Paradise Mountain Resort 2009 Report
Background
“Paradise, the comforts of home in the Mountains”
Paradise Mountain Resort is owned and operated by Destination Hotels, a national chain. Destination Hotels opened their first hotel in Alberta and has slowly spread to other picturesque destination locations across the country. During the past twenty years Destination Hotels have grown in popularity as guests disposable income continued to grow, and as destination weddings became increasingly popular. Recently Destination has had to close a few underperforming remote resorts because of economic downturn as well as a drop in foreign travelers.
The leadership of Destination Hotels has recognized a need to stand outln-amarket that is crowded with many choices for vacation stay. Destination’s leaders also recognize the potentia!£o~~~~_yir:!9s and i~nov~_~_~~ that the Hilton, Doubletree and others are seeing from their sustainability efforts. As a result Destination has decided to make a commitment to sustainability and has asked Paradise Mountain Resort to act as a leader, creating and implementing a plan to help Destination make all of its hotels more sustainable by:
1. Clarifying what the ideal sustainable hotel/resort would look like
2. Suggesting short-term, mid-term and long-term goals to get to this ideal, and
3. Providing strategic advice to the senior management of Destination Hotels about how to weave
sustainability into the fabric of the entire organization.
For its part, Paradise’s leadership is excited about this opportunity. They’ve achieved recognition for the quality of their customer experience, local and sustainable food choices and proximity to natural beauty and the great outdoors.
Paradise was built in 1997 it has 250 rooms and around 150 employees depending on the season. Many of the summer staff are either from the nearby college or are visiting workers from other countries hoping to have a fun summer in America, meet new people and practice their English.
In the town of Nearheaven there are a handful of options for tourists to choose from when looking for a place to stay. There are 3 budget motels, two bed and breakfasts, one Hilton Grand whose rooms run 30% higher than Paradise on average. There are also camping and hostelling options to choose from.
TNS Level 1 Course Workbook – 2
the NATURAL STEP
The following organizational background comes from initial research into the organization as well as a survey to all Paradise employees, used to gather insight on their perceptions.
• New managers go through two days of orientation on the resort’s vision and goals, motivating employees, and general management training.
• A new environmental policy states “Paradise Mountain Resort strives to minimize its footprint by reducing our energy, waste and water use and continuing to provide our guests with a luxury guest experience.”
• The heads of various departments meet monthly to discuss financial reports, address any pressing issues, and plan for upcoming events.
• The employee survey showed that 90% of employees weren’t clear about the organizational vision
or strategic goals.
• 75% of employees felt that they worked for an organization that cared about the environment.
• The CEO of the organization is interested in sustainability as a differentiator, but is looking for more buy-in within the entire organization.
• Electricity generation of a mixture of:
o Coal – 5,893 MW (48.8%) o Natural gas – 4,635 MW (38.4%) o Hydro – 869 MW (7.1%) o Wind – 497 MW (4.1%) o Biomass – 178 MW (1.5%)
• Baseline measurements for the last five years show;
o Energy use up + 3% o Water use down – 10% o Waste down – 25% o Water use has decreased due to shower head and faucet adjustments in all rooms. o Waste to landfill has decreased 25% because of municipal recycling which was instituted in
2007.
• lighting is primarily fluorescent bulbs in hallways and common spaces. When guest room lights burn out they are replaced with CFLs.
• The building has not had any major efficiency upgrades in the past 10 years, and discussions about extensive remodel will begin soon.
• A few of the housekeeping staff with the same shift are known to carpool from a near-by town. Most drive to work, while about 10% take the bus which runs with limited availability to near-by towns. Service ends at 5:30pm Mon.-Fri. and doesn’t run on the weekends.
TNS Level 1 Course Workbook – 3
the NATURAL STEP
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Event Planning • There are facilities available for business functions and private parties. With access to nature, the
site is popular for weddings and meetings all year round. The events staff frequently gets requests for low impact products and has subsequently substituted Styrofoam with cardboard, uses cloth reusable napkins whenever possible, and is always open to working to meet client’s requests for greener options.
Restaurant • Focus is on local meat, dairy and seafood which is relatively easy to do and is standard offering in
this part of Oregon. Organic fruits and vegetables are offered seasonally.
• Beyond food and beverages the largest purchases are for foil, plastic wrap, togo boxes (waxed
cardboard), plastic ramekins for sauces, paper towels, general purpose soap and cleaning supplies.
