This week, of all weeks throughout the year, is the time to unleash every bit of creativity you have when it comes to being green. Earth Day is Thursday, April 22. It will be the 40th Earth Day. Some will celebrate the entire week as Earth Week. Others are celebrating Earth Month. In the past few weeks I have heard from properties all over the world, each one detailing what they have planned for Earth Day—events such as tree plantings to community “voluntourism” opportunities to beach cleanups.
I don’t know why but the movie “Oh God” came to mind as I was thinking about this column. I am sure many of you have seen it—the one with George Burns as God. A bit dated today but still a good flick. The movie had some of the best lines of any movie I have seen. God: “The last miracle I did was the 1969 Mets. Before that, I think you have to go back to the Red Sea.”
Also from the movie but a little more relevant to Earth Day (again, God speaking): “You’re also turning the sky into mud. I look down, I can’t believe the filth. Using the rivers for toilets, poisoning my fishes. You want a miracle? You make a fish from scratch. You can’t. Try coming up with a mackerel. And when the last one’s gone, that’ll be that. Eighty-six on the fish, goodbye sky, so long world, over and out.”
A Reality Check
Earth Day is a time to not only celebrate our successes but to also acknowledge the mess we have made on our planet. In some ways, things are getting better. U.S. greenhouse gas emissions actually dropped by 2.9 percent from 2007 to 2008. And, renewable energy sources now provide more than 10 percent of U.S. electricity generation—good progress. Still, we rely too much on coal for energy production (29 recent deaths in a West Virginia coal mine was a grim reminder), far too many people lack access to clean water (more than 800 million in the world), and the current global species-extinction rate exceeds what ecologists consider the “natural” rate by 100 times. Sobering statistics.
In our industry, I am constantly encouraged by the steps property owners and operators are taking to reduce waste, energy and water consumption. There are thousands upon thousands of success stories. Many of them can be found on the Green Lodging News website. Yet, I am often skeptical about our industry’s commitment to do what is right by our planet—especially when I see companies tout the number of new hotels they have opened (one company opened an average of more than one hotel a day in 2009), the number of new franchise contracts they have signed, etc. Is environmental sustainability the priority? Or, just profits and growth? Can a company grow quickly and sustainably? I am not so sure.
As you celebrate Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, resolve to do much better in the coming year. Investigate and invest in those products and technologies that can help you reduce costs while helping the environment at the same time. Get your employees fired up to make a positive difference. Have fun while you are doing it. Share your success stories with others. As hoteliers, innkeepers, developers, vendors, designers, architects, consultants, engineers, journalists, etc., we can all play an important role in making our planet a cleaner and safer place.
Last Week’s ‘Sense of Place’ Column
I received several comments in response to last week’s “Sense of Place” column (click here to read it). One reader reminded me that the Green Key Eco-Rating Program addresses cultural and heritage issues in its rating system. I neglected to mention it. Another reader said she first read about “sense of place” while a high school student. The source: Aldo Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac.” Another reader said, “Sense of place sounds an awful lot like geotourism,” and then provided me with a website link.
GLN Adds Gilchrist & Soames as Directory Partner
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Advertising Opportunities in 2010
There are still some excellent Green Lodging News advertising opportunities available for 2010, including ad spots on the website and in the weekly e-newsletter. There are also many Green Supplier Spotlight dates available throughout the year. If your company has a product or products it would like to feature in Green Lodging News in 2010, be sure to contact me at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. The 2010 media kit is available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News Blog & Twitter
Be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. The address for the blog is http://greenlodgingnews.blogspot.com. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also now on Twitter. To follow my postings, go to http://twitter.com/greenlodging. Be sure to add Green Lodging News to those tweets that you follow. Green Lodging News now has 417 Twitter followers.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
