Friday, January 13, 2012

Rebuilding the green concept




GTOWER Hotel takes its commitment to being green seriously. Being housed within Malaysia’s first green and smart building helps in upholding the four tenets of environmental sustainability - Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.


Rethink


By rethinking key elements from site orientation to harnessing the latest sustainable green building technologies and systems, GTower Hotel (see cover pix) is more energy- efficient than a building of similar size.


Reduce


Double-glazed low e-glass allows for maximum entry of natural light while minimising heat transmission.


The Shangri-La Rasa Sayang in Penang was bestowed the Asean Green Hotel Award 2010 for the second consecutive year.


State-of-the-art chilled water centralised air-con chillers circulate cool air through the rooms at lower energy consumption. Light fixtures utilise low energy LED lighting, while energy-saving lighting minimises energy consumption.


The hotel has also sourced for eco-friendly cleaning agents. The infinity pool is a showcase ecofriendly pool.


To reduce the use of chemicals, salt is used to condition the water, which is heated from waste energy from the air-conditioning units.


All sanitary and tap fittings are “green-rated” for water efficiency.


Reuse


Key water catchment areas harvest rainwater which irrigates the green roofs and green walls throughout the building. These in-built green walls act as natural air purifiers.


GTower Hotel is more energy efficientl than a building of similar size.


Waste heat from its air-conditioning units are recovered and reused to generate hot water for bathrooms.


Recycle


Apart from an active recycling policy, the rooms feature furnishings made of recyclable materials or are recycled.


Even its paint features a low volatile organic compound, reducing toxicity and improving on indoor environmental quality.


Hotel amenities and paper used are made from green or recycled materials. All guests are encouraged to turn off the lights and reuse towels to reduce the need for washing and wastage of natural resources.


The Singaporean Building and Construction Authorities (BCA) awarded GTower Hotel the Gold Greenmark for sustainable technologies incorporated into the building’s design.


This makes GTower Hotel Malaysia’s first fully-certified Green Building. Golden Palm Tree Resort and Spa Golden Palm Tree Resort stretches out from the Sepang coastline, almost a kilometre into the sheltered waters of the Straits of Malacca.


With minimum impact to the environment and touted on be the first eco-friendly sea-hotel in the world, it is within easy proximity of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Golden Palm Tree Resort is a green company that tries to use all resources responsibly.


Awards


Touted to be the first eco-friendly seahotel in the world, Golden Palm Tree is the recipient of two CNBC Asia-Pacific Property Awards 2008. Entries were judged by a panel of professionals whose collective knowledge of the property industry is second to none and unsurpassed by other property awards.


The television channel’s annual award was presided over by a panel of leading experts in the real property industry.


Golden Sands Resort, Penang


In 2009, Golden Sands Resort in Penang set up a research unit called Effective Microorganism Mud Balls Research and Development Centre to create special mud balls consisting of organic matter, which are effective in breaking down harmful bacteria in waters.


These balls are thrown into the nearby Sungai Emas, which has been adopted by the resort to help in its rehabilitation.


Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts


The Shangri-La Rasa Sayang in Penang was bestowed the Asean Green Hotel Award 2010 for the second consecutive year at the Asean Tourism Forum held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, recently.


The Asean Green Hotel Award is one of six Asean Tourism Standards considered essential for helping Asean to be a world-class, quality destination.


This coveted honour is given to a hotel, which is environmentally-friendly and adopts energy conservation measures based on the Asean Green Hotel Standard.


Up until now, only 10 hotels in Malaysia including Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa have successfully met these standards.


Additionally, other green measures are being practised in the resort’s daily operations to minimise impact on the environment.


The switch from dieselburning boilers to heat pumps completely eliminates the need to use diesel fuel and this has brought certification from Sirim (an independent quality certification body in Malaysia) which acknowledges Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa as a role model among other hotel operators for energy conservation and energy efficiency practices.


Similarly, the resort seeks cooperation from guests in reducing wastage of water, detergent and energy used during their stay.


There are over 100 best practices for management and employees, and the resort’s management and staff continuously evaluate and explore techniques that can be followed on the path of ecological preservation.


Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia-Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, signed a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy into effect in 2007 and launched a twoyear development strategy to enhance its existing CSR activities.


http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/1/13/lifeliving/20120113102515&sec=lifeliving

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