Tuesday Travels: Green Hotels

If you are planning a little winter getaway there are plenty of ways to make your trip a little greener. One way is to look for a little shelter away from home through the Green Hotel Association. The Green Hotel Association helps hotel managers implement programs and strategies that save water, save energy and reduce waste - while saving money to boot.

What would you find at a “Green Hotel”? Things like “drinking water served on request only” to avoid wasting this resource or major energy saving overhauls like new energy-efficient HVAC systems.

Member hotels, inns and guest houses find earth-friendly ideas in the Green Hotel Association’s Guidelines and Ideas guide that provides realistic options for a greener lodging industry.

Ideas like a sheet changing card where guests can opt out of daily linen exchange (do you wash sheets everyday at home?) to save electricity and water. Or members can use the “Green” Catalog designed specifically for the lodging industry and filled with products that are environmentally-friendly like low-flush toilets or the guestroom recycler basket so recyclables don’t go to landfills.

Little efforts add up over time and visits. Your stay may be short but you aren’t the only traveler traversing the planet. With Green Hotels you can have a more positive impact on the places you visit. Find a list of Green Hotel members here.

Don’t forget Transportation Tuesday at Inhabitat - Check out MIT’s Stackable City Car.