November 2008 Archives

You have to love the American air carriers. Even though the cost of fuel has dropped significantly since the summer, those darned fuel surcharges are still in effect....and they're not going anywhere. Not only that, but those additional "revenue enhancing" charges designed to help pay for filling the tank, things like baggage fees and charging for "premium" coach seats, are here to stay. Now, airline executives will tell you that passengers are very excited about this trend toward unbundling. After all, why should the traveler who doesn't have a change of clothing pay for the one who does? Why should the passenger who prefers to dehydrate on the plane pay for the passenger who wants to buy a bottle of water on board (US Airways)? Why should the traveler who is properly bundled, in clothing, pay for a blanket for an underdressed passenger (Jet Blue)? And so forth.

Jane's been paying a lot of attention to the environment lately. In doing so, she's discovered some interesting things about the fabrics with which her clothing is made. You see, Jane's a natural fiber kind of gal. But she recently learned that traditional cotton ranks second only to corn as the world's most polluting agricultural product. It takes approximately one-third of a pound of chemicals to grow enough cotton to make just one T-shirt. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is grown in pesticide-free and herbicide-free soil, using organic farming methods. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic producers use only allowable methods and materials. So, when Jane is on the lookout for cotton couture, she'll now be looking for the organic label.

Yawn. Oh, Jane excuses herself. She just woke up from a lovely eight hours of sleep. How many of you can say the same thing? Although most people need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to function well, a National Sleep Foundation study focusing on the sleep habits of females from 18 to 64 revealed that American women are over-worked, over-stressed, and very, very sleepy. Part of this phenomenon is situational - women attempting to do it all - and part is biological. Those darned hormonal swings we all experience can have a big impact on sleep.

Jane recently wrote about what you, dear reader, can do to "green" your stay at your favorite hotel. This week, a bit about what Wyndham Worldwide is doing to make its thousands of hotels and vacation ownership properties more eco-friendly.

The corporate giant has embarked upon a new Wyndham Green campaign, aimed at reducing water and energy consumption, improving air quality, minimizing waste by recycling and reusing, and participating in community environmental causes. The campaign is still in its early stages, so the ambitions of its scope have yet to be realized. But it is wonderful to see that Wyndham, along with many of its lodging industry brethren, is on the green bandwagon.