By: Tom Mercer on 12 18, 2007
Recently, the Marriott Corporation initiated a program of reducing waste at the company’s headquarters. It announced the new initiative by blasting a press release out on America Recycles Day to take advantage of the publicity opportunity, and then Bill Marriott blogged about it. The initiative consists of the company eliminating the use of styrofoam and plastic utensils and switching to biodegradable products, as well as offering their employees reusable mugs and 30 parking places reserved for those who drive Hybrid vehicles. Changes like this are certainly welcome and a good start, but when a hotel chain institutes these kinds of changes at their headquarters, the obvious reaction is: “What about the hotels?”
Apparently, we’re not the only one who asks these questions. Just about every comment on Bill Marriott’s blog touches on the same issue–why are the lights on when nobody’s in the rooms? why keep the rooms chilled to what seems like 55 degrees Fahrenheit? why not switch to Spudware in the hotels? I think if this were the end of the story, the verdict would be clear: Marriott would be guilty of greenwashing.
However, that isn’t the end of the story. Marriott seems to be taking slow but steady steps toward moving to a more sustainable model. A promotional video they posted on YouTube also has a short take on their sustainability efforts. It’s not perfect, certainly, but it’s something that should be encouraged and applauded in an industry that has been slow to change.
The company’s long-term sustainability goals were recently documented in the Washington Post. According to this article, Marriott’s changes will eventually trickle down to all of their hotels, and in the meantime, they have tried to take to take more modest measures at the hotel level. The CFO, Arne Sorenson, who acts as a co-chairman on the company’s “green council” readily admits that “We still have a big environmental footprint. We don’t know what it is but we know it’s significant.”
Here at Simple Green Choices, we would much rather see executives frankly discuss the serious changes that still need to be made than resting on their laurels after executing mediocre plans of bandaids and greenwashing. Marriott has the potential to make a big impact by integrating environmental practices into everything they do, but it’s going to take courage and vision on the part of the corporate leadership. If they can succeed in winning over more guests through their efforts, though, it will certainly push the rest of the industry to follow suit.
If there’s anyone I’m disappointed with in this story, it’s the Washington Post. The article on Marriott displayed serious signs of lazy reporting. Here’s a chance for the newspaper to dig a bit deeper and get at the heart of environmental practices in hotels. Where’s the interview with Hilton? Embassy Suites? Holiday Inn? W Hotels? What’s best practice in the industry?
Well, we’re not reporters, but we’re willing to do a bit of research. Tune back in here tomorrow for the Chain Hotels Eco-Challenge: Hilton vs. Marriott.
As we have discussed before, green travel allows the eco-conscious to reduce their impact on the place they’re visiting – usually by patronizing environmentally friendly hotels or purchasing carbon-offset vouchers for flights or lodging. (Vacation is considered a time to splurge, but the A/C, jet fuel, and fresh towels add up!) In the past few years, thousands of green lodging choices have materialized in the US — from eco-camps on a wilderness preserve, to a Marriott that recycles and saves water, to a resort with solar panels. Countries with unspoiled natural beauty (New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Belize) offer green travel and sustainable eco-tourism in pristine jungles and rain forests. 