• The largest expenses in the restaurant are for food, wine and alcohol.
• The largest resource use is water, electricity and disposables.
Golf Course/Grounds • The golf course relies on less water than the national average because of the consistent moisture in
the air year round.
• The golf course uses 33% less fertilizer than standard, and the average amount of pest killer
(pesticides, insecticides, etc.)
• Major pests and nuisances include moles, turf worms, Canadian geese, and nutria (water-rats).
• The course advertises that it uses the EnviroLogic Integrated Pest Management system.
Other services include:
• The Spa offers massage, facials, and salon services. • The outdoor fitness options include tennis courts, a pool, and a fitness center.
• The local community supports the various tourist establishments through recommendations for
friends and family, and by attracting tourists with their own local businesses (many craft, art and
specialty food shops).
• Recent guest surveys have seen a rise in the number of questions regarding climate change and the
environment and what the hotel is doing about it.
• Paradise Mountain Resort is a major player in town and has good relations with the local
municipalities, who are also looking at considering sustainability in their planning.
• 65% of employees are from the local community, the rest are seasonal workers, college students, or
live in other small communities nearby.
• The golf course, restaurant and spa are also used by local residents; 85% of patrons are guests.
TNS Level 1 Course Workbook – 4
the NATURAL STEP
• There has been success in engaging suppliers on greener product offerings for the restaurant, spa, and grounds.
• Training for new staff consists of a one day orientation and team building, which happens once a year during spring when there is an influx of new staff. New staff that start mid-summer, fall or
winter receive training through one-on-one meetings with the Human Resources Director, their own supervisor and receive an employee manual.
• Vacation and sick pay – All employees receive one week of paid vacation, which must be pre approved two weeks in advance. Salaried employees receive five sick days, hourly employees receive zero.
• 75% of employees surveyed said they were interested in engaging with the company about sustainability. 25% said they were very interested.
• Recently the Guest Services Manager has invited employees to participate in a book club during lunch time. There are two successful groups running, one which happens in the middle of the night to accommodate the night shifts.
• Paradise has received recognition for the quality of their customer experience, local and sustainable food choices and proximity to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
• Locally, they are known for their excellent restaurant services, and often cater for events in nearby
towns.
• In a recent “green hotels” rating Destination ranked 15th out of 30 in terms of companies, while Paradise ranked 38th out of 100 for hotels.
• A recent Hotels of the Northwest magazine issue noted Paradise for its spectacular views which make it stand out from other lodging options in the town of Nearheaven.
• The CEO of Destination has asked to sit on a panel at an upcoming business conference in a few months on the topic of “Sustainability in the Hotel Industry”, and has asked your team about what he should say.
4. Context
4.1 Understand your organization and its particular context
• Identify and understand your organization’s external context.
• Identify the external issues that are relevant to your organization’s purpose.
• Identify the external conditions that are relevant to your organization’s purpose.
• Identify and understand your organization’s internal context.
• Identify the internal issues that are relevant to your organization’s purpose.
• Identify the internal conditions that are relevant to your organization’s purpose
4.2 Clarify the needs and expectations of your interested parties
• Identify the interested parties that are relevant to your organization’s EMS.
• Identify those who are interested in your environmental performance.
• Determine the needs and expectations of your organization’s interested parties.
• Determine those that are relevant to your environmental performance.
• Determine those that have become compliance obligations (requirements).
4.3 Define the scope of your environmental management system
• Clarify boundaries and think about what your EMS should apply to.
• Use boundary and applicability information to define the scope of your EMS.
• Consider your compliance obligations when you define your scope.
• Consider your corporate context when you define your scope.
• Define the scope of your environmental management system (EMS).
• Include all the products that fall within the scope (boundary) of your EMS.
• Include all the services that fall within the scope (boundary) of your EMS.
• Include all the activities that fall within the scope (boundary) of your EMS.
• Document the scope of your environmental management system.
4.4 Establish and maintain an environmental management system
• Consider your organization’s context when you establish and maintain its EMS.
• Consider your external context when you develop your organization’s EMS.
• Think about how external issues could influence your organization’s EMS.
• Think about how external interested parties could influence your EMS.
• Consider your internal context when you develop your EMS.
• Think about how internal issues could influence your EMS.
• Develop an EMS in accordance with the requirements of this ISO 14001 standard.
