Great Green Idea: Green Travel: Resorting to Green: Choosing a Green Hotel

Resorting to Green: Choosing a Green Hotel

As the conservation movement continues people wonder how to save the environment while traveling away from home. Of course being eco-friendly means that a recycle program must be implemented. What about carbon neutral incentives? More people are becoming aware of the effects they have on the environment and what can be done to reduce that effect. Whether staying at a hotel on vacation or for business purposes there are a few things travelers can do to aid in bettering the Earth. Many resorts are going green in an attempt to aid those who are environmentally concerned.

One way hotels are going green is through conservation. This can be done in several ways. By conserving water, hotels help the environment. Turning off lights in unoccupied rooms helps conserve energy as well as turning the air conditioning units off or up so the condenser kicks in less. Travelers expect a clean room when checking into a room; instead of cleaning unoccupied rooms daily some hotels are using cleaners conservatively by a thorough cleaning when the room is empty and then dusting and vacuuming daily. Many hotels also have some recycle program. Some resorts offer patrons the option of recycling their towels.

This means the visitor can use their towels an extra day instead of having the towels washed daily. This helps in energy and water conservation. Many hotel chains also recycle their newspapers. Newer hotels being built also have some sort of garden incorporated into the design. This helps the hotel's carbon neutral level. This means simply doing something to help lower carbon dioxide levels emitted.

Another way hotels are becoming eco-friendly is redesigning and newer and more ecofriendly products. In the past hotels used industrial cleaners which polluted the environment. Today, however, there are cleaners that are ecofriendly. The hotels can also protect against pests with ecofriendly solutions to help reduce the carbon footprints of old. The United States is a little behind other countries in becoming carbon neutral. Currently there is only one resort in the US that can boast of total carbon neutrality. By using electric vehicles, solar power, environmentally safe cleaners and pest control, serving organic food, and use of natural materials in construction, a hotel has a net zero carbon footprint. Although many hotels are not considered as carbon neutral they are ecofriendly in some aspect.

As environment conservation continues to boom, businesses must adapt in order to accommodate consumers who are concerned. Carbon neutral hotels are becoming more available. Although that choice is not an option everywhere hotels do have options to be more ecofriendly. Recycle, conserve, and use ecofriendly cleaners are a good start. Consider the materials new buildings are made out of will aid in becoming green. Serving organic food is an option many hotels have recently implemented. Whether traveling on business or for personal reasons consider the more environmentally helpful hotel choices. Saving this planet for future generations should be a concern for every generation. Do your part to ensure the next generation has as nice of a planet as you do.