Earlier this month, Hilton Hotels announced their global commitment to a green initiative. By 2014, the company plans to:

• Reduce their worldwide energy consumption from direct operations by 20 percent.
• Reduce their worldwide CO2 emissions by 20 percent.
• Reduce their worldwide output of waste by 20 percent, and
• Reduce their worldwide water consumption by 10 percent.

The Hilton company includes the Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn and Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations (Hilton Timeshares), Homewood Suites by Hilton, and The Waldorf Astoria Collection.

Hilton is one of many timeshare and resort companies to publically step up and commit to doing their part to protect the environment.

What Are Other Environmentally Responsible Resorts and Timeshares Doing?

On our blog, The Timeshare Authority, we have already updated you about actions Marriott timeshare is taking to recycle more, decrease their carbon footprint, and use materials that are more eco-friendly.

• A Timeshare Sales Company Taking an Important Environmental Stand
• Marriott Timeshare Is Turning Green

Sell My Timeshare NOW recently attended the 2008 ARDA New England Regional Meeting in Portsmouth, NH, where Ray Sirois was the keynote speaker. Sirois, IT Director for Wright-Pierce, a civil engineering firm in Topsham, Maine, is one of approximately 2000 people worldwide trained to give the presentation about climate change that Al Gore gave in his documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” At the meeting, timeshare industry leaders discussed other green initiatives that many timeshare resorts have already started to implement.

Rauni Kew, director of marketing at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, explained the types of environmentally conscious programs they have put in place at their timeshare resort. Their efforts include:

• Changes in policies affecting water use, such as ‘sheet and towel programs’ which some hotels and timeshare resorts have done on a limited basis for several years.
• Environmentally conscious use of chemicals on golf courses, other landscape areas, and for cleaning and laundry use.
• New policies regarding solid waste disposal.
• Changing plants/gardens at timeshare resorts to more drought tolerant and disease and insect resistant plants, thereby reducing the amount of water needed for irrigation and the volume of chemicals used to keep the plants vibrant and healthy.
• Using recycled sheetrock and studs in renovation and redevelopment at a timeshare resort.
• Installing aerators on faucets to conserve water.
• Providing soap bags for guests to take their soap home with them and reduce waste.
• Implementing guest programs such as tree planting classes and scarecrow-making contests which are family-friendly, keep children active and are educational, highlighting recycling through reuse of existing materials.

The timeshare industry is like every other industry in today’s world. We all have to step up and acknowledge that everyone – this means you, me, and the companies we work for – have to learn to reuse, recycle, and replenish. We have to lead by example and we have be individually accountable. And really, it is sad that it has taken gas rising to $4 plus a gallon to wake up so many people/companies/ and industries to their responsibility.