Saturday, August 18, 2012

Doing Well by Doing Good: Motel Version

The motel room I'm staying in has a note explaining that, in order to serve the environment by reducing the waste of water for washing things, it only changes linens every other day. In many other motels that I have stayed in, the corresponding note tells you how to signal, by where you leave your towels, whether you want them washed or are willing to reuse them.

I have no objection to the policy—we don't, after all, change our sheets at home every day. But I find it amusing to see the motel using a "we are good people doing good things" justification for a policy that saves them time and money at a (usually very small) cost to their customers.

Which makes me wonder what other examples there are of people doing things in their own interest which others might object to, and justifying them as serving some greater good.