Green Travel Series: Hotels

When you’re reserving a hotel room, you’re probably not thinking about
whether your room has a low-flow toilet. Little by little, hotels are
making changes like that to lighten their environmental impact.
Rebecca Williams reports it’s not always easy for travelers to know how
green a hotel is:

Transcript

When you’re reserving a hotel room, you’re probably not thinking about
whether your room has a low-flow toilet. Little by little, hotels are
making changes like that to lighten their environmental impact.
Rebecca Williams reports it’s not always easy for travelers to know how
green a hotel is:


“This is our one washer where we do all our laundry, it’s running 24
hours a day.”


Gail Vantiem manages the front office for this Courtyard Marriott:


“We had 100 checkouts this morning so at least 300 towels need to be
done and put into the rooms today.”


And a lot of those towels could’ve been reused. Most of us might see
those little cards talking about reusing your towels and feel a little
twinge of guilt. But when people stay in a hotel they often take extra
long showers and use a bunch of towels. It feels like vacation.


But cutting back on the laundry load makes a lot of sense for a hotel.
It saves energy, water and of course, money.


Some hotels are trying to do more. They’re trying to find a balance
between giving you a comfortable stay and being more energy and water
conscious without doing anything that will inconvenience their guests.


This Marriott in suburban Detroit is being renovated. Gail Vantiem
says they’ve swapped the traditional lightbulbs for more efficient
compact fluorescents. They’ve installed low flow toilets and
showerheads.


After a guest checks out, the room is cleaned and the heat or air
conditioning and lights are turned off to save energy. Vantiem says
that’s where they’ve had the most public relations work to do:


“The number one complaint is the heat’s not working in the room in the
winter months. It’s just the way you explain to the guest, oh you know
we’re trying to conserve.”


But when it comes down to it, hotels are there to cater to their
guests’ needs. That might mean wanting fresh towels and sheets every
single day. Vantiem says it can be a tough thing for hotel managers to
balance:


“That’s the hospitality business, that’s what we’re here for, if they
don’t want it done we can’t change people’s minds by any means and we
don’t try.”


But some people say hotels can save a lot of money by trying.


Linda Chipperfield is vice president of marketing and outreach for
Green Seal. It’s an independent group that certifies hotels that have
a lighter environmental impact:


“The average hotel purchases more products in one week than 100
families will purchase over a whole year.”


Besides fresh towels and sheets every day, there are all those little
soaps and bottles of shampoo.


Chipperfield says hotels stand to save thousands of dollars each year
by reducing energy and water use. But she says on the whole, the hotel
industry has been slow to change:


“The more pillows there are on the bed, the more towels there are in
the bathroom, the more it’s perceived luxurious, it’s perceived as a
higher quality hotel. It really is a challenge for a hotel to create
different ways to make guests comfortable and portray the image of
luxury but try to save energy at the same time.”


Chipperfield says the key is to do some things that are visible to the
guests – like a towel reuse program. And also do some things that are
under the radar – like installing low-flow toilets that work just as
well as the traditional toilets.


But as a traveler, it’s not easy to know whether a hotel’s really
green, or if it just has a great marketing team. Even some hotels that
are doing a lot aren’t talking about it on their own websites.


Kim Solem is with Expedia. She says travel websites like hers are
struggling with how to rate green hotels. She says there’s no simple
way to judge who’s doing what:


“Right now there are several sets of standards in existence and they
vary by region so it’s pretty difficult for a traveler to understand
just what shade of green a hotel is or to compare one hotel against
another. So our goal is to get to a place where hotels are evaluated
on a standard, very comprehensive point system.”


Solem says she’d like to see a system that grades hotels on a 1 to 100
point scale. And have a little green icon by the ones doing the best
job.


But Solem says that’s at least a couple years off.


In the meantime, if you’re really curious, you can call the hotel
directly. You can ask what they’re doing to cut down on waste, energy
and water. And once you get there, you can hang your towels up for one
more use.


For the Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.

