While staying at the Betsy last week as part of a belated birthday gift, I noticed the hotel's ambitious environmental initiative. Most of the items on the list included basic methods of conservation and reuse like the Towel Reuse Program which encouraged guests to reuse towels by hanging them up instead of throwing them on the floor (which would signal to the Guestroom Attendant to wash them). The most effective item on the list was a new climate control system, which determined–through motion sensors–if a room was occupied, thereby determining if a room needed heating or cooling. Heating and cooling a room consumes more energy than any other activity. So this is one of the best solutions because guests are almost always given the privilege of controlling the temperature and they almost never think about turning the heat or air conditioner off when leaving a room. Other items include: cloth laundry bags (instead of plastic), organic non-toxic cleaning products and Low-E window panes.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Towel Reuse Program Spun as Part of Hotel Environmental Initiative
While staying at the Betsy last week as part of a belated birthday gift, I noticed the hotel's ambitious environmental initiative. Most of the items on the list included basic methods of conservation and reuse like the Towel Reuse Program which encouraged guests to reuse towels by hanging them up instead of throwing them on the floor (which would signal to the Guestroom Attendant to wash them). The most effective item on the list was a new climate control system, which determined–through motion sensors–if a room was occupied, thereby determining if a room needed heating or cooling. Heating and cooling a room consumes more energy than any other activity. So this is one of the best solutions because guests are almost always given the privilege of controlling the temperature and they almost never think about turning the heat or air conditioner off when leaving a room. Other items include: cloth laundry bags (instead of plastic), organic non-toxic cleaning products and Low-E window panes.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Make the Connection for a Greener Planet
The subhead in the photograph of the MTA ad, "your city, your subway..." reminded me of a few things as I waited on the tracks this evening after a long GMAT study session. Firstly, it brings to mind a 1970's New Yorker cartoon that illustrates the connection between "throwing away a newspaper" and "throwing away the Earth". Secondly, it's similar to the quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean." Lastly, and conclusively, it emphasizes the type of thinking necessary to achieve the level of consciousness needed to solve many of the environmental problems that exist. We live a world where the connections that make up the systems of our society are hidden; i.e., it's not obvious how the trash we throw away in our subway station affects the broader scope of the NYC's environment, nor is it obvious how the food we consume affects the Earth's fresh water supply.
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