Meluha-The Fern – An Ecotel Hotel -Sustainability Program

Meluha-The Fern is a five star environmentally responsible business hotel located in

the heart of Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. In a short span of four years, the hotel has
gained immense recognition in both National and International markets with 40
awards including the prestigious National Tourism Award by the President of India .
The hotel boasts of 141 exquisitely designed guest rooms that reflect modern Indian
sensibility, two restaurants, Tiara- an all-day café and Cesky- a fine dine restaurant
offering delectable cuisines from around the globe. The hotel also has one of the
largest indoor meeting and banquet facilities, making it a preferred choice for business
and family events.

Meluha-The Fern is the first LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environment
Design) and Ecotel Certified Hotel. LEED is an internationally recognized Green
building certification system. Our Gold certified building design exhibits state-of-the-
art architecture, sustainable systems and technologies. Whereas Ecotel Certification,
enables the hotel to become sustainable by reducing the environment impact of day-
to-day operations; becoming financially more viable and socially responsible.

The green building uses a high efficiency heating and cooling system, Cool roof
system, Energy efficient lighting, Rain water harvesting systems, low-flow faucets
and flushes, etc. Our waste management practices of segregation and implementation
of reduce-reuse-recycle measures ensure our solid waste diversion rate is 99.4% *
Meluha-The Fern is also ranked No. 1* in the country in the total water reuse rate
since recycled water is used for flushing, cooling towers, irrigation, etc.
We are driven towards creating responsible environment stewards through interactive
training modules, innovative team building activities, and community events. At
Meluha-The Fern, Sustainability is not merely a philosophy, but a way of life.
*HVS Environmental Resource Consumption benchmarking survey

To elaborate on our deep-rooted commitment towards the environment, enlisted

below is a brief description of Meluha-The Ferns Environment Program.

Sustainable Sites and Resource management during Construction

 The hotel has a comprehensive storm water drainage plan to control erosion
and reduce negative impacts on water and air quality.Also several measures to control
erosion and sedimentation of the landscape have been adopted during & post-
construction.

 The building is located in an area which has access to basic service areas in
close vicinity. Further excellent pedestrian access is enabled between the building and
the services. The hotel is also well-connected with the public transport bus network
 97.48% of construction waste has been diverted from landfills. The list of
materials diverted include steel scrap, packaging materials, broken hollow blocks,
tiles, glass, wooden scrap, plumbing and plaster waste.

 Most of the materials used in construction was obtained locally. thereby

supporting the regional economy and reducing the environmental impacts resulting
from transportation.

Innovative Design

Our Gold certified building design exhibits state-of-the-art architecture, sustainable

systems and technologies.
 The parabolic shaped building is oriented to face the South -west direction to
allow sunlight to illuminate the hotel but limit direct sunlight penetration. Optimal
levels of daylight enters the building to illuminate the Lobby, Restaurants,
corridors,rooms etc. thus minimizing the need for artificial lighting.

 Heat gain and loss is further prevented by the use of hermetically sealed double
glazed windows in all areas of the hotel and excellent roof top insulation with 3
layers of natural resource COBA (clay brick).

Water Management

Meluha-The Fern, has employed various techniques to conserve and preserve water.
Water consumption is reduced at source through low-flow fixtures and efficient
toilets.
 All tap faucets are either installed with flow restrictors/aerators or sensors.
Shower heads and urinal are equipped with flow control devices and timer-based
sensors respectively. All toilets are water-efficient and meet low-flush standards with
a dual flush system of capacities 3 and 6 liters per flush.

 Drinking Water treatment: Water is sterilized in the Ultra violet ray filter and
passed through a central chilled water system for cooling. This has helped eliminate
the need of installing 8 water coolers in various outlets.

 Sewage treatment Plant: The waste water of the hotel is treated and then further
reused in areas like the air conditioning plant, flushing gardening and for new
constructions within the complex.

 Rain water harvesting: Groundwater recharge and roof water harvesting is also
incorporated in the hotel. During the monsoon,flush water and cooling tower
requirements which are around 1 lakh liter of water per day is met through roof water
harvesting and subsurface collection & pumping.

Energy Management
At Meluha the Fern, we try our best to ensure every unit of energy is put to use.
Energy management designs and systems enlisted below have been integrated into the
hotel to ensure optimum utilization of energy.

