Many of us are discovering ways to “go green” in our daily lives. But what about travel? How do we maintain a green lifestyle when we travel? There are many ways in which we can enjoy travel and make eco wise choices at the same time. The goal isn’t to be extreme but rather to preserve and protect wherever it is we’re visiting. It is important to respect local cultures and stay responsible in our travels as well as to contribute to local communities.
Why make green choices in our travels? Nearly 1 billion tourists are traveling the world yearly which has an enormous impact to our planet. Of course we have a choice about how we travel and can make choices that can lend themselves to preserving our planet, or choices that can lead to destruction. Hopefully all travelers will, in as many ways as possible, contribute to the preservation and restoration of our planet. It isn’t difficult or expensive and often small changes impart enormous benefit.
Booking Your Hotel
There are a wide range of prices and options for eco friendly hotels. Check out www.greenhotelsbookings.com which provides the following criteria for the properties listed on their site.
“There are many green hotel certification standards with varying levels of compliance. These include both state and private agencies. For each hotel we have on our site, we list the highest certification level we have identified for that property.
We highly recommend that facilities pursue certification from one of the agencies listed. However, for those that don’t yet meet those criteria or for properties in areas where there is no formal certification process, GreenHotelBookings.com has established its own three tier program to categorize properties that are using eco-friendly products and procedures in their operation. The tiers provide a measure that property owners can use to identify their current level and examine the requirements for other levels they may want to achieve.”
Green Hotel Level I:
§ Use of eco-friendly cleaning products, including General Purpose, Bathroom, Glass and Carpet Cleaning.
§ Must use at least one ENERGY STAR appliance
Note: Properties can also identify individual rooms as Level I compliant
Green Hotel Level II:
§ Meet Level I Requirements
§ Use of eco-friendly paper products - Consumable Paper Products shall be made from recycled fibers, with the following minimum postconsumer content:
- Bathroom Tissue: 20%
- Facial Tissue: 10%,
- Napkins and Paper Towels: 40%
§ Linen and Towel Reuse Program – Property shall implement and execute a well designed Linen and Towel Re-use program for all Guest Rooms
Green Hotel Level III:
§ Meet Level I Requirements
§ Meet Level 2 Requirements
§ Recycling Program – Property shall establish and maintain recycling programs for the common areas, administrative areas, and Guest rooms. The Guest Room Receptacle must be clearly identified for Glass, Paper, Aluminum, & Plastic.
§ Lighting – All Guest Room Lighting shall be Energy Efficient. No incandescent lighting is acceptable in Floor, Desk, Table or Nightstand lamps. Bathroom lighting shall be either Linear Fluorescent, Compact Fluorescent or a combination of each type
§ High Efficiency Plumbing Fixtures – Property shall use the following: 2.2 GPM Faucets with 1.5 GPM or less aerators, the shower heads shall be 2.5 GPM or less , and the toilet shall be 1.6 GPF or less.
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