I travel a great deal, and that means that I stay in a number of hotels.  I tend to pay attention to the reality of Green programs wherever I go.  I was recently in a Holiday Inn in Baton Rogue where I saw this one.  The coffee service in the room came from the Rainforest Alliance.  Not a bad thing really, so let’s give them credit.

I also note that my room had CFL bulbs.  I was impress to find paper cups for coffee, but then there were plastic wrapped, plastic cups for water.  While I was not given a tour of the facility, I struggled to find other evidences of a Green operation.

My hopes were raised when I saw greenery in the lobby and on each floor near the elevator, but then a quick feel told me that they were silk and plastic.

There are more than 100 ideas that can be applied to hotels found in the Green Path system.  So, while it is obvious commendable to do a couple of Green items, there is much left to be done.

This stereotypical behavior is called “Token Green” or “Green Minimalism.”  At least this hotel made no public claim to be Green even though they were making some efforts.

Here’s a word to the wise, hotels should appoint someone to act as their Green officer, which may even be your manager, your purchasing director, or someone over operations.  Have that person sign onto the Green Path software and begin checklisting the various items that can build a realistic Green program.  To validate your progress, make sure to get the audit when the software tells you that you are ready for certification.