Green Daily

If you fly, you know that business class is the place to be for comfort, but not the good of the planet. After all, the more square footage you give each Armani-wearing champagne-swiller in the sleeper-seat section, the fewer people you can move for each pound of carbon emitted by the plane .

However, road warriors are starting to find their environmental conscience.

Speakers at a conference sponsored by the National Business Travel Association in Toronto this week said that more and more organizations are looking for green credentials from their travel suppliers. Michelle White, Director of Environmental Affairs for Fairmont Hotels (who have lately been greening up their act considerably) says that around 20% of the enquiries they receive for business travel agreements ask questions about what the hotel chain is doing to reduce their carbon footprint.

The downside is that the trend is still in its infancy, and while many travel companies talk the green talk, specific plans and hard numbers are often hard to come by.

The other challenge is that many people traveling on behalf of employers are expected to watch costs, so if a hybrid car rental or an eco-friendly hotel comes at a premium, the accounting department might give you a hard time. But hey, it they question your expense report, just show them a picture of a baby seal and start to cry. It always works for me.