Please send letters for the website, clearly marked FORUM, to Julia Dawson at: julia.dawson@emap.com or The Architectural Review, Greater London House, Hampstead Road, London NW1 7EJ, England.
SHOULD WE ALL STOP TRAVELLING NOW?
SIR: Rob Gregory's article left me angry and disappointed (AR July 2006, Comment). As there is no opportunity via a Letters page to provide a balancing view to this most pernicious of greenwash, the only sanction available to me is to share my views with you personally, and to cancel my subscription to the AR.
I am sure that the good hoteliers of Turkey are eternally grateful that a more advanced civilisation has taught them how to make toast more efficiently, and that the good farmers of Tobago are thrilled to be 'adopted' by the Hilton Hotel. I am sure also that you know that these measures will make but a minuscule dent in the carbon footprint of the millions of 'us' who will be jetting around the world for 'holidays'.
The article fails to mention global warming and I suspect this is due to the influence of your American publishers. If this is the case (and especially so if it is not), you should be utterly ashamed of yourselves. Rather than being apologists for international travel, we should be apologising to our children and grandchildren already for our thoughtless consumption. We know the harm we are doing. Why are you still promoting it?
Yours etc
PETER SMITHDALE, RIBA
Paul Finch replies: This is a disappointing response. I should point out that our publisher is 100% British.