"Greenwashing" -Irma Mendez

It seems that the recent goal of hotels is to become more environmentally friendly. Hotels in the Northwestern part of the country are no exception. The only difference is that they are trying to do it even greater than what other hotels are doing. One hotel that is becoming eco-friendly is the Oxford Hotel in Oregon. One way that the hotel is doing that is by having natural mattresses. The mattresses have “no polyester or off-gassing.” The rooms in the hotel are also cleaned with nontoxic solution made from water and electrolyzed salt. Other ways that the hotel saves energy is that: “The hotel is entirely powered by Columbia River Gorge wind farms and hydro dams through renewable energy credits provided by Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program.” These are not the only ways to be “green.” The hotel is also starting its own roof garden, which will provide some of the foods for the hotel's kitchen.
One reason that the hotel is trying to be more “green” is that it wants to show that it does care about the environment. Also as Ben Perle, the hotel's manager put it that the hotel is not doing it because of all the “greenwashing.” The trend of hotels moving towards becoming more “green” is quickly growing giving the hotel chains the pressure to change their facilities to accomplish this. This pressure has made some hotels lie or exaggerate to some extend about the “green” changes that they are making. This is what the term “greenwashing” refers to. Ben Perle doesn't want the Oxford Hotel to be seen as those “greenwashing” hotels. He says that the changes the hotel is going through are real and no exaggeration or lying is taking place.
It is very important that if a hotel says that they are going to become “green” that they actually go through with the plan. If they fail to do so or of it know that they are lying, then the hotel could loose credibility and clients. In order for the hotel to keep its reputation it needs to keep its word and perform all its planned activities. A hotel doesn't have to become “green” if it doesn't want to but the growing trend shows that if hotels want to stay in competition then they have to find some way to more towards being “green.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/travel/17headsup.html?scp=7&sq=hotels&st=Search