Hotels and hospitals can be some of the most wasteful hosts.  But you can make a difference by speaking up.  Finley forever changed the attitudes of the nurses on her hall with her persistent insistence on paying attention to wasteful practices.  When she took a spin around her floor she regularly turned off all the lights that had been left on in unattended rooms. She also shunned their styrofoam cups and insisted nurses reuse her plastic pill cup rather than bringing a new one each time.

We recently stayed at a hotel where the maid service turned on all the lights and lamps (that we had carefully turned off before leaving) because they thought it made the the room look better when guests walked back in.  A quick request to the front desk that lights be left off was graciously received—and made us think if even a handful of guests spoke up, they just might change the policy.