With water at a premium in California, the hotel decided to turn to an ozone / reuse system to help them meet their green goals. The Water Energy Green Laundry system installed last year has since brought them impressive water and energy savings – while churning out superior finished goods.

“Our Green Laundry System has truly benefited our daily routine by accelerating the washing process and consistently delivering spectacular results,” says Brenda Goodwin, executive housekeeper at the hotel.

GREEN DESIGN
The Gaia Anderson opened in April 2008 and is the second in a unique chain of green hotels being built by the Atman Hospitality Group, Inc. The first Gaia Hotel in American Canyon, CA was certified by the United States Green Building Council’s LEED program as the very first Gold-Certified LEED Green Hotel in the world. So naturally, The Atman Hospitality Group wanted to extend their green initiatives to the construction on the second Gaia Hotel, using the most advanced green building methods available and instituting green initiatives.

Located just minutes from the brilliant wilderness of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, this luxurious 120 room facility was built with environmentally sound concepts in mind. This includes the use of solar energy, specialized building materials, conservation techniques, and environment-friendly practices. Incorporating ozone and water reuse into their aundering is just one part of their eco-friendly approach.

RESULTS & SAVINGS
“The Water Energy Green Laundry System allows us to wash everything in cold water and everything
comes out clean, bright, and sanitized,” says Ramien Shalizi of Broughton Hospitality Group and general manager at the hotel. “We use higher percale linens and product life is a concern. We now get longer life out of our linens and at least twice the life out of our sheets and towels.” There’s also been significant energy cost savings, according to Shalizi.

Where do these savings come from? “Our wash formulas are only about 25 minutes (compared to traditional cycles of 45-50 minutes) which saves quite a bit of time and energy,” he explains. “The gas savings are tremendous, as the system does not use heated water and we all know how expensive energy is these days. On average we have reduced our net water use by about 60 percent as compared to a traditional laundry.”

OZONE INNOVATIONS
Bob Beddingfield, president of Water Energy Technologies, Inc., the Houston-based innovator behind the system, explains that it’s the system’s unique facets; the delivery of a constant, uniform dose of ozone to the washers and the incorporation of water reuse, that makes the Gaia Anderson’s product results and savings possible.

“Our ozone laundry systems deliver a consistent level of dissolved ozone between 1.5 and 3ppm dissolved ozone in every drop of water delivered to the washers,” he says. “This assures uniform results with little or no spotting and discoloration.”

Adding to the system’s green innovations, is the gray water recycling system that works in conjunction with the ozone system. The combined ozone laundry and gray water reuse systems deliver up to 65% reduction in net water use as compared to traditional laundering methods, says Beddingfield.

IMPROVED WORK ENVIRONMENT
Laundry at the Gaia Anderson consists of linen & terry generated by the hotel’s 122 guestrooms, spa facility, heated pool, conference center and restaurant. It runs about 1700 pounds a month. The hotel’s goods are processed at the 750 sq. ft. OPL with the help of two 60-pound B&C high-speed extract washers and two 75-pound B&C high efficiency dryers.

The ozone system has contributed to a healthier and more worker friendly environment in the laundry as a whole, says Goodwin.

“Our laundry is always cool and dry and we don’t have to deal with high humidity and hot linens coming out of the washers,” she says. Further, the reduced wash times mean work proceeds at an efficient pace and the staff stays busy which maximizes production costs and time.

“We are fortunate to be a part of such a socially and environmentally conscious team who share such a clear vision for a green future,” says Shalizi. “It is fulfilling knowing that we are doing our part to help create
a sustainable future.”