 The Building design incorporates efficient lighting systems (LED CFL,

Dimmers to vary brightness and motion sensors) high performance glass,
DCV(Demand control ventilation) and CO sensors in the parking area to optimize
energy performance.

 Measurement and verification energy performance is done through a system

of meters and sub-meters is installed.

 Our Centralized HVAC system has a highly efficient microprocessor based

controller to reduce starting current and control acceleration of the motors.

 Moreover, the refrigerant used in the AC plant and the refrigerators is CFC free.

 The HVAC system has 3 STL (storage thermal latent) tanks installed. The
system permits the generation of cooling or heating to be transferred to a period when
our AC plant would otherwise be shut down, or when energy costs are lower. Also
significant amount of energy is saved since the AC plant is run during the night when
ambient temperatures are lower. This enables effective Load management,maximizes
efficiency of the plant and conserves energy.

 Co-generation of Energy: Another interesting element of the HVAC system is

that Hot water for the hotel is generated from the waste heat of the AC plant through a
De Super Heater. As a back-up, we also have natural gas powered Hot Water
Generator installed.

 Energy Conservation through Building Management System Automation

enables Demand based ventilation in public areas like banquets, meeting rooms, etc.
Further distribution pumps are controlled to distribute chilled water as per load
through variable frequency drives (VFD). Chiller set points are adjusted based on
ambient temperatures. Kitchen exhaust and Treated fresh air is control based and
scheduled through the BMS.

 The Guests rooms are incorporated with an intelligent key-tag system. Also the
Master Control panel in the guest rooms incorporates a unique feature known as the
ECO button. On pressing the Eco button the thermostat of the air-conditioning unit
is stepped up by two degrees. A certificate of appreciation is issued to the guest who
has voluntarily participated in conserving energy. We have developed a direct mail
link with the guests, and inform them of our ongoing environmental activities.
 We use the world’s most successful Hybrid Car for guest transportation-
Toyota Prius. The vehicle generates some of its own power by recovering kinetic
energy during braking. This reduces fuel consumption & thus, Carbon dioxide
emissions. Solar powered power banks for cell phones are used.

 Further energy management is facilitated through an excellently implemented

Preventative maintenance program of all equipment in the hotel to ensure
maximum efficiency, Daily monitoring of Heat-Light-Power(HLP),Goal-setting for
reduction of HLP consumption,Energy conservation Training for all team members
,and exchanging knowledge of best practices at community meetings.

Waste Management

Waste Management is an important aspect of environmental responsibility given the

amount of waste that is sent to landfills all over the world. Along with reducing the
use of natural resources at source though various measures, the waste generated is
effectively diverted from a landfill through segregation and recycling.

 The Hotel manages its solid waste by segregating it in all the kitchens of the
hotel. Four separate color coded bins-Black, White, Green, Red are used for
separating the waste into wet, dry, recyclable and non-recyclable.

 An easily accessible area that serves the entire building is dedicated to the
separation, collection and storage of materials for recycling including (at a minimum)
paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals to facilitate waste reduction at
source.

 The food waste or wet waste is sent out to piggeries to be recycled and the dry
garbage is given out to a recycler for recycling.

Employee Engagement and community Involvement

We at Meluha the Fern believe our environment is unique and is the legacy our
future generations inherit, therefore it is our prime responsibility to protect it. This
belief is not only in thought... But is also exemplified in word and deeds.
In our endeavor to conserve our planet, we relentlessly strive to create a paradigm
shift towards sustainable thinking by transfer of knowledge and delivering significant
societal value through education programs and community activities.

Our team of employees are the back bone of our environment program. Hence
we are committed to instilling a spirit of environmentalism through a dynamic
and interactive training program.
- Employee Orientation/Induction and Training

The Environment program of The Hotel is introduced at the Employee Orientation. A

formal mention of Meluha’s environment program is made to all employees,
regardless of the rank, by the Environment Officer in order to familiarize all new
employees with the hotel’s commitment. In addition, individual environmental efforts
implemented in each department are included in the departmental orientation
presentations. At the end of this session each employee is gifted a Jute bag and an
Ecotel Handbook.
Refresher Training sessions are also held from time to time for team members after
they have joined the organization. In this way, the sustainable practices of the hotel
continue beyond the founding team and are carried out by the staff of the hotel.

