Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Have We All Had Enough of Green?

I subscribe to all of the different lodging publications and try to read as many of them as possible. Having been in the lodging industry about 15 years, I know most of the editors personally. One of the editors I have gotten to know pretty well over the years is Paul Heney. Paul is editorial director for Hotel & Motel Management and Hotel Design. Toward the end of Paul's most recent column in Hotel Design he said that he knows plenty of people who are "greened out."

That is the first time I have read or heard that phrase but it surprised me. Do you know anyone who is feeling this way? It is possible that one could be tired of all of the companies touting their environmental commitment on television. I can see that happening. But in the hotel world, are people really getting tired of environmental responsibility and sustainability? I have not heard anything close to that. In fact, I believe it has been the exact opposite and "green" is still in its infancy and has not yet even come close to peaking.

The day will come when sustainable business will become the norm but that day is still far away. In lodging, there are still large companies yet to make any formalized commitment. Most companies still do not produce a sustainability report. Most companies have yet to set conservation goals. I could go on and on.

What do you think? Are you feeling "greened out?" If so, I would like to know why. Write to: editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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