Green Hotels Offer Eco-Friendly Travel Options
During your summer travels, using public transportation and dining at locally owned eateries are eco-friendly ways to complement your daily activities. But once you’re tuckered out with sightseeing each day, why not rest your head at a green-certified hotel each night?
The “Green” Hotels Association (we're not sure why they use the quotation marks) offers an extensive list of environment-conscious lodging properties. The EPA also labels 419 hotels as being Energy Star-compliant. According to the agency, the lodging industry splurges more than $7.5 billion each year on energy consumption. If that's reduced by just 10 percent, U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions will decrease by 6 million tons annually.
If there isn't a green resort near your destination, heed the EPA's energy-saving tips for the duration of your hotel stay: turn off the lights and TV when leaving your room, of course. Also, adjust the thermostat so your room isn't heated or cooled while you're out and about. You can also unplug cell-phone chargers and laptops when not in use, open the curtains to let in natural light, and reuse sheets and towels to save energy and water.
--Sarah A. Henderson