- Green Team

The Green Team is a group of committed individuals who act as the managing body
for the hotel’s environment program. The team consists of team members from each
function/department in the hotel. The members are entrusted with the responsibility to
monitor staff and to ensure that they adhere to ecofriendly practices .They also host
various activities for the staff and community.

- Employee Engagement Activities

Activities with an environment theme are regularly conducted to spread awareness,

empower employees to showcase vocational talent, encourage camaraderie and most
importantly celebrate togetherness. Past activities include Poster competitions, Eco
quiz Competitions, Wealth from Waste competition, Interactive workshops, Eco
Antakshari competition etc.

While delivering excellent services we also engage our esteemed guests in the
Environment program of the Hotel.

- Guest Connect

One of our primary methods of spreading environmental awareness among our guests
is through an Ecotel handbook kept in all the rooms of the hotel. This handbook
printed on recycled paper informs our guest of the environment friendly practices of
the hotel

Also our Guest participation programs - Save our planet and Eco guest program are
largely accepted and practiced.

Save Our Planet: This re-use of linen program helps conserve the environment by
reducing energy and water consumption.
Eco Guest Program: The master control panel in the guest rooms is incorporated with
an Eco button. This button when pressed increases the entire room temperature by two
degrees Celsius thus saving energy. Each guest who presses this button is appreciated
with an Eco certificate.

All communication and marketing material of the hotel specifically mentions our
commitment to the environment.

- Afforestation Initiatives

The Fern Green cover is an unique loyalty programme where guests receive the
highest value in points and amazing opportunities to contribute to the environment.
Members of the Green Cover get a long term sponsorship of a tree in their honour and
also an opportunity to convert points to cash as a donation to NGOs. The response has
been fantastic and has opened a new window of co-operation between our guests and
us.

- Community Events
Community engagement events/ Initiatives/Campaigns are organized regularly to
involve citizens and enable the practice of more environmentally conscious,
economically sustainable, and socially responsible lifestyles and business pursuits.

Staff associates from the various departments join and promote these events. Some of
our past events include Cycle Rally, Cleanup Drives, , Vermiculture demos to citizens,
Switching off non-essential lights during Earth Hour, Educating guests about the
environment practices followed in the hotel, Eco Ganesha workshops, Environment
awareness with students, Best out of waste competitions etc.
School children are also invited to the hotel and educated about the environment friendly practices followed at the
hotel. We assist them with projects as well as practices they can implement at home.

Indoor Environmental Air Quality and ' Pure' rooms

All areas of the hotel have ventilation systems designed to meet or exceed the
minimum air quality standard to prevent the development of indoor air quality
problems in buildings, thus contributing to the comfort and well-being of the
Occupants. Low VOC adhesives, sealants, paints etc meeting stipulated standards
have been utilized.

While adhering to the highest level of Indoor air quality standards, we now offer our
guests a new luxury of Pure Rooms.

19 rooms of Meluha have been certified as Pure rooms by New York based Pure
Solutions.These rooms give our guests the luxury of breathing in a room that is 99 per
cent pollution-free. These rooms have been through a patented, 7-step purification
process which treats every surface, including the air, removing up to 99 per cent of
pollutants to help the guest breathe easy and rest peacefully. The air-purification
system protects the guests from air-borne irritants, and eliminates odors at the source,
leaving the room feeling fresh and clean. The unique, hypoallergenic mattress and
pillow encasements provides soft, breathable coverings for further protection. Carpets,
upholstery and all other surfaces are deep cleaned and specially treated. A rigorous
maintenance procedure is followed to keep the Pure Rooms allergy-friendly.

Advanced Locality Management

The ALM is an identified composite or a locality, the residents and users of which
have committed to improving the quality of life in close co-operation and
collaboration with the M.C.G.M.

Meluha-The Fern initiated and formed the first ALM (Advance Locality Management
program) in the Hiranandani Township in collaboration with Municipal Corporation
of Greater Mumbai. It was set up on World Environment Day-5 th June 2011. The
ALM members are from the neighborhood (societies, corporate & malls). The main
objective of the ALM is waste management.

All the above initiatives assist us in creating transformational change and deliver
significant societal value.

The milestones achieved by Meluha the Fern simply prove that Responsible
Luxury is not an oxymoron. The best practices implemented by Meluha the Fern
can be replicated by other businesses to potentially drive change in the current
state of environment even as they generate economic wealth.

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--Aldrina Fernandes - Environment Officer, Meluha The Fern

envinfo@meluhafernhotel.com