It is what it is... OR is it?

"It is what it is..." has to be one of the phrases I dislike the most. Whenever one of my servers would say that in response to a bad service experience or mistake it would make me two times angrier than if they would have just admitted to messing up. As a "gift" to me today, riding the ferry in Savannah over to the Westin, "it is what it is" is the response I got after remarking to a tourist the disgusting amount of plastic floating in the water around the boat... plastic cups, plastic bags, plastic forks, plastic wrappers... and OH, finally something organic/plastic, a package of croutons wrapped in plastic...

As I replied back... "yeah, it is what it is...
..EXCEPT when it isn't!"

This is especially true of the sustainability hospitality movement -- a movement that is of course motivated in part by cost savings and market share, but a movement nonetheless. One that addresses the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. One that addresses the growing issues of our changing world. As I watch CNN and hear the story of a 4 year old girl, Sarah, in Africa dying of starvation because of the drought and hear stories of the growing number of climate refugees around the world I realize that sure, it is what it is... EXCEPT when you do something about it.