Do you think a Motel 6 reservation agent should know the ins and outs of her company’s energy saving policies? How about your car rental agent? I do.
My question stems from my recent trip to Ohio for my son Linus’ parents weekend at Oberlin College. I knew that Motel 6 is owned by Accor, a French company that is a leader when it comes to social responsibility. So for kicks, I asked the reservations agent to tell me what Motel 6’s environmental practices are. “I’m so glad you asked me that, Ma’am,” she answered, “because we are very proud of our policies.” To my amazement, the woman went on to detail how the motel chain has converted to CFL lightbulbs and set aggressive targets for saving water and electricity.
Now on an environmental roll, I asked the Hertz rep about her cars’ mileage. “I have no idea about that,” she replied. What about a hybrid, I asked. “We have no hybrids at this location, Ma’am.”What? Hertz has touted itself as a "green company," and in 2007 the company announced it was spending $68 million for 3400 hybrid Priuses as part of its “Green Collection.” So what’s the story? Why didn’t this agent know anything about all that?
My question stems from my recent trip to Ohio for my son Linus’ parents weekend at Oberlin College. I knew that Motel 6 is owned by Accor, a French company that is a leader when it comes to social responsibility. So for kicks, I asked the reservations agent to tell me what Motel 6’s environmental practices are. “I’m so glad you asked me that, Ma’am,” she answered, “because we are very proud of our policies.” To my amazement, the woman went on to detail how the motel chain has converted to CFL lightbulbs and set aggressive targets for saving water and electricity.
Now on an environmental roll, I asked the Hertz rep about her cars’ mileage. “I have no idea about that,” she replied. What about a hybrid, I asked. “We have no hybrids at this location, Ma’am.”What? Hertz has touted itself as a "green company," and in 2007 the company announced it was spending $68 million for 3400 hybrid Priuses as part of its “Green Collection.” So what’s the story? Why didn’t this agent know anything about all that?
In my experience, the Motel 6 case was an anomaly: I’ve found that most
travel companies, high- and low-end, are clueless when it comes to
communicating environmental or social policies.
How on earth is a traveler who is trying to be responsible supposed to know how to choose? I travel a lot, and I would like to believe that my trips aren’t damaging the planet and might even do some good for the communities I visit. The challenges our planet is facing—from global warming to poverty—are terrifying. But I truly believe that if we all try to do the right thing in our own small way, we can make a difference.
That’s why we are launching this blog. We want to start a conversation, to explore these issues, and maybe even come up with advice and tips on how to travel responsibly. Surveys show that consumers care more and more about traveling responsibly, and we want to hear from all of you.
Here’s my question of the day. Do you feel the same frustration about not being able to find out environmental or social policies at travel companies? Because if you do, maybe together we can send them a message.
OK, for anybody who’s still reading out there, here’s the end of my parents weekend saga: The Motel 6 was, at $43 a night, well, about what you’d expect, but it did have CFL lightbulbs and a card urging us to save electricity. I rented a compact Toyota Matrix. I checked: it averages a so-so 28 miles per gallon. The brand new car had lots of luggage room—a good thing, since our main parental role was a supply trip to WalMart to buy Frosted Flakes, Sugar Pops, cookies, milk, instant soup, granola bars, Rolos and Twix, a printer, long underwear, wooly socks, sweatshirts, warm gloves and a fuzzy hat for our son the freshman.
We did go to a really great ethnomusicology lecture called “The Politics of Pygmy Pop,” which raised many challenging questions about sharing credit with the tribal originators of musical themes. Linus is a lucky boy.
Here’s the kicker: after all my efforts to try to rent the right car, my husband backed it into a dumpster as we pulled out of the Oberlin parking lot. That shiny new Matrix now has a long silver scratch. And we have a big bill to pay.
