Toward a framework for the components of green lodging

This article seeks to provide a better understanding of green lodging and its components. The article provides a framework that illustrates how lodging properties interact with the physical environment, the negative environmental externalities created by the interactions and the solutions necessary to eliminate and ameliorate the negative externalities. An inductive approach is utilized, which combines interview data with content analysis. Findings suggest that green lodging is deliberate, and concerted efforts undertaken by lodging operations to mitigate or ameliorate the negative environmental externalities associated with lodging operations. These externalities generally manifest themselves in energy usage, water usage, air quality and waste management. Components of green lodging include the fixtures, facilities, amenities, supplies, equipment, services, consumables, and practices that are adopted, implemented and maintained to reduce or eliminate externalities. Collectively, these components can be described as technical and behavioral components. Technical components are the physical or tangible elements that should be adopted, installed or maintained to eliminate or reduce externalities, whereas the behavioral components relate to behaviors and practices that should be adopted. Future studies are encouraged to explore barriers to implementation of green practices in hotels, lodging managers’ and consumers’ attitudes toward green practices in the lodging industry, and how hoteliers are managing the ‘green’ supply chain.