Green Business Travel: Help Protect the Environment on Your Next Trip

Source: Office Arrow

These days, everybody is trying to save money and help save the environment as well. Whether you are hopping a flight, checking in to your hotel, or picking up a rental car, there are several simple things you can do to cut down on waste and play a small role in protecting the environment.

Eco-Savvy Hotels

For some time now, various hotel chains have been helping to protect the environment and reduce waste, partly due to pressure from travelers. Arguably, Fairmont is the winner when it comes to going green. The company has made environmental protection an important part of its policy. If your next business trip takes you to a Fairmont hotel, you can expect to find:

• energy-efficient lighting, 
• low flush toilets and 
• less frequent washing of bed linens. 

The Washington, DC Fairmont uses a hydrocarbon-powered dry cleaning machine; while all the company's hotels in California and Arizona offer free parking for hybrid vehicles. And Fairmont's innovative Eco-Meet program attempts to personalize entire meetings with the emphasis on going green and reducing waste. Other hotel chains should take note.

Marriott, which owns over 3,000 hotels around the world, has also taken several steps towards going green, including:

• using recycled paper for stationery and other paper products, 
• using key cards made from recyclables and 
• pillows containing recycled bottle fibers. 

Marriot also intends to use solar power in many of its properties during the next decade. And if you are trying to find a hotel that takes its environmental responsibilities seriously, the Green Hotels Association lists hotels and resorts all over the country that are making a better effort than most to go green.

Of course, regardless of what the hotel chains are doing, there are still a few things you can do the next time you check in. For example, don't have more lights on than necessary; some hotel chains have adopted the policy of requiring the room card key to be inserted in a slot in order for the lights to work, thus ensuring you won't leave them on while you are out of the room. If you are staying for several days, tell the cleaning staff that you don't necessarily need clean towels and sheets every day - every other day is fine. Consider leaving unopened amenities in the room and using or taking home the opened ones. And never leave the water running while you brush your teeth.

Fly the Environmentally Friendly Skies

A recent survey (conducted by Greenopia) of airlines flying within the US found that Virgin America was the most environmentally friendly airline, followed by Continental and Horizon. Virgin was praised for its success in lowering fuel emissions and its recycling efforts. The three largest US airlines - United, American and Delta - were at the bottom of the list. The data was compiled from the airlines' own statistics, as well as from various other freely available sources.

Of course, airlines have long been concerned with saving fuel, though perhaps with an eye on the bottom line rather than concern for the environment. Virtually all US airlines have done everything they can to reduce weight and fuel usage - everything from reducing the number of spoons on the plane, to using carbon fiber in-flight televisions that are up to 50 percent lighter. The results can be significant: American Airlines' fuel-saving efforts have saved the carrier around 110 million gallons of fuel per year and in 2009, the company expects to reduce its harmful carbon emissions by 2.5 billion pounds.

Oh, and the greenest airport in the US? The winner may be Fresno/Yosemite whose solar panel program is providing 40 percent of the airport's power.

Hit the Biofuel! Which Car Rental Company is Greenest?

Like hotels, car rental companies have been under increasing pressure to go green and most of the major rental companies have made some progress in this area. National, Avis and Hertz all offer vehicles that are hybrids, or otherwise fuel-efficient, including luxury models. Enterprise claims to have the largest number of fuel-efficient cars than any other major car rental company, with an estimated 30 percent of its fleet averaging at least 32 miles per gallon. Enterprise also offers customers the option of paying $1.25 on top of their rental fee, to fund carbon offset projects; the company matches the amount up to a million dollars a year.

If you are specifically trying to rent a hybrid car, some parts of the country have more availability than others, particularly New York and California. Hybrid cars do cost more to rent - typically between $5 and $10 a day - although most renters will save in gas costs if they drive 500 miles or more. And if your next business trip takes you to San Francisco, you have more options; in early 2009 SFO became the country's first airport to offer incentives to customers renting alternative-fuel vehicles, a trend that's sure to catch on at other airports and rental locations.