How on earth is a traveler who is trying to be responsible supposed to know how to choose? I travel a lot, and I would like to believe that my trips aren’t damaging the planet and might even do some good for the communities I visit. The challenges our planet is facing—from global warming to poverty—are terrifying. But I truly believe that if we all try to do the right thing in our own small way, we can make a difference.
That’s why we are launching this blog. We want to start a conversation, to explore these issues, and maybe even come up with advice and tips on how to travel responsibly. Surveys show that consumers care more and more about traveling responsibly, and we want to hear from all of you.
Here’s my question of the day. Do you feel the same frustration about not being able to find out environmental or social policies at travel companies? Because if you do, maybe together we can send them a message.
OK, for anybody who’s still reading out there, here’s the end of my parents weekend saga: The Motel 6 was, at $43 a night, well, about what you’d expect, but it did have CFL lightbulbs and a card urging us to save electricity. I rented a compact Toyota Matrix. I checked: it averages a so-so 28 miles per gallon. The brand new car had lots of luggage room—a good thing, since our main parental role was a supply trip to WalMart to buy Frosted Flakes, Sugar Pops, cookies, milk, instant soup, granola bars, Rolos and Twix, a printer, long underwear, wooly socks, sweatshirts, warm gloves and a fuzzy hat for our son the freshman.
We did go to a really great ethnomusicology lecture called “The Politics of Pygmy Pop,” which raised many challenging questions about sharing credit with the tribal originators of musical themes. Linus is a lucky boy.
Here’s the kicker: after all my efforts to try to rent the right car, my husband backed it into a dumpster as we pulled out of the Oberlin parking lot. That shiny new Matrix now has a long silver scratch. And we have a big bill to pay.
Hi Dinda,
Great blog post! Your comments are right on target and at Hertz we value your opinion. It is unfortunate that our customer rep couldn’t answer your questions about the car and specific model. Even though our reps are well trained and have good knowledge of their fleet information. Hertz is a socially responsible company. As we rolled out our new brand image and updating our facilities, Hertz is dedicated to minimizing our impact on the environment by utilizing sustainable products and methods with the following attributes such as: Optimizing energy performance – LED or fluorescent lighting, solar glass, solar shades, water use reduction – low flow faucets. Energy Star Rated equipment and appliances, low emitting materials – low or no VOC finishes such as paint, adhesives, grout, and caulk, and minimizing the use of chrome metal. Recycled content finishes – porcelain tile, carpet tile, rubber flooring, wall covering, acoustical ceiling tile, and furniture. Forest Stewardship Council – certified wood from sustainably managed forests Daylight and views – addition of glass to optimize natural light and outdoor views. Native plantings – regional plants that are non-evasive.
In addition to all of this, Hertz offers The Green Collection, which is a group of pre-selected vehicles that are fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. We have more than 35,000 vehicles that are reservable by specific make and model, including 5,000 hybrids. These cars have an EPA highway fuel efficiency rating of 27 miles or more per gallon (based on the latest Fuel Economy Guide). Hertz also offers Connect by Hertz, a car sharing company that provides members the convenience of a car while shifting the fixed costs of car ownership to pay-as-you-go costs. Members are provided access to a fleet of vehicles distributed over a neighborhood or city with insurance, gasoline, maintenance and cleaning included in the membership usage charges. In addition to encouraging the use of mass and alternative transportation options; for every car sharing vehicle on the road, up to fourteen personal vehicles are taken off the streets. Hertz will be introducing the Nissan Leaf to our fleet in early 2011. The Leaf is an all electric lithium ion powered midsized hatchback that produces zero emissions. The Nissan Leaf has received numerous awards include the Green Car Vision award from Green Car Journal. Hertz will also be working with Nissan to develop the necessary infrastructure to support these vehicles.
We apologize lack of response from our rep and we are currently taking actions provide more knowledge to our employees. We believe our company is doing major green initiatives to make the world a better place. Please accept our apologies and visit our Green Initiatives brochure to learn more about our accomplishments.
https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/green_initiatives_2010.pdf
Thanks
Gulsah at Hertz