Related Links

Reducing Your Plugload

If you want to trim the size of your electric bill, you might want to reduce what’s
known as “plugload.” Chuck Quirmbach reports:

Transcript

If you want to trim the size of your electric bill, you might want to reduce what’s
known as “plug load.” Chuck Quirmbach reports:


Many homes have electronic devices that are always on… always draining
electricity. Phone chargers, DVD clocks, computers, and so on. Put together, all
of the things that are plugged in contribute to plugload, a fast-growing segment
of energy consumption.


It’s caught the eye of energy conservation officials such as Kathy Kuntz:


“Right now, nationally, we estimate that about 15 percent of a homeowners
electric bill is plugload…that’s a bunch of little individual appliance decisions, so
there’s a lot of little behavioral pieces of that and we’re really trying to understand how
dp we affect that.”


Energy conservation agencies say one remedy is to put several things with a
plugload into a power strip and turn that off when you leave a room for long
periods of time or go to sleep.


For the Environment Report, I’m Chuck Quirmbach.

Related Links

Teachers Rap for Energy Conservation

  • Compact fluorescent light bulbs can save energy and money. (Photo courtesy of National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

They say that charity begins at home. So does energy conservation. At least, that’s the idea behind a new program designed to get children interested in saving energy, one light bulb at a time. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chris Lehman reports:

Transcript

They say that charity begins at home. So does energy conservation. At least,
that’s the idea behind a new program designed to get children interested in
saving energy, one light bulb at a time. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Chris Lehman reports:


All of German Valley Elementary School’s 100 students are gathered in the
gymnasium to learn about saving the world…


“You guys are the ones who are going to have to worry about this stuff down
the road as you become adults and go out into the world. We always want to
plan, don’t we fifth grade.”


“Yes.”


These kids are about to get a lesson in saving the planet. Although German
Valley Elementary is surrounded by farmland, the students are going to be
treated to a rap concert as part of that lesson. Their teachers are the rap stars,
trying to drive the message home…


(Sound of teacher rap skit)


The unusual school assembly is the kick-off event in a program called PEAK,
which stands for Preserving Energy for All Kids. It’s funded by a legal
settlement against one of the biggest power companies in Illinois: ComEd.
An audit found ComEd under funded its infrastructure. As part of a court
settlement, money was set aside to encourage energy conservation.


David Kolata is Executive Director of the Citizen’s Utility Board. The
consumer advocacy group is one of the agencies charged by the courts with
dispersing the 16 million dollar ComEd settlement.


“The mandate is simply to use that money to reduce our energy usage as
much as we can. We’ve taken the approach that there are multiple programs
out there that makes sense and we’re trying to see…basically pilot programs
to see what works and what doesn’t.”


So, German Valley Elementary is a testing ground. The school was
recommended by State Representative Jim Sacia. Sacia says educational
programs such as PEAK are crucial as younger generations face growing
questions about energy shortages in the future.


“I think it’s just so important that they learn at a young age the importance of
conserving energy and to consider alternative energy sources so that they can
make the world a far more energy-efficient place in years to come.”


The PEAK program includes more than school assemblies and teachers
mimicking rappers. The bulk of the lessons take place in the classroom…


(Sound of classroom presentation)


Teachers at schools participating in the PEAK program use teaching
materials generated by a California-based organization. One of the first
lessons is about the difference between standard light bulbs and compact
fluorescent light bulbs. Those bulbs use about one-third of the energy of a
standard incandescent light bulb, and can last up to ten years.


Students are given an assignment: to go home and count all of the light bulbs
in their house. Then they’ll figure out how much money their parents could
save by switching to compact fluorescents.


The PEAK program is in its beginning stages at German Valley Elementary,
but the message of energy conservation seemed to be hitting home with fifth
grader Brian Kraft:


“Because if we’re older and we don’t have any energy there will be nothing
to do and see.”


“How do you want to save energy yourself?”


“Turn lights off, play outside more than play inside.”


Playing outside means less TV watching and video game playing… and that
saves energy too.


