Aug 16, 2007 8:52 pm US/Eastern
Local Hotels Go Green To Help Planet's Health
by Mish Michaels
CAMBRIDGE (WBZ) ―
Some local businesses are keeping an eye on the planet's health by cleaning up their act without sacrificing comfort.
"The tourism sector is one of the biggest sectors in terms of impacts on the world," said Beth Ginsberg of Ceres.org.
With the industry growing, about three percent of greenhouse gasses come from the planes, but in the next few decades that number is expected to double and could even triple.
Ginsberg follows environmental trends at Ceres, a Boston-based non profit organization.
"You have seen interesting, new ways that travel companies and hotels are trying to connect with consumers," Ginsberg said.
Consider what you can now do when you buy a plane ticket. Orbitz, for example, will calculate the pollution your flight creates and let you buy a carbon offset right then and there.
Some of the programs that we do at the hotel, is our recycling program," said Bill Babis of Hotel Marlowe. "We take all our paper bottles and cans and recycle them."
The Hotel Marlow in Cambridge won an award for going green. Guests get free use of bikes and kayaks. The coffee is organic and never served in styrofoam. Excess toiletries are given to charities, guests are encouraged to re-use linens and all the cleaning supplies are environmentally-friendly.
"We did a little calculation and we added all the chemicals that we use in one year, at all the Kimpton hotels, and it would fill 14 Olympic swimming pools," Babis said.
Babis said the green approach makes sense today.
"People are becoming a lot more aware," he said. "As you hear about global warming, people are really wanting to do their part so that if they have a choice as where to stay. At an environmentally-friendly hotel, they will do that."
Some visitors from Philadelphia agree.
"I think the hotels are great, and I don't think it compromises anything," said Marge Tinsley.
"Think about it. At your house you don't change your sheets every night," said Fanny Chuphong.
About 15 percent of the reservations made at the Hotel Marlow are by people looking to stay specifically at an environmentally-friendly hotel, and they expect that number to keep on growing.
For a complete list of green hotels in the U.S., visit
greenhotels.com.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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