How Green Is My Eco-Hotel?
By GARY LEE | Washington Post
Travelers seeking a hotel that
leaves a minimal carbon imprint
often end up in a place that
falls short of their
expectations. Sometimes the
green credentials turn out to be
little more than a ficus plant
in the lobby. Or worse, "green"
means the showers are cold, the
toilets are a long walk away and
the place is lit by flashlights.
The problem is that in the
United States, "we don't have
one single source that clearly
defines what is or is not a
green hotel," said Glenn Hasek,
editor and publisher of Green
Lodging News, an independent
e-mail newsletter that covers
the eco-hotel industry.
Unlike in Canada, Costa Rica and
some other countries, no single
U.S. agency or organization
verifies the credentials of
eco-lodging. Nor are there many
guidebooks or comprehensive
directories devoted to the
subject.
Still, Hasek and other
green-hotel specialists have
identified several criteria that
eco-minded hotel shoppers should
look for:
- A reuse program for towel and
linens.
- A 100 percent nonsmoking
policy.
- A recycling program that
guests can use.
- The use of compact
fluorescent lights instead of
incandescent bulbs.
- The use of nontoxic
cleaning products.
Some hotels also compost food
waste and use the results as
fertilizer. Some have
sophisticated technology,
including devices that power
down heating and cooling when
guests are not in the room.
Beyond their own environmental
features, green accommodations
should sponsor outreach efforts
to educate guests and the
surrounding community about
sustainable living, says Karen
Lewis, co-owner of Lapa Rios, an
award-winning mountain resort in
Costa Rica. The hotel manages
the 1,000-acre nature preserve
around it.
Ronald Sanabria, director of
sustainable tourism for the
nonprofit Rainforest Alliance,
suggests that travelers ask
hotel managers what they are
doing to contribute to
conservation and to help the
surrounding community practice
sustainability.
Sanabria also suggests that
travelers find out whether the
property's green credentials
have been certified by a third
party. A number of independent,
national and state organizations
certify eco-hotels, including
the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED), an
architectural and building
organization in Washington.
Costa Rica, Sweden, Australia
and Canada are among the
countries with active
certification programs. At the
state level, California,
Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida,
Michigan, Maine and Vermont
certify green hotels. The Green
Seal and Energy Star programs
administered by the federal
Environmental Protection Agency
allow U.S. hotels to
self-certify their
eco-practices. |
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