Does part of a vacation mean not making your bed, or even mean being away from your own house? Then you are most likely going to be staying in a hotel. Do I need to mention the obvious of a camping and tent vacation can be very eco-friendly! ♥ ♥ ♥ …. Anyways, back to hotels. First: Remember you have choices. There is even the GREEN HOTEL ASSOCIATION. “Green” Hotels are environmentally friendly properties whose managers are eager to institute programs that save water, save energy and reduce solid waste—while saving money—to help PROTECT OUR ONE AND ONLY EARTH! …”Green Hotels Association’s® purpose is to bring together hotels interested in environmental issues.” (From Green Hotel Assoc. website- http://greenhotels.com/index.php.) Second: Even if your hotel is “not on the green list” there are things you can do to help. Use you towels for more than one day and ask housekeeping to make your beds without changing the sheets. You don’t wash your sheets at home every day, there’s really no need to wash them every day when you are in a hotel. Third: Just like you hopefully do at home, turn off your lights when you leave the room, try not to waste water, and keep your “plastics” to a minimum. Forth: Buy “souvenirs” if want, but buy items that won’t just sit around at home and eventually end up in the land fill. If possible, support a local store, artist/crafts person. Don’t forget about your creative side, if you love to take photographs think about using the effort, time and money of shopping towards a photo print instead. When you get back home use some of your images from your favorite spots/memories of your vacation. In my mind, that is a true souvenirs – there are websites everywhere to make these items, just google Photo prints or Photo gifts, there are so many items you can make.
Just because you want to stay in a hotel doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time and earths resources to get to one of your liking. Think about staying closer to your home area. Wherever you end up, remember to have fun! The biggest waste of all the resources, the earths and yours, is if you don’t have a good time! Now, let’s think for a minute about how you are going to get to your destination. “Planes are the worst for the environment, and (most) cars come in second place. Trains and buses have the least impact on the environment, so consider getting out of your comfort zone and taking a different means of transportation than what you are used to.” (from Eco Friendly Living website.) If you do travel by car, how about considering Farm Markets and Local small restaurants for the journey as well as the destination, support the locals where ever you may be! Speaking of destinations, if you can, use public transportation. You will see things you otherwise might miss, meet local people, and get a better feel of wherever you are: take advantage of buses, monorails, ferries, and subways. OR, rent a bike! Read Mondays post about the many reasons that can be a great idea.
A few more ideas….
Make sure to that you are not wasting energy at home while you are gone… turn off your lights + turn up your A.C. if you use one. There is a whole world out there full of Eco Friendly Resorts. This info is from Eco Friendly Living Website. To read the article on that site click here.
“Eco friendly resorts are the new big thing in vacationing. New hotels are increasingly building their hotels to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) standards. Some of the things these eco-friendly resorts are doing include:
~ Using recycled and/or reclaimed materials in building
~ Using renewable energy sources
~ Recycling within the hotel
~ Installing low-flow shower heads and other plumbing fixtures
~ Engaging in construction practices that are sustainable such as recycling on the job site, protecting the
~ Purchasing Food for Restaurants from Local Growers
~ Implementing educational programs and tours for guests
~ And much more…Since you, the customer, are likely to pay the same to stay at an eco-friendly resort as you’d pay to stay at a normal hotel or resort, the major benefit is knowing that you are supporting a company that is doing what they can to support the environment. Since these resorts are built with green principles, there are also some health benefits associated with choosing a green hotel as they likely boast higher indoor air quality as a result of materials used during building.
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly resort for your next vacation, a partial list is available here.”
I can’t resist – Don’t forget Camping is fun too!
or … is she waiting for a knight!?
See you on Friday!