Hilton Hotels
June 10, 2008
This item caught my eye today, as we have several hotels who are clients, using the AusPen markers in both their admin offices and for conferences they host.
For some chains, the number of markers they toss out each year is astounding, in fact, the amount of waste produced by a medium sized convention is staggering.
So I was happy to see the Hilton Hotels unveil a plan for reducing its environmental impact and state that sustainability will become a part of the “core fabric” of its business (I don’t know exactly what that means, but it sounds like a positive step forward).
The first short-term goal is to cut energy use, carbon emissions, and waste by 20% and reduce water use by 10% by 2014.
This could be something to keep in mind when making travel plans in the future.
China Bans Plastic Bags
June 3, 2008
Never thought of as a world leader in environmental responsibility, China has taken a step which will have a significant “green” impact, a postive one this time.
They have instituted a nationwide ban on the use of plastic bags. This is to take immediate effect and includes everyone from major supermarkets to small shops.
This country of 1.3 billion people are the largest users of plastic bags in the world. It should be noted the motivation for the ban spawns more from their desire to conserve on the use of crude oil for making plastic (estimated to be 37 million barrels of crude oil used to make plastic bags every year), rather than the desire to be a more eco-friendly nation. They need that oil for other uses, but that said, China halting the usage of such a large amount of disposable plastic is a good thing overall.
The trend is growing, as several countries have made similar announcements (Ireland most recently).
