Measuring lodging’s environmental impact is less straightforward than for air travel or car rental. All three contribute to a business trip’s carbon footprint, but hotels also use lots of water and electricity, and deal with a lot of trash. When deciding which properties to work with, most companies don’t consider environmental data. Many, though, ask for it. More… Read More »
About five years ago, Microsoft created an internal carbon tax of sorts. Since then, business units have been responsible for carbon emissions associated with their electricity use and air travel. This year, the company began estimating the carbon footprint of its business travelers’ hotel stays. It will assess whether to include that information in calculations for the carbon… Read More »
A group of political heavyweights from yesteryear wants the United States to introduce a carbon tax to help cut greenhouse gas emissions. Surprisingly, they’re conservative Republicans. Unsurprisingly, airline trade associations aren’t interested. Including a corresponding carbon dividend for Americans, the plan comes from the newly launched Climate Leadership Council. Former cabinet members James Baker, Henry Paulson, Jr., and George… Read More »
Sometimes the things we write about peter out. Sometimes more developments happen, but they don’t warrant an entirely new article. In other cases, something unexpected or counterintuitive is noteworthy in its continuance. Hence, the Updates post. Click to jump to United’s carbon emissions pledge to corporate clients, Upside’s launch, proliferating Basic Economy airfares, PayForTrip’s pause, the federal government’s… Read More »
[UPDATE, October 19, 2016: GBTA Foundation’s updated car rental request for proposals template now is available. Meant to become an “industry standard,” the document includes a new section on sustainability. Car rental bidders are asked to describe sustainable development policies, environmental certifications, external audits, fleet gas mileage and commitments to help clients reduce carbon footprints. They also are… Read More »
After the golf outing and spa day are over and before evening frivolities, away from the exhibition floor din and the general session celebrity, GBTA’s convention attendees in Denver next month will seek education. This year there are more than 80 sessions. Putting on that many in an effort to appeal to all is an impressive feat by… Read More »
Integration between immersive remote conferencing systems and travel providers was popular several years ago. Marriott and Starwood installed some telepresence rooms. Sabre explored and its GetThere unit built booking systems for conference facilities. American Express Global Business Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel partnered with a Cisco reseller. It all fizzled. Last month, BCD . . . For SubscribersThe… Read More »
[UPDATE: President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. “But we will start to negotiate,” Trump said in August 2017, “and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair.”] After decades of hesitation, the business world has embraced climate protection. More companies than ever are taking stock of… Read More »
Gamification found footing in T-Mobile’s corporate travel program. Yes, travelers get badges and points for complying with corporate policies, but that’s hardly the point. And yes, the compliance push has saved money. But that too isn’t what’s really important. More meaningful is converting some savings into jobs for the impoverished and new lungs for the earth. To pull off the “greenification”… Read More »
[UPDATE, Feb 3, 2017: We published new information related to this article here.] The U.S. government appears poised to recognize that airplanes cause air pollution. Airlines already know this. They’ve done a lot to mitigate the impact. To help corporate clients with theirs, United Airlines this year created custom emissions reports and carbon offset options. Delta and JetBlue… Read More »