BEING green and being luxurious aren't mutually exclusive. Hotels, often accused of consuming a large amount of water and power, are going to pay more attention to environment, starting June 5, the World Environment Day . The Hotel Association of India (HAI) has asked its member hotels all over India to observe a 'Green Week.' In Chennai, at The Park and ITC Park Sheraton - the celebration will begin with the screening of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth.' Distribution of saplings to guests and staff is the other interesting item on the menu common to all hotels during the week. General Manager, ITC Park Sheraton and Towers, Chennai, Kuljit Singh Rekhi, said his hotel has been successfully implementing zero per cent waste management. "We use re-cycled water for cooling tower, gardening and toilet flushing. Cooked oil is given to Southern Railways for production of biodiesel while solar energy is used for heating water." In The Park, staffers will be given saplings with a note on 'looking after your sapling.' Assistant Manager, Sarah Stephanos, said, "We are introducing exciting greens in our meals at the staff cafeteria, to remove the notion that salads are boring. We will ask our guests to use minimum water.'' ITC Park Sheraton staffers would start the day with a beach cleaning drive on the Marina at 7 am. Drip irrigation kits will be distributed to all employees for use in the home garden. Information leaflets on all types of energy conservation will be distributed to all guests. If you happen to be at Hotel Taj Connemara, you will be given a takeaway potted plant. "We will give a letter to all our guests with flower seeds. A green buffet (organic food) at the Verandah. An energy committee has been formed with representation from all departments,'' said the PR Manager of Taj Hotels, Raka Chakrawarti. The Raintree Hotel General Manager, Akash Gupta, said for them eco-sensitivity is a 24x7 practice that begins with the doorman right through to the top management.