Sheraton Waikiki - Hawaii Hospitality magazine

CleanTalk
with Rose
By Rose Galera,
CEH
Hi Rose,
What should cleaning professionals
consider important in cleaning for health
and cleaning as a science?
Mahalo, Miko
Aloha Miko,
Many cleaning professionals will agree
that the most important tool is the cleaning
cloth. Yet, why do many still call it a “rag”?
the dictionary defines cloth as “a piece
of fabric used for a specific purpose.” it
defines rag as “a worthless piece of cloth.”
A professional cleaning cloth should by
no means be considered worthless. this
valuable tool should rightfully be called a
“professional cleaning cloth.” one in good
condition will reduce cleaning time and
improve the cleaning process dramatically.
Edges should be hemmed, and the best
sizes generally recommended are 11x11,
13x13 and 15x15. Properly folded, it can
provide a maximum of 16 cleaning sides.
cleaning cloths generally are taken for
granted without much thought given to
their type, use, care, cleaning processes,
rotation of and budget inclusion.
the most phenomenal, efficient and
effective cleaning cloths today are the
super and ultra microfiber cloths. they
collect more particles of dirt and enhance
germ kill more than any other fabric
known. their cost is absorbed by their
ability to perform outstandingly; they also
do not require the use of chemicals, are
environmentally safe and leave behind no
chemical residue. A “green” cleaning tool
is beneficial to everyone, especially allergy
and chemically sensitive individuals.
As a cleaning professional, i have
worked with and promoted microfiber
technology for nearly 10 years and highly
recommend it.
consider this: A cleaning cloth is to a
professional cleaner like a paintbrush is to
a professional painter. it is the professional
tool of the trade.
Rose Galera has 50 years of professional
cleaning experience. She can be contacted at
678-8021 or CPSII@hawaii.rr.com.
4 Hawaii Hospitality ■ January/February 2010
Behind
By Peter Apo
Mass travel
has become
so commonplace in
the last half century
that we forget it’s
still a new global
phenomenon. in
less than a hundred years, we have
gone from animal-powered wagons to
high-speed trains and jumbo jets. From
moving small groups of people a few
miles a day to moving millions across
continents in hours. And in the same
day, we house them, feed them and
entertain them.
remarkable.
travel is the world’s largest growth
industry, and there’s no end in sight.
Why should we be so sure the growth
curve will continue? Because the
urge to travel is innate to the human
condition. to see how other people live,
to experience the great wonders of the
The
Way
Green
Bryce with
Sprecher
wrote earlier about i the U.S. Green
Building council’s
creation of the
leadership in Energy
and Environmental
design (lEEd)
standard. While
LEED efforts are excellent, a new
organization has been formed recently
called the international living Building
institute (ilBi), and its approach goes
much further.
As stated on the ilBi Web site, “the
international living Building institute
issues a challenge ... to all of humanity
to reconcile the built environment
with the natural environment, into
a civilization that creates greater
biodiversity, resilience and opportunities
for life with each adaptation and
development.” this goes for hotels as
well!
One example of a living building
is the omega center for Sustainable
living (ocSl) in rhinebeck, n.Y. this
the
world, to escape the humdrum of life
in our hometown. humans are travel
junkies — and they are willing to spend
a significant percentage of their annual
income seeking respite and rejuvenation.
i would note one profound global
condition being impacted by mass travel.
the solution to the world’s conflicts
cannot be achieved through politics.
the conflicts are cultural. tourism
brings people together in intimate
cultural exchanges. As we meet each
other eyeball to eyeball, friend to
friend, host to hosted, we build bridges
of understanding and friendship one
encounter at a time.
tourism is paving a road to world
peace, and i am proud to be a part of it.
Peter Apo is a cultural tourism consultant,
providing training for incorporating
Hawaiian values and hospitality traditions
into the visitor industry.
state-of-the art water reclamation facility
and environmental education center
brings together wastewater recycling,
clean energy, green architecture and
other sustainability elements that can
be replicated locally. the ocSl is in
many ways like a hotel — there are lots
of people coming and going, they have
conferences and parties, etc. — yet it
supplies all its own energy and recycles
all of its water. its operation is carbon
neutral. this self-sustaining building
is heated and cooled using geothermal
systems, and utilizes photovoltaic
power.
if just one hotel could apply this
model here in hawaii and then show
the rest of the industry how it makes eco
and financial sense — due to the great
reduction in operating and maintenance
costs — now that would be something.
it’s not going to happen tomorrow,
but just imagine a Waikiki that produces
its own energy and no wastewater!
Find out more at eomega.org/ocsl.
thanks to laurens laudowicz, founder
of 100% Green, for sharing his expertise!
Bryce Sprecher is the president of Summa
Hawaii, a full-service procurement and
project management firm.