Sustainable Travel: Young Travelers Drive Hilton's Latest Effort To Cut Carbon Footprint In Half
Fresh towels, clean linens, and toiletries are a few of the items guests expect when checking into a hotel room. They're considered basics at just about any hotel, but they also contribute to the large amounts of water and energy consumption by the hotel industry--not to mention the waste it produces.
The long-term effects are not only bad for the environment but they're also bad for hotel costs. For instance, about 15% of total water use in commercial and institutional facilities in the U.S. takes place in hotels and other lodging businesses, according to the EPA. The largest uses of water in hotels are restrooms, laundry operations, landscaping, and kitchens. Some experts say global tourism, which goes beyond hotels, is responsible for 8% of the world's carbon emission.
Some hotels are catching on and taking action. Earlier this year, Hilton Hotels announced a major sustainability initiative including plans to cut carbon emissions by 61% (in line with the Paris Climate Agreement) and reduce water consumption and produced waste by 50%.
