Traveling green is in the details

The “Green” Hotels Association (GHA) is encouraging all travelers to green up their travel this summer. The U. S. Travel Data Center estimates that 43 million US travelers are “ecologically concerned.” While these folks will be especially interested, all travelers can take part in the greening of the travel industry, whether it’s business or pleasure travel.

Business managers of all businesses react and respond to requests of guests, and, as a paying customer, it is important that you let them know that you want them to lower water and energy usage and reduce solid waste and that you want to help them do that. “Spend your dollars with travel businesses that are interested in protecting the beautiful destinations we all love to visit,” suggests “Green” Hotels Association president Patricia Griffin.

Book your guestrooms and meeting rooms with hotels that are clearly interested in protecting the environment, and let management know that’s why you’ve chosen their hotel. GHA member hotels are encouraged to implement water-saving measures, execute energy-saving techniques and reduce solid waste. Rather than putting all these measures into effect “behind the doors,” GHA encourages all lodging accommodations to get guests and clients involved. Hotels can offer towel and sheet-changing options, soap and shampoo dispensers, guestroom recycling baskets and reduced food-related waste.

More for greener individual travel:

• During your hotel stay, let management know that it is not necessary to change your towels and sheets every day.
• When you leave the room, turn off the AC/heat, lights and TV.
• Carry your own bar soap and shampoo. Leave the little bottles of shampoo if you don’t use them.
• Avoid room service.
• Book flights with airlines that recycle the waste created when serving food and beverages to passengers. (British Airways, for instance, has a very strong environmental agenda. Southwest Airlines recycles all cabin waste, and was the first to offer electronic ticketing system-wide.)
• Use the hotel van instead of renting a car. Use public transportation in your destination city.
• Take photos with a digital camera. Disposable cameras are very wasteful and expensive
• Before you leave home, you can take the first steps to green up your travel by turning down the thermostat on your hot water heater, adjusting your AC/heat thermostat and stopping your newspaper.
• Turn water off at outside connection (to prevent flooding should a pipe break while you’re gone). When you return, turn on the water slowly and check for problems.
• Appliances, such as TVs and cable converter boxes, should be unplugged because they can draw or “leak” as much as 40 watts per hour even when they’re off.
• Turn icemaker off (lift wire) to prevent flooding should it break while you’re away.
• Stop your newspaper. You may be able to donate it to a school.

For a free list of “green” ideas for travelers or a free list of member hotels, contact “Green” Hotels Association by writing P. O. Box 420212, Houston, TX 77242-0212, faxing 713-789-9786 or calling 713-789-8889. Or, visit greenhotels.com and sustainableinternationaltravel.org.
— “Green” Hotels Association®