Originally Posted by
Quasimodo
I agree. I believe the green/global warming movement is a popular fad for most. But a true religion for others. Regardless of how you feel politically (and I in no way want to start a political debate about this), the changes Disney is making to "green" its hotels are so insignificant that they couldn't possibly have much of an impact on the environment. The power plants will still be there, producing millions of kilowatts of electricity every day. The water treatment facilities will still be treating millions of gallons of waste water, and the landfills will still be taking in thousands of tons of solid waste. It would take a huge, huge reduction in electrical and waste production to have a positive environmental impact. The amount of electricity and fuel consumed by WDW is so great, and the waste produced so vast, that the reduction from these changes will only be a drop in the bucket. Think of it this way: If I were going to pour a 55 gallon drum of crude oil into your backyard swimming pool, do you think it would make much of a difference if I agreed to reduced the amount I poured in by 15 gallons? Of course not. 40 gallons of oil would still pollute the pool. And thats more than a 25% reduction. However, it would save me the cost of 15 gallons of oil. At $70 a barrel, thats a $19 dollar savings! I suspect that is what this is truly all about. Its a cost cutting measure. Disney is utilizing what would otherwise be unpopular methods to cut the operating costs of its hotels. They couched these methods in the ever popular green movement so as to gain PC points with the public, but primarily to deflect the wrath of guests upset that their hotel rooms are hot and there are no clean towels when they return from a day in the parks. Hence this statement, "The biggest piece we're missing is really making sure that cast members understand what we're doing in case guests ask." Translation: "We want to be sure our cast members tell our guests that the reason their room is hot and there are no clean towels is because we are trying to protect the environment. Not because we are trying to cut costs at the expense of their comfort."