CREATING CARBON-NEUTRAL HOTELS

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has moved from the fringes of hotel design to the very centre-stage, as the industry grapples with climate change and the demands it puts on them to be more sustainable

- ATHIRA LAJI

Going green has metamorphosed from a philanthropic concept to an essential element, putting it at the centre-stage of a hotel’s sustainability efforts. Guests often make choices based on the sustainability element in a hotel; the cost savings of going green are many, and there is a noticeable environmental impact of the efforts to go green. Thus, the last few years have seen the hospitality industry implement a wide spectrum of green practices to mitigate the pressure it puts on the environment and to respond to the growing demand for environmental protection.

The Hotel Global Decarbonisation Report by the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) states that the hotel industry must reduce its carbon footprint by 90% by 2050 to keep global warming below the 2-degree threshold, as agreed upon in the Paris Agreement. One of the major factors for the hotel industry’s carbon contribution carbon is the indoor air quality (that is right, indoor!).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that indoor air can be far more polluted than outdoor air. Since we spend over 90% of our time indoors, we risk inhaling more pollutants within. However, maintaining the inner air quality needs more than just keeping the air free of pollutants. This is when Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) comes into focus.

IEQ, according to ISHRAE’s definition, refers to the environmental conditions inside regularly occupied spaces, determined by indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustic comfort, as well as ergonomics. IEQ has an impact on health, comfort and safety, which in turn affects the productivity of the occupants.

IEQ in hotel buildings