2008 Woodie Awards
The Landmark Inn goes green
Local hotel finds benefits in converting to environmentally-friendly practices
Jackie Stark
Issue date: 6/8/07 Section: News
Though Americans constitute only 5 percent of the world's population, they use 26 percent of its energy, according to the American Almanac.
The Landmark Inn is doing its part to help bring that number down by becoming more earth- friendly.
This is no small task, said Christine Pesola, hotel proprietor.
"It's exciting trying this out," she said. "It's a big project."
Darcia Mattson, marketing consultant and technical assistant for The Landmark, said while these changes will help the hotel save money, it is also the morally right thing to do.
"If we don't do something who will?" she said.
Pesola began to turn the hotel into a more environmentally-friendly place as soon as she became the owner ten years ago.
The first changes occurred during the hotel's renovation when low-flow toilets and showerheads were installed in every room.
While using less water is always good when promoting an eco-friendly business, Pesola also looked elsewhere to see what other things she could change, and one option became clear: light bulbs.
Though light bulbs may seem an insignificant part of any building, they are a major contributor to its electric bill, Mattson said.
"The biggest thing is switching to the compact fluorescent lights," she added. "They're expensive."
The cost of the energy-efficient light bulbs is one problem facing The Landmark. The fluorescents cost roughly $15 a piece, while incandescent light bulbs cost much less.
Changing the light bulbs reduced the amount of carbon emissions which come from hotel.
The U.S. Department of Energy stated that the United States is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 23 percent of the world's energy-related carbon emissions.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, replacing one incandescent light bulb with an energy-efficient fluorescent bulb will conserve 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and can save roughly $67 dollars over the bulb's lifetime. Compact fluorescent bulbs can last for several years.
The Landmark Inn is doing its part to help bring that number down by becoming more earth- friendly.
This is no small task, said Christine Pesola, hotel proprietor.
"It's exciting trying this out," she said. "It's a big project."
Darcia Mattson, marketing consultant and technical assistant for The Landmark, said while these changes will help the hotel save money, it is also the morally right thing to do.
"If we don't do something who will?" she said.
Pesola began to turn the hotel into a more environmentally-friendly place as soon as she became the owner ten years ago.
The first changes occurred during the hotel's renovation when low-flow toilets and showerheads were installed in every room.
While using less water is always good when promoting an eco-friendly business, Pesola also looked elsewhere to see what other things she could change, and one option became clear: light bulbs.
Though light bulbs may seem an insignificant part of any building, they are a major contributor to its electric bill, Mattson said.
"The biggest thing is switching to the compact fluorescent lights," she added. "They're expensive."
The cost of the energy-efficient light bulbs is one problem facing The Landmark. The fluorescents cost roughly $15 a piece, while incandescent light bulbs cost much less.
Changing the light bulbs reduced the amount of carbon emissions which come from hotel.
The U.S. Department of Energy stated that the United States is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 23 percent of the world's energy-related carbon emissions.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, replacing one incandescent light bulb with an energy-efficient fluorescent bulb will conserve 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and can save roughly $67 dollars over the bulb's lifetime. Compact fluorescent bulbs can last for several years.
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