A greener hotel can begin with a more sensitive guest

As with the weather, it seems that everyone talks about environmentally friendly travel but few of us do anything about it. That’s a shame because we travelers can make a big difference by conserving natural resources and by nudging the industry to do the same.

“Guests need to understand they have a huge influence on a hotel’s operations,” says Patricia Griffin, president of the 10-year-old Green Hotels Assn., a Houston firm that sells room cards encouraging reuse of towels and linens. Effecting change can be as simple as talking to the hotel’s general manager or writing a letter, she says.

This grass-roots approach can work because it’s the general manager who often calls the shots on eco-programs, even in big chains. Yet few of us even inquire about the issue. Only 14% of Americans say they ask whether their hotel has an environmental policy, despite more than 80% saying it’s important to preserve natural resources, according to a poll last year of 300 travelers for Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Part of the dilemma is that there’s no widespread program that certifies U.S. hotels’ environmental policies. You won’t find a Good Housekeeping-style seal of eco-approval posted next to, say, the AAA logo. So you have to ask about specific initiatives.

“ ‘Eco-tourism’ is often used in a meaningless way,” says Jonathan Duncan, executive director of the new Institute of EcoTourism scheduled to open this week in Sedona, Ariz. Some businesses may say they preserve the environment without taking concrete actions, an approach Duncan dubs “greenwashing.”

The U.S. hotel industry, which long lagged behind its European counterparts, has made strides toward going green, and the new institute is one gauge of its focus on the issue.

The nonprofit, funded by Phoenix-based ILX Resorts Inc., which operates time-share properties, will operate education programs and research for the public and the industry, Duncan says. Among its planned activities are a “Young Explorers Club,” a daylong class for children 6 to 12 featuring a mock archeological dig, plant and wildlife identification and discussion of water quality issues; and a study on whether hotels can make money by recycling waste from guest rooms.

The institute will use ILX’s Los Abrigados Resort & Spa next door as a test lab, Duncan says. The institute’s own modest-sized stucco building, in a renovated artist’s studio, is equipped with CFC-free heating and air systems (chlorofluorocarbons deplete the ozone) and floors made of recycled tires. It pays a premium for energy that goes to developing wind farms and solar technology.

Although the institute is cutting-edge, mainstream hoteliers have widely adopted certain conservation efforts. “There is a big rise in environmental awareness,” Duncan says.

The most popular program seems to be reusing towels and linens. More guests are finding cards in their rooms asking whether they want their linens changed daily; if not, they will typically be changed in a few days or at the end of their stay. Another card suggests they leave their towels on the rack if they want to reuse them and on the floor if they don’t.

Nearly half of U.S. hotels had linen or towel reuse programs in 2001 (the latest data available), up from fewer than 15% in the mid-1990s, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. Adoption of recycling programs has stalled at about 40% since 1998.

Mark Lindbloom, director of laundry systems and standards for Hilton Hotels Corp., recalls that 14 years ago, when he suggested changing guests’ sheets only every other day, his boss “laughed and said it would never take place.” Now once-a-day changes are the exception.

Although environmental concerns and guest requests were the main reasons for the new policy, Lindbloom says, he also acknowledges that it saves money, mainly on water bills. It takes about 2 gallons of water to wash just one sheet, he says.

There are other programs you can ask about before you check in or you can urge the hotel to adopt: Does it triple-sheet beds, which uses more water? Does it use plants such as cactus for desert landscaping instead of thirsty lawns? Are the bathrooms equipped with dispensers for soap and shampoo instead of tiny bars and sample bottles? Are cleaning products nontoxic? Is there fluorescent or other low-energy lighting? Are newspapers recycled? Does room service use hard-to-recycle cups and plates made of plastic foam?

You can also take action on your own to be a greener traveler. Among the steps:

* Take a bath or shorter showers.

* Turn off lights, air conditioning or heat and the TV when you leave the room, and close the drapes.

* Pack a night light instead of keeping a bathroom light on all night.

* Put recyclables into appropriate bins, if provided.

* Use electronic checkout to save paper.

* Avoid room service and carry-out to reduce use of paper or nonrecyclable materials.

* Leave the soap bars and little bottles of shampoo, conditioner and hand lotion alone. Instead bring your own.

Finally, consider taking a train, if available, instead of flying or driving to the hotel, Duncan suggests. The train uses less energy per person than the two other means. If you do rent a car, ask about a hybrid, electric or low-mileage vehicle; these may not be listed on car companies’ Web sites.

Most of these steps are simple, and they may let the environmentally conscious traveler sleep more soundly on less frequently laundered sheets.

Jane Engle welcomes comments and suggestions but cannot respond individually to letters and calls. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail jane.engle@latimes.com.