Fifth grade science teacher Robert Nelson says the initial phase of the PEAK
program has generated positive feedback from children and their parents.


The school intends to sell compact fluorescent bulbs as a fundraiser later in
the school year.


For the GLRC, I’m Chris Lehman.

Related Links

Campus Power Plants Struggle to Keep Up

For universities across the Midwest energy costs are becoming a huge expense. Schools are increasingly reliant on technology and many are adding new research facilities. With that growth has come an increased demand for electricity, and at a number of schools around the region, aging power plants can’t keep up with that demand. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Erin Toner reports on this growing problem:

Transcript

For universities across the Midwest, energy costs are becoming a huge expense. Schools are increasingly reliant on technology and many are adding new research facilities. With that growth, has come an increased demand for electricity. And at a number of schools around the region, aging power plants can’t keep up with that demand. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Erin Toner reports on this growing problem:

Jeff Bazzi is a freshman at Michigan State University. He shares a dorm room on campus with three other students. They use a lot of electricity.

(Natural sound up/under — computer, fan, radio, TV)

In this one dorm room, there are four computers, two stereos, two televisions, three refrigerators, three fans, one microwave and four alarm clocks. Jeff Bazzi says even though he doesn’t get an electricity bill from the university every month, he’s aware of the amount of energy he uses.

“I know if I was at home my mom would yell at me for wasting electricity, running her bill up. So I still try to conserve. I don’t leave lights on around me and leave the TV on and all that, I try to conserve.”

And
that’s exactly what the university wants Bazzi and other students, faculty and staff to do…conserve. Last year, Michigan State launched an energy conservation campaign to promote ways to reduce electricity consumption. University officials say small changes on everyone’s part, such as turning off lights and computers, can collectively result in lower energy costs. Terry Link is the director of MSU’s Office of Campus Sustainability. He says just a five-percent reduction in electricity demand could save the university one million dollars a year.

“What we need to do is create that environment so that people become more aware that what they’re doing has an effect, it has a cost. It’s not immediate to their wallet, but it has other kinds of costs. And then to give them tools, examples, of how, if they feel they should do something to reduce that, what they can do.”

University officials say energy conservation is especially important now, as MSU struggles with a much tighter budget this year. Also, saving energy could delay a much larger problem. In the not-too-distant future, Michigan State’s power will no longer be able to provide enough electricity for campus. Bob Ellerhorst is the power plant director.

“Our universities are really becoming research-oriented, supported by a lot of high technology stuff. All of it takes electricity, a lot of it requires supplemental air conditioning.”

(Power plant sound up/under)

Michigan State’s power plant can make 55 megawatts of electricity, and during the hottest days of the summer, the campus uses all 55 megawatts. Over the next 15 years, MSU officials project the school will need at least 20 more megawatts of power. Schools throughout the Midwest are facing similar situations, as the demand for power on campus becomes too great for their aging power plants. Many are expanding their plants to meet demand. The University of Illinois is spending 60-million dollars on two new gas-fired turbines, Minnesota’s expansion will cost a-hundred-million dollars and the University of Wisconsin is building a brand-new power plant at a cost of 200-million dollars. Some schools, including Michigan State, are also considering buying more power from their local utility companies. But MSU power plant director Bob Ellerhorst says that electricity is almost twice as expensive as power produced on campus and isn’t nearly as reliable.

“Campus didn’t have a single outage, we had a lot of equipment failures in the plant that we just deal with. The campus has not had an interruption to service in over 36 months. I think that’s a lot longer than you’ve had to reset your clock at home.”

Michigan State is also looking into whether alternative sources of energy, such as wind and fuel cells, could play a part in a long-term solution. But in the meantime, they’re hoping students and faculty will begin conserving energy to help reduce demand and cost.

(Sounds of dorm up/under)

But that could be a challenge, from the looks of things at dorms and buildings on college campuses throughout the Midwest…where more electricity is being used than ever before.

For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Erin Toner.