• Establish the processes that you need and clarify your process interactions.
• Implement, maintain, and improve your environmental management system
5. Leadership
5.1 Provide leadership by accepting responsibility for the EMS
• Accept responsibility for your organization’s EMS.
• Demonstrate that you are committed to your EMS.
• Ensure that an environmental policy is formulated.
• Ensure that environmental objectives are established.
• Communicate your commitment to the EMS.
• Explain why environmental management is important.
• Expect your managers to be accountable for their EMS.
• Encourage your personnel to personally support their EMS.
5.2 Provide leadership by establishing an environmental policy
• Formulate your organization’s environmental policy.
• Consider your context when you formulate your organization’s policy.
• Consider the environment when you formulate your organization’s policy.
• Consider your compliance obligations when you formulate your policy.
• Implement your organization’s environmental policy.
• Document your organization’s environmental policy.
• Communicate your organization’s environmental policy.
• Expect your personnel to comply with your environmental policy
5.3 Provide leadership by assigning EMS roles and responsibilities
• Provide effective environmental leadership.
• Assign all EMS roles, responsibilities, and authorities.
• Communicate all EMS roles, responsibilities, and authorities.
6. Planning
6.1 Formulate actions to address your risks and opportunities
6.1.1 Develop processes and prepare plans to establish your EMS
• Develop the processes that you need to meet EMS requirements.
• Establish processes needed to plan and implement your EMS.
• Implement processes needed to plan and implement your EMS.
• Maintain processes needed to plan and implement your EMS.
• Plan the establishment of your environmental management system.
• Consider the scope of your environmental management system (4.3).
• Consider how you’re going to address your organization’s context (4.1).
• Consider how you’re going to determine your risks and opportunities (4.1).
• Consider how you’re going to identify potential emergency situations (8.2).
• Consider how you’re going to ensure that EMS achieves intended results.
• Establish environmental management planning documents and records.
• Document the risks and opportunities that need to be addressed.
• Document the processes needed to plan and manage your EMS.
• Maintain and control your EMS planning documents and records.
6.1.2 Identify significant environmental aspects and associated impacts
• Use risk planning process (from 6.1.1) to identify environmental aspects.
• Identify environmental aspects that fall within the scope of your EMS.
• Identify those environmental aspects you can influence or control.
• Identify your organization’s significant environmental aspects.
• Establish criteria to identify significant environmental aspects.
• Use risk planning process (from 6.1.1) to identify environmental impacts.
• Identify the environmental impacts that fall within the scope of your EMS.
6.1.3 Study environmental aspects and identify compliance obligations
• Use risk planning process (from 6.1.1) to identify compliance obligations.
• Identify the compliance obligations that fall within the scope of your EMS.
• Document your organization’s particular EMS compliance obligations
6.1.4 Address environmental aspects, obligations, risks, and opportunities
• Plan how you’re going to ensure that EMS achieves its intended outcomes.
• Plan how you’re going to address significant environmental aspects.
• Plan how you’re going to address environmental compliance obligations.
• Plan how you’re going to address environmental risks and opportunities.
• Formulate actions to ensure that your EMS achieves its intended outcomes.
• Carry out actions to ensure that your EMS achieves its intended outcomes.
6.2 Set environmental objectives and make plans to achieve them
6.2.1 Establish environmental objectives for all relevant areas
• Clarify criteria for setting environmental objectives.
• Ensure that objectives are consistent with your environmental policy.
• Ensure that objectives are measurable (whenever this is practicable).
• Ensure that objectives consider your options and requirements.
• Set objectives at relevant levels and for relevant functions.
• Set objectives that address your specific risks and opportunities.
• Set objectives that address your particular compliance obligations.
• Set objectives that address your significant environmental aspects.
6.2.2 Establish plans to achieve objectives and evaluate results
• Establish plans to achieve your environmental objectives.
• Develop actions to achieve your environmental objectives.
• Figure out how to integrate actions into business processes.
• Figure out how you’re going to evaluate your results.
• Monitor how well objectives are being achieved.
7. Support
7.1 Support your EMS by providing the necessary resources
• Determine the resources that your environmental management system needs.
• Provide the resources that your environmental management system needs.
7.2 Support your EMS by ensuring that people are competent
• Clarify your organization’s environmental competence requirements.
• Identify those under your control who affect environmental performance.
