Greener Travel
The average hotel
guestroom uses about
144 gallons of water
each day, or 52,200
gallons every year,
which costs $196
annually.
Business travel can provide challenges to greening. Transportation
accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, which
contribute to climate change, as well other pollutants, which cause
smog and degrade ecosystems. However, with a little ingenuity, you
can make your out-of-town visits more environmentally friendly.
What You Can Do
1. Encourage teleconferencing or videoconferencing in place of traveling to meetings.
(Teleconferencing saves on travel costs, employee time, and reduces the amount of
pollution associated with vehicle travel, whether it is by car, train, plane, or bus.)
2. If your hotel doesn't offer the option of changing your linens daily, leave them a note
by the bed explaining that you do not want them to wash your sheets and towels every
day. This will save water, energy, and detergent.
3. Consider starting an agency ride board that lists the use and destination of all agency
vehicles used to attend meetings and workshops. Urge employees to check ride boards
and consider doubling up whenever practical before signing out a vehicle.
4. If possible, stay at green hotels.
5. Contact the Green Hotels Association for information on greening your hotel and
travel experiences. (Visit their web site at: http://www.greenhotels.com/.)
Disposal
6. Ask hotel staff where to recycle your plastic bottles and other containers, such as
glass bottles, plastic containers, and aluminum cans.
23