We travel on business to generate profits. But travel also generates something more ominous: carbon emissions.
Flying and automobile travel are the worst offenders. But a hotel stay can leave a size-EEE carbon footprint, too. Think of air-conditioned, empty rooms; the energy involved in heating, lighting and water purification; and the sheer volume of waste the average 300-room hotel produces.
Each of those hotels is responsible for tens of thousands of tiny containers of shampoo, conditioner and lotion, plus room-service ketchup and maple syrup containers, all of which end up in landfills every year. Daily replacement of towels and linens requires enormous amounts of water, sucks up energy, and adds bleach and other pollutants to the water supply.
All of this trash and wasteful consumption are not lost on guests. A recent survey commissioned by Deloitte finds that more and more U.S. business travelers have specific expectations about the green practices hotels should be adopting. And they are willing to change their own behavior, as well.
That's true of women more than men, it turns out, with females more likely to turn off lights and adjust the temperature when they leave the room. (For the full survey, click here)
Nearly seven of 10 business travelers (69 percent) say they always turn off the lights. One of three (31 percent) adjusts the temperature when leaving the room. Thirty-eight percent have researched green lodging facilities either online or by asking friends, relatives or travel agents. A significant number--28 percent--say they would be willing to pay 10 percent more to stay in a green lodging facility.
"Our survey shows that green concerns have made their way onto the business traveler's agenda," said Adam Weissenberg, vice chairman of tourism, hospitality and leisure leader at Deloitte & Touche LLP. "Business travelers understand the issues and are trying to do their part in being more environmentally responsible when they are on the road."
The top five environmental actions business travelers expect lodging facilities to take are (in order):
• Recycling (77 percent)
• Using energy-efficient lighting (74 percent)
• Using energy-efficient windows (59 percent)
• Placing cards in rooms to let guests request that sheets/towels not be changed (52 percent)
• Using environmentally safe cleaning products (49 percent)
The survey also revealed a particularly horrifying statistic: Thirty percent of respondents say they have requested sheets and/or towels not be changed, but the hotel changed them anyway. So much for green standards.
Still, there's good news on the horizon. Here are a few initiatives to note:
Starwood is launching a green hotel brand called Element. The first property opens this month in Lexington, Massachusetts, with 20 more hotels scheduled to open in the next year. The hotels are built with technology that saves water and cuts electric use.
The design features heat-reflecting roofing materials, Energy Star-rated appliances and 16-foot windows that allow natural light to illuminate lobbies and hallways. Laundry bags will be reusable, guests who drive hybrid cars will get preferred parking and recycling bins will be tucked discreetly into guest rooms.
Fontainebleau is doing its share by using Apple technology to create the first paperless hotel rooms at its Miami Beach and Las Vegas resorts. (Don't flinch; it's not talking about toilet tissue.) An iMac in every room will let guests download daily newspapers, which the hotel company calculates will help it cut back on more than half a million newspapers each year.
It's not just hotels in big cities that are going green. Just south of Redding, California, The GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa has used state-of-the-art green building practices.
New-growth wood was harvested within 500 miles of the property; interiors were painted with paints low in volatile organic compounds and floored with recycled carpets. The bathrooms boast recycled tiles and granite, along with bulk soap and shampoo dispensers.
Solar power presently provides 5 percent to 6 percent of the hotel's electrical needs. A real-time display in the lobby shows how much energy and water are being used by the hotel, and how much carbon dioxide is being saved through energy conservation. Officials say they anticipate about 25 percent in energy savings and 45 percent in water savings. Outside the hotel, on 11 acres abutting the Sacramento River, the landscaping is free of herbicides, pesticides or toxic chemicals.
The Fairmont Vancouver Airport uses triple-glazed windows to reduce airport noise and the amount of heat that escapes from the building. An exterior glass curtain wall reduces internal energy consumption and the penetration of ultraviolet rays and sound. Lighting and heating in guest rooms are computer-controlled to shut down when guests exit and resume when guests return at the settings they selected. At checkout, the room temperature reverts to a standard setting, and the lights shut off automatically, resulting in an energy savings of 35 percent.
The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, is seeking Gold LEED certification this year from the U.S. Green Building Council. It uses 41 percent less energy and 33 percent less water than a conventional hotel. One hundred solar thermal panels on the roof heat 60 percent of its hot water. The hotel also boasts the first regenerative drive elevator, which recaptures energy as the elevator moves down.
Have you stayed at a hotel with interesting green practices? Let us know about the interesting green practices you're seeing. Reply to gogreen@womenentrepreneur.com