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Hotels get more eco-friendly
 Some hotels are replacing conventional light bulbs with energy saving ones. QUICKVOTEBUSINESS TRAVELLER
RESOURCES
OTHER NEWSYOUR SAY
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSVANCOUVER, Canada (CNN) -- Most people do not change their bed sheets every evening, but at hotels business travelers expect fresh linen every night -- a practice that takes its toll on the environment. Hotels are a significant contributor to global warming. Aside from linen, hotels have plenty of other dirty laundry to deal with, as well as water and waste. "A total of $4 billion a year is spent in the U.S. by hotels on energy usage. The carbon debt for a one-night stay in a hotel is eight kilos of carbon dioxide," says Graham Simmonds, chief executive of Trees for Cities. At the moment, a lot of responsibility for eco-friendly policies and practices comes down to the hotels themselves, with some making concerted efforts on such matters as energy efficiency, water conservation, and reducing carbon dioxide gas emissions. "If you would like your bed linen to be changed please place a card on the pillow," says Linda Chin, the general manager of the Pacific Palisades, a green boutique hotel in Vancouver. The hotel has switched to energy efficient light bulbs, which use a lot less energy. Staff also use environmentally-friendly products and recycling bins. "Guests do not notice what is happening at the back of the building. I am not sure whether they would be compelled to use our hotel on the basis of our environmental policies alone," says Chin. "This is just something that the staff and management feel very passionate about." There is also an economic incentive. Research by the International Hotels Environment Initiative found hotels that have not yet adopted environmental programs could save between 10 and 40 percent on energy bills, 25 percent on waste and 20 percent on water bills. In Vancouver, bigger hotels like the Fairmont also see the value in going green. They are trying to conserve energy, whether it is from air conditioning units, television sets, laptop computers or cell phone chargers. "We are trying to educate the guest and staff on how we can minimize our impact on the environment and the use of electricity," says Michael Pye from the Fairmont Hotel. More hotels are also being built in harmony with the environment, using energy-efficient, locally sourced materials with internal spaces that require less heating or cooling. There is even a Green Hotelier magazine. Transport to and from hotels also creates emissions. Vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, which offers better fuel efficiency and lower emissions, are becoming available, although they are not yet widely offered for hire. In the future a traveler will be able to make decisions on what sort of car to hire, whether it be a hybrid vehicle, or one with an electric or combustion engine. "At present, on a five-day business trip you can emit up to two tonnes of carbon dioxide. Putting this into perspective, that level of emission is the same amount that three people living in rural India will emit in a year," says Simmonds. Another way that traditional business travelers can reduce their impact on the environment is to utilize videoconferencing and cut out the travel altogether. 
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