 percent. Twenty percent of the decline was due to the ozone system itself. We are also saving on the drying end. The wash is coming out with a lot less water. Drying time has been reduced by 50 percent. With ozone, we are finding a lot less lint in our dryers. That means less maintenance is needed.”

Friendly to Good Bacteria

Pester says he was concerned that the ozone, which does a great job killing bad bacteria and viruses, would also kill good bacteria in the septic system. That has not been the case, however.

“We found that the oxygenated water actually increased the effectiveness of the septic system,” Pester says.

Pester has become a fast believer in ozone, adding that it has helped reduce his company’s environmental footprint, eliminated labor costs thanks to greater equipment productivity, and improved towel and linen quality. “The terry smells cleaner and is softer,” he says.

Denali Park Resorts is just one example of a company that is benefiting from an ozone laundry system—in its case, a system from ArtiClean Ozone Laundry Systems. There are many suppliers throughout North America that are making it easy for hotels, lodges and resorts to save big time on energy, water, chemicals and other related laundry costs.

Ozone Water Technologies

According to Jim Gross, president of Ozone Water Technologies, ozone systems at one time had a negative reputation because some suppliers were not as service oriented as they should be. A concentration on service and product reliability, however, has made ozone laundry technology a frequent choice in the lodging industry—especially by larger ownership and management groups.

“The smaller management companies are just starting to look at it,” says Don Effgen, sales manager for Edro Corp., which sells the DynOzone-DynaWash Ozone System, a washer-extractor that combines a built-in, on-board ozone generator with a high-speed machine.

“Increased interest is also being driven by the energy crisis and concern about the environment,” says Gross, whose company produces the LaundrOzone system that uses direct ozone injection technology.

“The more natural gas prices go up, the more people are looking for energy savings,” adds Brett Daniels, vice president of Aquawing Ozone Injection Systems (AWOIS), LLC, maker of the Aqua-Fusion System.

Payback Time Can Be Less Than Year

Gross says a hotel with from 200 to 300 rooms can expect to recover its investment in the type of equipment his company sells in six to 12 months. Jack Reiff, president of Wet-Tech, whose company sells the EnviroSaver II Ozone system that uses an ozone infusion process, agreed that payback time can easily be less than a year.

About 30 to 40 percent of ozone systems use a direct injection process with the main components outside of the washing machine. These systems are growing in popularity and can even be used with machines as small as 17-pound in size. Other systems use a venturi on the incoming water or hold ozone in a water tank outside of the washing machine until ready for use. The downside to a tank type of system is that the ozone can dissipate in just a minute or two if left to sit. Edro Corp.’s DynOzone-DynaWash Ozone System is unique in that the ozone generator is within the washer-extractor machine itself.

Edro Corp.'s DynOzone-DynaWash Ozone System

Ozone is one of the most powerful oxidants available. It works 3,000 times faster than chlorine. According to AWOIS, it is also a powerful biocide—destroying bacterium, deactivating viruses and controlling odors. Ozone laundry systems provide numerous environmental and operational benefits. In addition to the ones already cited, here are some examples:

• Seventy to 80 percent or more of the need for hot water is eliminated.
• There is an average water savings of 25 percent.
• Linen replacement costs can be reduced by a factor of two to three.
• Ozone opens up textile fibers to allow chemicals to do a better job.
• They extend the life of laundry equipment because fewer wash cycles are needed.
• Water quality and chemistry is more consistent.
• Chemical consumption can be reduced by 20 to 25 percent.
• Ozone improves sewage water quality by 30 to 50 percent.
• Working conditions are better for employees because the use of steam and hot water is reduced. Cooler laundry facilities require less air-conditioning to cool.

While ozone can be harmful in large concentrations, most ozone laundry systems generate too little ozone to warrant safety concerns. Dissolved in water, ozone is not as hazardous as it is in a gaseous state. Some vendors offer alarm systems that shut down the ozone equipment if too much ozone is detected in the air.

“Ozone is an excellent catalyst for chemicals,” AWOIS’ Daniels says. “It uses water more efficiently and allows the soil to be released earlier. You will still need some bleach and some hot water to get your whites white.”

Ozone System Purchasing Advice

What should you look for when purchasing a system? Ozone Water Technologies’ Gross says to ask for references and proven results. From a maintenance standpoint, ozone laundry systems are easy to maintain. Because the ozone is produced in the system itself, there is never a need to purchase ozone. Only minor filter cleaning is required.

You should also be prepared for some possible resistance from your chemical supplier. The prospect of selling less chemical to your property may not sit well.

“Some chemical companies fight [ozone laundry systems] because they can lose 20 to 30 percent of their sales,” Wet-Tech’s Reiff says. “But it will depend on the individual sales person in regard to the reaction. The chemical company representative may try to convince the customer that ozone will not work.”

Bob Beddingfield, president of Water Energy Technologies, whose company offers ozone laundry machines, laundry water reuse equipment and related services, says it is imperative that the chemical company and the hotel representative work together as a team to ensure that the ozone system works efficiently. There need not be any turmoil, he says, adding that at least one company is already selling a laundry chemical specifically for ozone systems.

Interested in measuring the carbon impact of your laundry operation? Or calculating the amount of water or energy you can save with an ozone system? Click here and then click on “Resources”.

Finally, when considering an ozone system, be sure to ask vendors about rebate programs. There may be funds available to make your ROI time even shorter.

Source: Green Lodging News

Posted by BrianM at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

While many companies may have an environmental policy in place for staff travel, fewer than 1% of business travellers reduced the number of trips in 2007, reports Barclaycard Business in the final edition of its annual Travel Survey. Despite the green aspirations of many of today’s businesses, 78% of respondents said they are operating without reference to any environmental travel policy and 81% stated their company did not audit carbon emissions resulting from travel.

The survey, now in its 12th year, canvassed the views of more than 3,000 business travellers across the UK, discovering attitudes to the environment for the first time.

While business people may not overall be travelling less, some 36% do claim to be taking environmental considerations into account when making their travel choices – for example, travelling by train rather than plane.

Public sector employers are almost twice as likely (20%) as those in the private sector (11%) to have an environmental policy covering travel. Medium-sized businesses are more likely to have an environmental policy (22% of those with 250-499 employees) compared with large organizations (16% of those with 500-999 employees).

The survey found a lack of consensus on who should be responsible for the effect of business travel on the environment. Overall, 35% felt the responsibility lay with government, rising to more than 40% of the company chairman surveyed, while 21% believed it was the individual’s duty (25% of chairmen) and only 18% (13% of chairmen) that of the employer. Just over one in ten said airlines and travel suppliers should shoulder the burden.

Respondents appear to support the ‘polluter pays’ principle with 42% favouring an environmental tax on airlines, although 55% believed any such tax would be passed on to the passenger.

“There is very little evidence of any significant shift in the behaviour of business travellers in 2007, despite the volumes of media coverage given to this area and the corresponding level of comment by the business community on a broad range of environmental initiatives,” commented Denise Leleux, Director of Commercial Cards, Barclaycard Business.

“One of the major issues arising is a lack of consensus amongst employers and employees about who should be taking responsibility, and how. If we are to move forward and achieve significant change, this should be the focus of attention – in the meantime, we are seeing individuals taking action where they can.”

Source: GreenAir Communications

Posted by BrianM at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)