Does living “green” at home really effect how people travel?

Due largely in part to consumer demands and environmental regulations – both ethical and economical – the hospitality and tourism industry is under great pressure to become more environmentally friendly.

A countless number of hotels have successfully instituted energy-use reduction and water conservation programs, as well as resource re-use and recycling. Linen and towel reuse policies, low-flow showers and toilets, programmable on/off light sensors, and occupancy sensor controls are just some advances in the “going green” arena.

However, a new study suggests that there is a significant difference in how people’s attitudes toward “green” lifestyles effect their actual travel purchases and behavior.

The study, conducted by a team of tourism and hospitality graduate students at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, found that people who actively practice an eco-friendly lifestyle at home behave entirely different when “on the road” at a hotel.

Researchers tend to agree that the hospitality industry itself has the ability to educate consumers to develop a greater level of understanding and concern about their environmental impact as hotel guests. With more and more hotels increasingly adopting “green” business practices, no one has really delved into whether or not such initiatives truly effect consumer knowledge, attitudes and behavior.

Supervised by tourism management professor Pamela Weaver, two master’s students – Melissa Baker and Eric Davis – set out to find the answer.

“It has been argued that if individuals became more knowledgeable about environmental issues, they would become more aware of the problems and be more motivated to act in responsible ways,” they said. “Prior research, however, has not shown this assumption to be true.”

Truth in numbers

In an online survey of 881 students in four Virginia Tech classes, questions were crafted to carefully gauge knowledge and personal attitudes about eco-friendly travel as compared to home behavior. 322 responses (36.5%) were gathered and analyzed.

While over half of the respondents agreed that being environmentally conscious while in a hotel will have long-term environmental benefits, only 35% stated they would prefer to stay in a green hotel instead of a non-green hotel.

Nearly 75% stated that hotels should use energy-efficient or automatic lights, while 50% felt that automatic sink faucets should be installed to conserve water.

As for their home-versus-hotel behavior, 60% of respondents recycle paper products at home, but only 30% recycle them while at a hotel. And while 60% of respondents conserve water at home, less than 40% do so while at a hotel. 80% of respondents take measures to conserve energy at home, only 40% do so while at a hotel.

“Individuals might feel more obliged to behave in an environmentally friendly manner in their local community as opposed to the tourist destination,” say Baker and Davis.

While some hotels may perhaps lack the necessary infrastructure to be “green,” engaging in green behavior may detract from the whole experience of being a hotel guest.

The research by Baker and Davis cites a “a strong trade-off between participation and the sacrifice of comfort and luxury.”