Traveling Light ... Green

Traveling 3 or 4 times a month for work, I know that my environmental impact is more than it would be if I just stayed home. Of course, there are the obvious impacts - like air travel. There are lots of other things, however, that increase my footprint when I'm on the road. For instance, I having to drive a rental car means I'm usually driving a bigger, less fuel-efficient car than I do at home. I don't have my re-usable bags, so I may have to use plastic at the store; sometimes I can't find a place to recycle.

Luckily, many hotel chains have found the green in green -- dollars, that is. Here are a few examples from my hotel in Dallas:

Early on, hotels figured out that water conservation is good for business. If you hang your linens up, they don't wash them every day. It's unnecessary to wash them when the same person is staying in the room, and wastes water.

I thought these dual-use garbage cans, with one compartment for trash and one for recycling, were a great idea.Compostable coffee cups!

The bathrooms had a cool Texas theme. This has nothing to do with the environment, I just like stars. Sunsets are cool too.

I am going to be glad to get home, though.