REPORTAJE|41 minimize The carbon FooTprinT The professional, personal and business activities are linked with a series of processes that generate to a greater or lesser extent, greenhouse gases (GHG). GHG emissions may result from direct or indirect actions of indivi- duals, organizations, facts or events, or products. The carbon footprint is precisely the sum of all GHGs produced by a subject as a result of his/her normal activities. It is not so much a measuring system of energy efficiency, but a criterion to know how sustainable business activities are, regardless of efficiency itself. It is easy to imagine that the hotel industry produces large amounts of greenhouse gases, and both industry and business associations are seeking for ways to retrace his pollutants steps, and so reduce their carbon footprint. In this context, last summer, was presented the HCMI 1.0 initiative, a new docking system that allows customers to know the carbon footprint they leave behind their travel and accommodation, a factor of particular interest for the corporate client. Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI), developed in collaboration with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), has been tested in hotels of various sizes and types of chains participating in the program; and has been audited by KPMG and the World Resources Institute. The aim is that the system becomes generalized in the next two years, and encourage guests to participate, which will lead to new research to improve processes currently prevalent in the industry. Ratios as consumption per overnight stay or consumption per square meter, which are the two basic indexes used in all hotels to know how they spend energy are fundamental measurements, independent of size, quality and type of hotel, because they offer a snapshot of the energy consumption of the establishment, and are the starting point to design specific measures to cut or to optimize energy consumption.