Super Unpatriotic Vehicles

Recent reports that sales of SUVs, mini-vans, and light trucks have outstripped car sales has Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Don Ogden wondering if SUV is short for Super Unpatriotic Vehicle:

GREENING THE COLLEGE CURRICULUM (Part 2)

Recycling, energy conservation programs, and water efficiency projects are all commonplace at many colleges and universities across the country. But a new report by the National Wildlife Federation shows schools may not be making the grade when it comes to teaching students about the environment. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jonathan Ahl has the second report of a two-part series:

Transcript

Recycling, energy conservation programs, and water efficiency projects are all commonplace at many colleges and universities across the country. But a new report by the National Wildlife Federation shows schools may not be making the grade when it comes to teaching students about the environment. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jonathan Ahl reports.

Lisa Carmichael is a sophomore at Albion College in South Central Michigan. Her school recently made a course in the environment a requirement for graduation. Carmichael says she loves the idea, but says many students see it as just another required course. But Carmichael is optimistic about what the new course will do for even skeptical students.


“Even if they go in thinking, ‘Well, I just have to take this’, If you make it how this really effects their life, or make it about where does their wastewater really go or how is recycling is part of their life, then make it a practical project that they can go out and work on and see how they effect other people and how they effect the planet as a whole.”


Albion College is in the minority, according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation on the environmental programs on college campuses. The Federation gives mostly A’s and B’s to schools for their on campus environmental efforts such as recycling and Water Conservation. But the schools receive only a C plus for Environmental Efforts in the classroom. The report shows that only eight percent of colleges have a graduation requirement for environmental class work. It also shows less than ten percent of engineering and education majors receive any training in environmental matters. Some teachers and administrators around the country are trying to change that. Debra Rowe teaches business and psychology courses at Oakland Community College in Michigan. She says each one of her courses includes some links to environmental issues. Rowe says every college graduate needs to have some background in the environment, regardless of what field students are planning to go in to.


“Once you understand the need and the opportunity to create a more humane and environmentally sound future, and we get more of our graduates that understand that, that’s going to benefit the business as well as benefit them in their roles as a community member where they can contribute to the overall health of society.”


Rowe works with faculty members at other Universities that want to increase the amount of environmental coursework required by their schools. But it is often a difficult process.
Abigail Jahiel teaches in the political science department at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. She would like to see environmental coursework as part of the general education requirements for all students. But she fears it would be a tough sell at her school.


“I think the concern would be that students already have a very heavy load of requirements, it would be adding something else, and there’s often competition between various academic interests on campus.”


But some schools are working on ways to improve environmental education without adding to the coursework. Tom Lowe is a Dean and assistant Provost at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He says already existing courses in subjects like science and the humanities could easily add an environmental component. But he says it takes a campus wide commitment to the idea to make it happen in a practical way. Lowe says Ball State has had success with a program to teach professors how to include the environment in a diverse collection of courses.


“So the idea is that the student hears these ideas in many different courses, and in many different settings. Art, music, theatre, dance, now all talk about the environment in addition than just courses that traditionally deal with environmental issues.”


This won’t come easily though. Lowe says it will be a difficult process for many schools to take this approach toward the environment. He says it can be easy to convince a school to take on programs that save money like installing high efficiency lighting or purchasing low emission vehicles. He says it can be much more difficult to get professors to change their ways and add a new element to their courses. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Jonathan Ahl.

Utilities Prepare for Summer Demand

As summer approaches power companies will brace for rising demands for
electricity. During peak demand periods in past summers, utilities have
been caught short of power. However, deregulation of the electric power
industry has led to some innovative changes. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Summertime Smog

As summertime temperatures go up, so does our need for air conditioning.
But with much of our electricity coming from coal plants, this also
increases smog levels. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium Commentator Suzanne
Elston points out, the coming deregulation of the electricity industry may
provide us with some relief.

Commentary – On the Road

Summer time is travel time. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bob Lilienfeld has a few simple ways for you to enjoy your vacation without treading too heavily on the environment: