Over two days in May 2021, green lodging experts shared tips and best management practices for energy and water efficiency, food and waste management, customer engagement, and sustainable transportation. The workshop was made possible with grant funding provided from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Introduction and Welcome from EPA: The Importance of Hospitality in Climate Action
Jeff Scott, EPA Pacific Southwest Land Chemicals, and Redevelopment Division Director gave welcoming remarks and highlight the overarching benefits of sustainability for the hospitality industry. Angela Sandoval, Manager of the EPA Pacific Southwest Zero Waste Section shared how pollution prevention methods can help lodging/hotels reach their goals to become a certified green business.
Panelists:
Cody Witt, Full Circle Soils & Compost (Moderator)
Jeanette Tillman, South Lake Tahoe Refuse
Ryan Collins, Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal
Melanie Conti, Town of Truckee
Food waste is a growing concern across the globe and new regulations in the region are driving food diversion efforts in the region. The panel discusses climate change and effect of food waste in landfills, regulations and implications for hotels and lodges, implementation of food waste programs, best practices to avoid contamination and how to co-exist with Tahoe animals, and cradle to grave dynamics of food waste and composting.
Panelists:
Kira Smith, Truckee Regional Planning Agency (Moderator)
Devin Middlebrook, Truckee Regional Planning Agency
Jamie Wright, Placer County
Gavin Feiger, League to Save Lake Tahoe
Vehicle traffic has grown exponentially in the Lake Tahoe region. This panel will cover reimagining the Tahoe experience using alternate transportation and highlight innovative ways that the Tahoe region is encouraging visitors and the public to walk, bike, carpool and use transit. A new micro-transit program for the Tahoe region will be revealed encouraging the public to leave their cars while enhancing their Tahoe experience.
Panelists:
Madonna Dunbar, Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (Moderator)
Jacquie Chandler, Sustainable Tahoe
Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund
Marilee Movius, League to Save Lake Tahoe
This panel discusses tourism activities that don’t harm the environment and a how Tahoe is developing a respectful informed community that values this gem enough to preserve it for future generations. Discussion topics will include how to encourage reusable water bottles, protecting Lake Tahoe’s water quality and opportunities for tourists to learn more about the region’s native history and connect to the land.
Panelists:
Kristin York, Sierra Business Council (Moderator)
Erica Gallegos, Western Nevada College
Patty Baird, Cedar House Sports Hotel
The new standard for hoteliers is green — more than 30,000 hotels worldwide are already certified. This panel will explain how hotels and lodges can take meaningful steps to green their operations by becoming green certified. The Cedar House Sport Hotel will discuss why certifications matter and why our industry should provide them. Also discussed will be Truckee’s journey to become a sustainable tourism destination.
