Bethesda Court Hotel

Interested in learning about "green companies" in the DC/MD area, I decided to do a quick google search. One of the first that came up was the Bethesda Court Hotel, whose website can be found by following this link http://www.bethesdacourtwashdc.com/green_hotel/. There the hotel describes its green initiatives:

• 100% smoke free environment, for the health of guests and air supply
• Project Planet linen reuse program, which allows guests the option to reuse their towels and sheets in order to conserve water, energy and detergent
• Recycling Program, to encourage the recycling of all paper, plastic, cardboard and aluminum products
• Green Natura program, ensuring all bath amenity containers are biodegradable and all packaging is made from recycled materials
• Energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs, located in every hotel lighting fixture
• Pedestrian-friendly location, within walking distance to the Metro and area attractions

While many hotel guests most likely follow at least some of these measures at home, such as recycling or using energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs, it's probably a safe bet that there is less focus on reducing environmental impact while traveling. Often times when one is traveling and staying in a hotel, it's for vacation or some other type of luxurious purpose. But really, who needs clean, new sheets every single night, or five new towels every morning. Although these measures are fairly simple, I'd think they make a sizable impact- at least within the context of the hotel itself. Just by using the same sheets for a few days in a row, one noticeably reduced the amount of laundry done and thus energy used. While ideas like this won't save the planet, it certainly helps in raising awareness and incorporating greener behaviors into a busy lifestyle.