• Identify the competence requirements of the people under your control who have an impact on your environmental performance.
• Acquire competence whenever shortcomings are discovered.
• Acquire the necessary competence whenever people fail to meet your organization’s environmental competence requirements.
• Document the competence of those who affect environmental performance.
• Retain your documentation and use it as evidence to show that people have the competence they need to handle the environmental aspects of activities, processes, products, services, and systems.
7.3 Support your EMS by making people aware of their duties
• Make personnel aware of your organization’s EMS.
• Share information about your EMS with the people who carry out work that is under your organization’s control.
• Make sure that they are aware of your environmental policy.
• Make sure that they are aware of your environmental objectives.
• Make sure that they are aware of your environmental aspects.
• Make sure that they are aware of your environmental impacts.
7.4 Support your EMS by controlling your communications
7.4.1 Support your EMS by creating a communications processes
• Plan how you’re going to manage EMS communications.
• Establish processes to manage your EMS communications.
• Figure out how internal communications will be handled.
• Figure out how external communications will be handled.
• Implement your organization’s EMS communications processes.
7.4.2 Support your EMS by facilitating internal communications
• Establish EMS communications within and throughout your organization.
• Discuss your EMS with people at all organizational levels and functions.
• Enable anyone under your control to contribute to continual improvement.
7.4.3 Support your EMS by establishing external communications
• Establish communications between your organization and external parties.
• Use your communications process to control external communications.
7.5 Support your EMS by managing documented information
7.5.1 Support your EMS by using all necessary EMS documents
• Figure out how extensive documented EMS information should be.
• Consider your activities when you establish documents and records.
• Consider your personnel when you establish documents and records.
• Consider your obligations when you establish documents and records.
• Consider your processes when you establish documents and records.
• Consider your products when you establish documents and records.
• Consider your services when you establish documents and records.
• Consider your size when you establish documents and records.
• Select all the documents and records that your EMS needs.
• Select all the internal documents and records that EMS needs.
• Select all the external documents and records that EMS needs
7.5.2 Support your EMS by managing the use of EMS documents
• Manage your organization’s documented EMS information.
• Make sure that your organization’s EMS documents and records are properly identified and described.
• Make sure that your organization’s EMS documents and records are properly formatted and presented.
• Make sure that your organization’s EMS documents and records are properly reviewed and approved.
7.5.3 Support your EMS by controlling the use of EMS documents
• Select all of the EMS documents and records that you need.
• Figure out how your EMS documents should be controlled.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are created.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are identified.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are distributed.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are stored.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are retrieved.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are accessed.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are used.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are protected.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are changed.
• Think about how EMS documents and records are preserved.
• Control all the EMS documents and records that you need.
• Control all the internal documents and records that your EMS needs.
• Control all the external documents and records that your EMS needs.
8. Operations
8.1 Establish your EMS processes and control how they operate
• Determine the environmental requirements that processes must meet.
• Specify environmental requirements for procurement process (as appropriate).
• Clarify environmental requirements for your product and service purchases.
• Specify environmental requirements for your design process (as appropriate).
• Establish controls to ensure that environmental requirements are considered.
• Plan the implementation of your organization’s EMS processes.
• Clarify the operating criteria that your EMS processes must meet.
• Develop controls for your environmental management processes.
• Consider using personnel to control your organization’s processes.
• Consider using procedures to control your organization’s processes.
• Consider using technologies to control your organization’s processes.
• Consider using methodologies to control your organization’s processes.
• Implement and control your organization’s EMS processes.
• Use documents to show that EMS processes were implemented
8.2 Establish your emergency preparedness and response processes
• Establish emergency preparedness and response processes.
• Establish processes to prepare for potential emergency situations.
• Establish processes to respond to potential emergency situations.
• Maintain emergency preparedness and response processes.
• Provide emergency preparedness and response training and information.
• Document emergency preparedness and response processes and activities.
• Review emergency preparedness and response processes and actions.
9. Evaluation
9.1 Determine your environmental performance and compliance
9.1.1 Investigate your organization’s environmental performance
• Plan how you’re going to investigate your environmental performance.
• Plan how you’re going to monitor your environmental performance.
• Plan how you’re going to measure your environmental performance.
• Plan how you’re going to analyze your environmental performance.
• Plan how you’re going to ev aluate your environmental performance.
• Investigate your organization’s environmental performance.
