Name: Robert Marshall
Title: General Manager/Owner
Property: Inn Marin Hotel, Novato, Calif.
My primary responsibilities: “My primary responsibility is managing the fiscal profitability of the inn. I oversee quality control, housekeeping, etc. They call me the ‘green guru.’ I am always looking for more green initiatives to implement.”
Hotel’s most significant environmental accomplishment so far: “Our energy conservation. I monitor our gas and electric bills on a monthly basis. Year over year, for the last three years, we have had a 15 percent reduction in electricity consumption and a 5 to 6 percent reduction in natural gas consumption.”
Our biggest environmental challenge: “Creating a composting program for our restaurant. Marin County does not have a program in place. You have to have a backhoe to move the material. That makes it cost-prohibitive. Another challenge is to come up with a solar generation program for the property.”
What I like most about what I do: “I enjoy the fact that we are making a difference in reducing our carbon footprint.”
What advice I would give to someone considering starting a sustainability initiative: “I would guide them to our local green certification program. Fiscally, going green makes sense. It is bottom line dollars. Ninety-five percent of green initiatives make your organization more profitable.”

NOVATO, CALIF.—When the 70-room Inn Marin Hotel held its “Green Meetings: Making It Real” meeting last October, L. Hunter Lovins was the keynote speaker and 150 meeting planners from all over the state of California attended. The event generated a lot of public relations buzz and a group out of Denmark booked a meeting at the hotel as a result of the event. Anyone who knows Robert Marshall, general manager and part owner of the hotel, should not have been surprised at the meeting’s success.

Marshall readily admits that his colleagues call him the “green guru.” There is good reason for that. If there is energy or water to be saved, he will find it. If there is a way to recycle something, he will find it as well. Marshall is also determined to eliminate any toxins on the property, whether in cleaning chemicals or paint.

It was in 2008 that the owners of the hotel completed a renovation—an ideal opportunity to incorporate green initiatives. Carpeting in guestrooms was removed and replaced with bamboo flooring. Marshall says it is actually 97 percent bamboo and 3 percent resin. Bamboo is an efficient carbon dioxide sequestering sink, converting eight times more carbon dioxide to oxygen than trees.

“The bamboo material is 70 percent harder than maple,” he says. “We have not had to refinish the floors since they were installed. We use to have a carpet cleaner come in every three months. That cleaning is no longer needed. Less time is spent on vacuuming.”

Long List of Green Initiatives

During the renovation of the hotel, no cardboard went into the dumpsters; it was all recycled. The “greenest possible paint” was used. Energy efficient lighting replaced older, inefficient bulbs. Sensors now help turn lights off when they are not needed and housekeepers have been trained to turn off lights.

Inn Marin Hotel

“We run everything on dimmers in the restaurant,” Marshall says. “That saves a lot of energy. We have our refrigeration systems cycled. They don’t run consistently.”

By using a natural product in the laundry, the hotel was able to eliminate bleach, hot water and three rinse cycles. Most of the hotel’s cleaning products are botanical in nature. Instead of using a gas furnace to heat the swimming pool, a solar blanket is used. Low-flow fixtures in the bathroom (2.5 gpm showerheads and 1.6 gpf toilets) help conserve water.

In guestroom bathrooms, dispensers are used to eliminate bottle waste. Toilet paper and paper towels purchased include 100 percent recycled content. Organic, Fair Trade coffee is served in Ricky’s Restaurant & Bar, during banquets, and in the lobby. Guests are given the option of not having towels and linens washed. Recycling containers are present in back-of-house areas, in guestrooms, meeting rooms and in public spaces. Marketing collateral is printed on recycled paper and water during meetings is served in ceramic containers rather than in plastic bottles.

A LodgingSavers Participant

Marshall says he is currently working with the Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s LodgingSavers program to transition back-of-house fluorescents from T-12s to T-8s. He is also planning to implement a guestroom energy management system as well as vending machine controls. A landscape lighting system with 18 50-watt lights is being replaced with 8-watt LEDs. These changes will save his property thousands of dollars annually.

Last year, under the California Green Lodging program, administered by the State of California General Services Administration, the Inn Marin Hotel was the first property to receive California’s State Certification at the Leadership Level. Marshall was a speaker at the Green California Summit and Exhibition and was among the featured speakers at the pre-summit workshop.

The Inn Marin Hotel’s “green guru” says he has long had an interest in protecting the environment.

“I remember as a kid growing up sorting paper, plastic and glass bottles,” Marshall says. “We always did that. I have since been involved in writing letters to officials regarding salmon rehabilitation.”

To learn more about the Inn Marin Hotel, click here.

Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.