Author

Jeanne Varney

Lecturer at The Hotel School in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University

Jeanne Varney, LEED Green Associate, GGP, GRI, CHA, is a Lecturer at The Hotel School in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. She is responsible for the curriculum in Hospitality Facilities Management, Hospitality Asset Management, Sustainable Development and Introduction to Sustainable Hospitality. She has authored chapters in industry related textbooks, created eCornell online courses and taught a variety of executive education seminars. Jeanne is also a Principal with Olive Hospitality Consulting. Prior to Cornell, she held positions with Host Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Landauer Hospitality Consulting, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. She holds an MBA from The George Washington University and a BS in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

A reminder of the blatant and hidden consequences of the use of plastic

The amount of plastic waste we humans create every year is staggering. Much of it ends up in the oceans, and some of that, after breaking down into microparticles, ends up in fish – and us. Jeanne Varney of Cornell describes the issue and gives hotels some useful advice on how to reduce their own contribution to the problem.

The long lost art of the green team

In a hotel, how do you get moving on identifying and implementing practical sustainability ideas and activities? Many properties have a “green team” tasked with doing just these things. Cornell’s Jeanne Varney explains how to get such a team successfully set up and working effectively.