Two Certified "Green" Hotels in The Emerald City

October 21, 2009

By: Sara Sultanik / NCC News

Syracuse N.Y. - Ever think staying at a hotel could help the environment? Well, you may be able to this right here in Central New York.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation along with third party accreditation by Audubon International/Green Leaf, recently announced the “Freshman Class” of certified “green” hotels in the state.  

And two of these hotels are located right here in Syracuse.  

“It’s Kind of Nice”

The early morning smell of omelets, pancakes, and coffee filled the lobby of the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center.  

But the lobby had much more to offer than just deep red velvet couches and the chatter of the many hotel guests.  The lodging has taken many steps in order to live up to its new “green” certified status.

Recently, all of the lights in the Sheraton’s lobby were changed to more energy efficient florescent bulbs.  

And the energy savings did not stop there.  

The hotel installed two new boilers last year which, according Chief Engineer Peter LaPage, was 85 to 95 percent more efficient than the previous boiler because it used 25 percent less fuel.

Also, the hotel started a new building-wide recycling program, installed a new eco-friendly roof, and added LCD televisions to the guest rooms which use fifteen watts less energy than standard televisions.

The hotel also installed motion sensors in the guest rooms to control heat and air conditioning when the guests enter and exit the room.

The Sheraton noticed that although these new additions could be more expensive to install, in the long run, they will save money.

“...But to be able to keep those costs down,” said LaPage, “we can pass those costs onto our guests who can pay less and also have the knowledge that...it’s green, it’s nice, it’s a good thing to do, it makes them feel better.”

And many guests did support this “green” initiative.

Guests Like the Idea

Sharon Gallagher of Connecticut was a guest at the Sheraton this week and she did not even know about this new “green” status.  But she was glad she found out.

“I think it’s important that people take care of the environment.  I think it’s a good idea, I support it.  More businesses should be green,” stated Gallagher.   

Gallagher also mentioned that she would choose a “green” place to stay over a “non-green” lodging as long as the price difference between the two was not significant.  

And Across Town...

On the 700 block of Danforth Street sits a smaller “green” certified establishment called Bed & Breakfast Wellington.  

The quaint lodging has been privately owned by Wendy and Ray Borg for a little more than twenty years.

Much like the Sheraton, the bed and breakfast had many eco-friendly elements.

“It’s not hard to do,” claimed owner Ray Borg, “it’s just wanting to stand up and spend the money to do it.”

And they are spending money by adding new storm doors, using cotton sheets, putting timers on lights, and adding recycling bins to each of the guest rooms.

But they still have yet to replace their standard televisions.

“You can’t just do everything, you have to do things that count the most,” stated Wendy Borg.

And right now what counted the most was gradually changing the one hundred and thirty lights in the house to florescent bulbs.  

The Borgs said they believe this new “green” certification legitimized what they have been trying to do over the past twenty years.