Posted On: Thursday - October 5th 2017 8:56AM MST
In Topics: Treehuggers Curmudgeonry Economics Environmental Stupidity
OK, I just liked that title, but it could just be "Green is the new frugal". This is what I mean, this card that hung on the bathroom door in the hotel room:
First of all, you've got to use a bunch of bleach to keep the towels white, as is advertised. I'm fine with that, but it's not particularly good on the environment. How about get some black ones, so stains from previous customers won't be visible even without bleach? Too nasty? Fair enough.
Now, the real problem we here at Peak Stupidity have with the stupid card and flyers like it all over hotel/motel rooms these days is the lying. Is using up all the towels during your stay going to save that red-eyed, orange-footed frog any more than using only one your whole stay? No, the frog will get eaten anyway, because he is very colorful. I'm no Frenchman, but this guy looks pretty tasty, as his eyes look a bit like M&M's.
OK, seriously, is there not enough water? There's plenty of water, though it takes resources at the water plant, and it takes energy to heat it. Is this another Global Climate DisruptionTM thing? It probably saves some energy in the big commercial washers and dryers downstairs. None of this stuff is why this hotel chain prints 10's of thousands of these cards and distributes at least 2 to a room.
Nope, it's about 2 things: First, this is a sop to the treehugger guests and anyone else, most people, who care about the environment but haven't got past the BS. This is called "virtue signalling" in some circles (and just some people in lines too). The hotel can make you feel proud of them for this GREEN effort, and additionally (cause here's the main reason): Secondly, it saves a little money. It's less picking up for the housekeepers and a bit less energy per room and can add up to a decent savings for the hotel chain. Just say it - "We are asking people to conserve to keep our rates low. signed, Ramalamadingdong Patel." This is frugality disguised as environmentalism called GREEN. There's nothing at all wrong with frugality, but lying is not cool.
Additionally, this treehugger BS irks me more than the average hotel guest because my family was very conservative with stuff like this anyway. Especially with regard to food, but also other commodities, we just never wasted much. It can be frugality, but it's also a matter of principle - "Waste not, want not", "they" say (in some circles). I don't abuse all the towels in the room and try not to mess it up much, because those housekeepers work hard for low pay. However, it's not about the trees or the bees, or those
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