It was World Environment Day yesterday and ITC Sonar has a reason for Calcuttans to feel proud of. The star hotel has become the second hotel in the world to win the LEED Zero Water Certification by US Green Building Council. t2 chatted with Nitin Bahl, hotel manager, ITC Sonar, on winning the award and how they achieved it.
Congratulations on ITC Sonar bagging the LEED Zero Water Certification by US Green Building Council! What does it stand for?
Thank you! ITC Sonar has become the second hotel in the world to be awarded the LEED Zero Water Certification by US Green Building Council. The announcement comes soon after ITC Mughal was announced as the first hotel globally to attain the certification. This is in line with ITC’s commitment to scale newer heights in creating a climate-positive and future tech enterprise.
The LEED Zero is the new standard for global cities, communities, and buildings as they strive to achieve a sustainable future. In LEED Zero Water, a balance is maintained between total potable water consumption and total alternative or recycled water use.
How has ITC Sonar achieved it?
ITC Sonar has fulfilled the requirement of LEED Zero as verified by Green Business Certification Inc. The certification verifies net zero goals and signals market leadership in the built environment. As part of its efforts to be self-sufficient, the hotel has been following a sustainable process which ensures that water requirements for its buildings and processes are met by potable water, recycled water and capturing rainwater.
Then water efficiency using plumbing fittings complied with LEED guidelines, use of drip irrigation, dual flushing etc. Lastly, used water is recycled responsibly after treatment for room flushing, HVAC cooling tower, and irrigation.
A glimpse of recycled water being sprayed in the perfectly manicured lawns of ITC Sonar
ITC has always been very environment conscious...
ITC Hotels has been the byword for sustainability in the hospitality industry. ITC Hotels pioneered the concept of Responsible Luxury, delivering luxury experiences with planet-positive experiences. ITC Sonar, Kolkata is the first hotel in the world to obtain Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) issued under the aegis of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention in 2007. Staying true to Responsible Luxury’s credo, environmental stewardship policies and practices have been built into every aspect of the hotel’s operations.
ITC Hotels is amongst the first hotel chains to mitigate single-use plastic; these plastic items have been replaced with a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative. An effective water purification and glass bottling plant within the premises to produce international quality drinking water has eliminated the usage of plastic water bottles. It is Zero Mile water or SunyaAqua, as it involves no transportation, thus mitigating carbon footprints.
That’s not all, ITC Sonar, Kolkata has an onsite Organic Waste Converter (OWC) which converts food waste as manure for its use in horticulture. Entire waste water generated by the hotel is treated through an onsite STP (Sewage Treatment Plant), which is then utilised for other purposes. Irrigation, flushing, and cooling tower requirements are met through treated effluent water. We have significantly reduced fresh water consumption over the last few years.
ITC Sonar’s partial electrical demand is met through renewable energy and the hotel achieves energy optimisation through efficient chillers, boilers, automatic tube cleaning system in chillers, solar panels for hot water generation, induction cooking and so on.
(l-r) Sewage treatment plant, Treated/recycled water