English ivy and green hospitality.

Is the English ivy covering the unattractive fence in my backyard really an environmental villain?--Perry Pitcher, Seattle, WA

English ivy is everywhere across the North American landscape, largely because it is an attractive, hearty and fast-growing groundcover that can hide other unsightly landscape and structural elements. But the ugly truth about this beautiful but non-native plant is that it aggressively invades new territory, often choking out native plants in the process.

According to the Seattle-based Ivy Off Urban Trees (Ivy-OUT) program, English ivy is quite hazardous to trees it may colonize, weakening the bark by keeping it constantly damp, and blocking sunlight, inhibiting photosynthesis. so, ivy makes trees more susceptible to wind stress and disease. As the vines grow higher and higher, they can eventually choke the life out of their host.

The plant can also overwhelm other native flora, creating "ivy wastelands" devoid of biodiversity. It often spreads out of backyards and into parklands and Other green spaces, both by climbing and through seed dispersal by birds.

Native to Europe, English ivy was first introduced to North America as an ornamental garden vine in the 19th century. Like other invasive non-native species it has no natural predators or pests to keep it in check, and quickly gobbles up habitat.

According to the Department of Environmental Services in Arlington, Virginia, ivy should be removed from any and all trees by cutting the vines at ground level and again several feet up any affected trunks. The remaining ivy should be peeled off carefully. You can also be a good neighbor by ensuring it doesn't spread.

For alternatives, the National Wildlife Federation's website eNature.com enables you to search a free database of native plants by simply entering your state and the type of plant (i.e. vine, wildflower) you seek. Local nurseries can also usually help you choose a good native replacement. CONTACT: Invasive species.gov, www.invasivespecies.gov; Ivy Off Urban Trees, [phone], www.ivyout.org.

Many hotels now ask guests to re-use towels and not request new sheets every day, to save water and energy. What else are hotels doing to lessen their environmental impact?--Jenny Baker, Bozeman, MT

According to the Green Hotels Association (GHA), a trade group of eco-minded hotels, motels and inns across the U.S., thousands of member establishments share common goals of saving water, energy and money to help protect the planet.

And travelers don't seem to mind. Such minor concessions as saving towels and sheets are garnering some 70 percent participation among guests, according to GHA, and in the process are saving lodging establishments as much as five percent on utility bills. Other examples of green-friendly hospitality strategies abound. Shower wall-mounted body washes (ubiquitous in Europe) are replacing those tiny, individual soap bars and disposable shampoo bottles. Room lights are being retrofitted with energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs. Some hotels are installing "occupancy sensors" so that lights go on and off automatically when guests enter or leave their rooms. Still others are providing cloth laundry bags made from retired sheets, and installing "low flush" toilets to save water.

Hotel restaurants and banquet facilities are serving water "upon request only" and shunning disposable paper and plastic containers. Some are also using coins or chips for car parking and coat checking instead of paper tickets. Outdoors, solar energy is powering signs and heating water. And grass is being replaced by plantings and other kinds of groundcover to reduce lawnmower use.

Green Seal, a nonprofit organization that promotes business use of environmentally friendly products and practices, began working with the U.S's 54,000 hotels and motels a decade ago to educate them about the economic Y benefits of environmental choices, and publishes Greening Your Property, a comprehensive guide to green purchasing and operations for the hospitality industry. Green Seal's hotel certification program helps travelers identify environmentally responsible options.

The green trend has proliferated primarily at smaller independent hotels, but the large chains are paying attention, too. CONTACT: Green Hotels Association, [phone], www.greenhotels.com; Green Seal, [phone], www.greenseal.org.