Think about the last time you stayed at a hotel. While you were there, did the maid change the sheets and towels every day?

Patricia Griffen, founder of the "Green" Hotels Association, used to wonder if all of us really wanted this. She reasoned that at home, hardly any of us launder all our own sheets and towels every day, so why would we care about having it done for us at a hotel?

The thought bothered her. She decided to do some investigating and learned that the practice, which was just about universal, is expensive. In hotels in this country, the average laundry costs per occupied room is close to $3.50 per day. In addition, the environmental costs are enormous. World wide, it takes thousands of tons of detergents, millions of gallons of water, and untold amounts of fossil fuels to heat the water for all that laundry.

Although Griffen's intuition told her that many hotel guests didn't require daily laundering, she also knew that if a hotel manager decided to cut back on laundering, he or she risked having dissatisfied guests. What hotelier would be willing to take that risk? It seemed as if nothing could be done about what seemed to Griffen like a serious and unnecessary waste.

Then, in 1993, a clever idea occurred to her. Let the guests decide if they wanted the daily laundering.

Participating hotels would provide each guest with a printed card inviting them to decide for themselves when their linens would be changed. If the guest wanted the towels changed, he or she should leave them on the floor or in the tub. If the guest left the towels on the towel rack, that was the signal that they'd like to use the towel again.

Similar printed cards would inform the guests that sheets are customarily changed daily, but if a guest felt this was unnecessary, he or she should leave the card on the pillow in the morning. The sheets would not be changed that day.

"I sent a mailing with a package of these cards to every hotel in Houston," recalled Griffen, "and the first day anyone could have received the cards, we got an order. The enthusiasm and response was immediate and has continued ever since."

It was a win win for everyone. Hoteliers told Griffen that their guests loved having a choice and loved feeling that they were helping protect the environment.

The housekeeping staff of course loved it, but in addition, the hoteliers told Griffen, it was a great morale booster for the employees, knowing they're part of doing something for the environment. Cara Montrief, a Vice President from Holiday Inns, told Griffen that 80% of their guests that stay more than one night participate. A survey by Eco Logical Solutions showed that in the hotels that they studied, 90% of the guests liked having this option.

The participating hotels had an additional reason for valuing the program. "Most hotels find that they are saving at least $1.50 per occupied room per day when they give their guests this choice." said Griffen.

If you travel and would like a package of cards informing your hotels that you don't need to have your linens changed every day, send a check for $3.50 to: "Green" Hotels Association, P.O. Box 420212, Houston, TX 77242-0212. If you're a hotelier, write for a catalogue of money-saving "green" products for hotels, including the sheet and towel cards