High Traffic Facilities Reap Many Benefits from Green Practices
Visitors have expectations for high traffic facilities such as airports, train stations, stadiums and large office buildings. In addition to convenience, people today now look for sustainable initiatives when they visit a busy facility. Bringing nature indoors by adding more park-like spaces, plants, trees and natural light has become popular and send a strong, positive message to visitors about your facility. Green practices have a significant impact on user experience in your facility because they offer the ability to:
- Reduce pollutants
- Improve ventilation
- Offer noise control
- Ensure building hygiene
- Enhance air and water quality
Additionally, sustainable practices can also deliver economic benefits. One benefit we like to share is what can be gained from switching from paper towels to high speed hand dryers. With this one decision, your facility can increase energy efficiency, cut back on costs and have the opportunity to qualify for green recognition, like valuable LEED credits. In a high traffic facility these benefits are especially important.
Efficient high-speed hand dryers use up to 88 percent less energy and dry hands up to three times faster. Over its lifetime, a high-speed hand dryer produces three tons less CO2 than the production of the paper towels it replaces—saving the resources required to make paper. Additionally, while it is possible to make paper towels from recycled paper, they are rarely, if ever, recycled, creating millions of cubic feet of waste in landfills.
Another reason why high-speed hand dryers are a great fit for busy facilities is their rapid dry times – cutting down on wait time, lines and crowding. Paper towels can make a mess very quickly in a frequently used restroom, from overflowing trash cans to clogged toilets. Installing high-speed hand dryers will help ensure that your visitors’ time in the restroom doesn’t detract from their overall experiences at your facility.
There are many studies that prove how much environmental quality affects the image and reputation of frequently visited facilities. Focusing on the improvement of facility operations in all areas delivers benefits to both the overall operations of a facility as well as the quality of its environment.