Northern New Jersey has one of its first LEED certified hotels, the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel, which was among several Hartz Mountain properties and sustainability programs that generated recognition and certification from institutions including the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Environmental Protection Agency and the Building Owners and Managers Association of New Jersey (BOMA).
Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel is a 346-room hotel on the Hudson River waterfront overlooking Manhattan. Originally constructed in 1991, the property was expanded in 1999 and was renovated over the last two years. The renovation included the use of environmentally sound building materials such as low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints and carpeting. Operationally, the hotel also altered its operating practices in an environmentally-friendly way primarily in its housekeeping and laundry departments.
"Green practices are difficult in hotels because they require collaboration with guests who we want to make as comfortable as possible and over whom we have little control," said Emanuel Stern, president and COO of Hartz Mountain Industries. "But hotels can be positively wasteful and that makes it all the more important to insist on programming that holds everyone accountable - so we are very gratified to be recognized by the USGBC for our work."
Hartz Mountain won BOMA New Jersey Chapter's First Annual Building Energy Reduction Awards program for its advancement of a solar energy program that will have a capacity of 15 MW of power by the conclusion of 2011. Hartz received a second BOMA honor in recognition of energy reduction at five of its commercial properties including, 200 and 400 Plaza Drive in Secaucus, 707 Broad Street in Newark, 15 Exchange Place and 90 Hudson Street in Jersey City. The energy savings at these locations resulted in an overall consumption reduction of 13% and an annual savings of $262,243.
Hartz's sustainability program was launched in 2009 to reduce the company's environmental footprint and included the installation of energy efficient lighting, water conservation measures, and high efficient boilers to optimize buildings' mechanical features. Also included was a mandate that all the company's new ground-up construction and major renovations pass a LEED scorecard analysis. Hartz Mountain President and COO, Emanuel Stern has upheld a personal and company-wide commitment to apply impactful environmental solutions to its sustainable principles. "The company's environment measures have carried over into our new construction arena. We have committed ourselves to a goal that within the next two years we will obtain LEED certification for the 600 plus residential rental units that are currently being constructed in Hudson County." Tags: