This voluntary agreement will help to clear the air
On a cold, still morning in October 1952 Londoners awoke to find their city enveloped in a fog so dense that visibility was down to 15ft and traffic was at a standstill. This was no autumnal mist - this was a killer smog. The air, polluted by a million coal-burning factories and homes, was stagnant and, over the following three days, an estimated 4,000 people died from heart and lung ailments. Thousands more were taken ill.
That was 50 years ago, and London no longer suffers from smog. But the problem of air pollution worldwide continues to get worse. A pall of black traffic fumes hangs over the streets of Bangkok. The air above the Houston Ship Canal is so polluted that it periodically and spontaneously bursts into flames. In the industrialised district of Cubatao in Brazil, the quality of air is so bad that nine out of 10 babies have to be given daily doses of oxygen.
This is shocking, but what's it got to do with the UK hospitality industry? Everything, according to the Hotel and Catering International Management Association (HCIMA); we just don't realise it.
It's easy to sit comfortably, ignoring global issues. We tend to concentrate on matters closer to home, such as room occupancy, restaurant menus and the skills shortage. The Government, however, is - quite rightly - urging us to take a wider view and has signed a voluntary agreement with the HCIMA in an attempt to drive down fuel consumption in catering and hospitality.
The burning of fossil fuels in whatever form - coal, coke, oil, etc - leads directly to carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute directly to pollution. According to the HCIMA, a typical hotel in the UK releases about 160kg of carbon dioxide per square metre of floor area, which is equivalent to about 10 tonnes per bedroom per year. The only way to cut these levels is to reduce fuel consumption, and the HCIMA is offering advice on how hotels, motels, boarding houses, pubs and restaurants can do this.
There's an obvious advantage beyond ecology, of course: less fuel, less cost. Apparently, the UK hotel industry spends about £650m a year on fuel consumption. Reduce this by 5% and the industry suddenly begins to save more than £30m a year. (Think how much training could be achieved with this amount of cash.)
If saving money isn't enough incentive for operators to join the HCIMA/Government programme, then remember that the Government has signed international agreements to reduce pollution and is bound by European law to meet specific emission levels. If these targets aren't met voluntarily, rest assured, enforceable legislation will follow.
Christian philosopher and writer CS Lewis once said that Man's conquest of Nature is turning out to be Nature's conquest of Man. We can all do our bit to prove him wrong. But let's not wait until we are forced to take action.
Forbes Mutch, Editor
Caterer & Hotelkeeper