• Monitor your organization’s environmental performance.
• Measure your organization’s environmental performance.
• Analyze your organization’s environmental performance.
• Evaluate your organization’s environmental performance.
• Communicate your organization’s environmental performance.
9.1.2 Evaluate your organization’s environmental compliance
• Plan how you’re going to find out if compliance obligations are being met.
• Figure out how often environmental compliance should be evaluated.
• Establish suitable environmental compliance evaluation processes.
• Implement suitable environmental compliance evaluation processes.
• Maintain suitable environmental compliance evaluation processes.
• Take action to resolve environmental compliance shortcomings.
9.2 Audit your organization’s environmental management system
9.2.1 Conduct EMS conformance audits and document your results
• Conduct internal EMS conformance audits at planned intervals.
• Determine if your organization’s EMS meets requirements.
• See if your EMS meets your organization’s own requirements.
• See if your EMS meets the requirements of this ISO standard.
• Examine the effectiveness of your organization’s EMS.
9.2.2 Establish internal audit methods, schedules, and requirements
• Plan the development of your internal audit program.
• Develop a program that can find out if EMS meets requirements.
• Develop a program that can determine if EMS is effective.
• Establish your internal audit program.
• Establish internal audit responsibilities.
• Establish internal audit planning requirements.
• Establish internal audit reporting requirements.
• Establish internal audit schedules.
• Establish internal audit methods.
• Implement your internal audit program.
• Define the scope for each internal audit.
• Specify audit criteria for each internal audit.
• Select impartial and objective internal auditors.
• Carry out internal audits at planned intervals.
• Report internal audit results to management.
9.3 Review your organization’s environmental management system
• Review your organization’s EMS at regular intervals.
• Review EMS suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness.
• Review the status of your previous management reviews.
• Review how well environmental objectives are being achieved.
• Review relevant communications from interested parties.
• Review environmental performance (including trends).
• Review changes in aspects, obligations, issues, and risks.
• Review potential continual improvement opportunities.
• Review the strategic direction that your EMS is taking.
• Review your EMS resource needs and requirements.
• Generate appropriate management review outputs.
• Draw conclusions about your organization’s EMS.
• Make decisions about your organization’s EMS.
• Define actions to improve environmental performance.
• Consider implications for your overall strategic direction.
• Document the results of your management reviews.
10. Improvement
10.1 Take action to improve your EMS and achieve intended outcomes
• Determine opportunities to improve EMS and achieve its intended outcomes.
• Take all necessary actions to improve EMS and achieve its intended outcomes.
• Use performance evaluation outputs to improve your organization’s EMS.
• Use compliance evaluation outputs to improve your organization’s EMS.
• Use management review outputs to improve your organization’s EMS.
• Use internal audit outputs to improve your organization’s EMS.
10.2 Control nonconformities and take appropriate corrective action
• React to your organization’s nonconformities.
• Take action to control nonconformities.
• Deal with all relevant consequences.
• Evaluate the need to eliminate causes.
• Review nonconformity and identify causes.
• Determine if similar nonconformities exist.
• Decide if corrective action should be taken.
• Develop corrective actions to address causes.
• Implement corrective actions to address causes.
• Review the effectiveness of your corrective actions.
• Document your nonconformities, actions, and results.
10.3 Enhance the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of your EMS
• Enhance your organization’s environmental performance.
• Continually improve the performance of your EMS.
• Continually improve the suitability of your EMS.
• Continually improve the adequacy of your EMS.
• Continually improve the effectiveness of your EMS
RV’s Clarifying Notes:
In identifying aspects consider:
· Emissions to air
· Releases to water
· Releases to land
· Use of raw materials and natural resources
· Local/community environmental issues
· Use of energy
· Energy emitted
· Waste and by-products
Specifically including:
· Hazardous chemicals
· Chemical handling and storage
· Waste disposal
· Emergency preparedness and response equipment
· Vegetation and habitat protection
· Seasonal or temporal changes
And with consideration to various processes:
· Design and development
· Manufacturing
· Packaging and transportation
· Environmental performance and practices of contractors and suppliers
· Waste management
· Extraction and distribution of raw materials and natural resources
· Distribution, use and end of life
· Wildlife and biodiversity
Also consider existing elements, such as:
· Environmental training programmes
· Review and approval of operational control processes
· Completeness of monitoring and historical records