Green travel ideas from two environmentally conscious travelers

It’s almost ski season! If you’re a skier, you might have heard about the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition, a  group that creates an annual report on the environmental friendliness of ten different Western ski resorts in the U.S. Regardless, you’re hopefully interested to find out about the country’s most and least environmentally conscious ski resorts, right? Here’s a list, courtesy of the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition:

THE BEST:

#      Name                                                                          Grade

1     (A) Squaw Valley USA - California                           89.7%
2     (A) Aspen Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado             86.1%
3     (A) Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado     85.7%
4     (A) Sugar Bowl Ski Resort - California                    82.3%
5     (A) Sundance Resort - Utah                                     82.2%
6     (A) Alpine Meadows Ski Area - California              82.0%
7     (A) Park City Mountain Resort - Utah                    81.7%
8     (A) Bogus Basin Mountain Resort - Idaho              81.3%
9     (A) Aspen Highlands Ski Resort - Colorado            80.3%
10     (A) Powderhorn Resort - Colorado                        79.4%

THE WORST: 

#      Name                                                                           Grade
1     (D) Breckenridge Ski Resort - Colorado                   41.5%
2     (D) Copper Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado           45.0%
3     (D) White Pass Ski Area - Washington                    47.0%
4     (D) Sun Valley Resort - Idaho                                   47.4%
5     (D) Arizona Snowbowl - Arizona                               47.4%
6     (D) Brundage Mountain Resort - Idaho                   49.3%
7     (D) Crystal Mountain Ski Area - Washington          51.6%
8     (D) Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard - Nevada               53.9%
9     (D) Brian Head Resort - Utah                                    54.0%
10     (D) Silver Mountain Ski Resort - Idaho                 54.8%

These ratings weren’t just random - they were based on 16 different factors (they added a handful more factors this year). Check out this article for more detailed information, as well as this page from the SACC website.  Just something to keep in mind as you anticipate your ski season this year - there are ways to make hitting the white slopes are more green experience.

Photo: Joao Maximo

The best place to look up a destination is often the official tourism website. This is especially true for green travel planning.

The problem is that most travelers are simply not aware of these sites. To help these sites gain some visibility, we’re listing here the official green travel sites of  major destinations in California.

Green SF - The green movement is transforming San Francisco from grass roots to rooftop.

Green LA - LA Inc - It’s easy to mix an eco-friendly experience with your next visit to Los Angeles.

Green OC - Everything that’s green about Anaheim and Orange County.

Sustainable Santa Monica - Santa Monica has been active in the sustainable movement since well before “sustainable” became a household word.

Green San Diego - Primer for enjoying a green vacation in San Diego.

Green Santa Barbara - Helps visitors learn more about the greener side of Santa Barbara.

Unofficial/non-travel green sites for Sacramento, Palm Springs & South Lake Tahoe, since they don’t seem to have official green travel websites.

You might also be interested in checking out these CA state websites:-

California Green Lodging Program - Encourages state travelers to seek out and give preference to certified green hotels.

VisitCalifornia - Eco-Awareness section of the official California tourism website.

The U.S. Green Building Council says that as of now, there were 888 applications from hotels and resorts awaiting LEED certification. And 697 of these applicants are from the U.S.

It’s soon going to be difficult for travelers to keep track or remember which hotel has been certified green by the USGBC. So here’s the deal - On this page, we’ll maintain a master-list of all LEED certified hotels & resorts in the U.S., categorized by state.

List will be updated once every month. Last update - September 19, 2009.

Index:- Jump to… Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Index –> California:-

Gaia Napa Valley - American Canyon, CA
The Ambrose - Santa Monica, CA
Hotel Carlton - San Francisco, CA
Orchard Garden Hotel - San Francisco, CA
Orchard Hotel - San Francisco, CA
Hotel Indigo - San Diego, CA
Montage Beverly Hills - Beverly Hills, CA

Index –>Florida:-

Sandpearl Resort - Clearwater Beach, FL

Index –> Georgia:-

The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens - Pine Mountain, GA
Hotel Indigo Athens University Area - Athens, GA

Index –> Illinois:-

Hotel Arista - Naperville, IL
Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza - Chicago, IL

Index –> Massachusetts:-

Element Lexington - Lexington, MA

Index –> Maryland:-

University of Maryland Inn & Conference - Adelphi, MD

Index –> Michigan:-

CityFlats Hotel - Holland, MI  

Index –> Missouri:->

Unity Village Hotel & Conference Center - Kansas City, MO

Index –> Nevada:-

The Palazzo - Las Vegas, NV 
ARIA Resort’s Hotel tower - Las Vegas, NV
Vdara Hotel - Las Vegas, NV

Index –> North Carolina:-

Proximity Hotel - Greensboro, NC

Index –> Oregon:-

Avalon Hotel and Spa - Portland, OR
Courtyard by Marriott Portland CityCenter - Portland, OR
The Nines - Portland, OR

Index –> Pennsylvania:-

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA

Index –> Washington:-

Hilton Vancouver Conf Center & Hotel - Vancouver, WA
Hyatt at Olive 8 - Seattle, WA

Index –> Wyoming:-

Hotel Terra - Teton Village, WY

Travel companies have started offering winter vacation deals, and it’s time to consider your options.

If you’re thinking ski resort, then check out this list of the top 10 eco-friendly ski resorts put together by the Ski Area Citizens Coalition. SACC grades western U.S. ski resorts on a scale of 0-100 based on their environmental policies and practices.

Any resort which scores between 70-100% gets an A. And these are SAAC’s top 10 A-listers for the 2008-2009 ski season.

1. Aspen Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado            85.7%
2. Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado   85.2%
3. Sundance Resort - Utah                                    82.2%
4. Park City Mountain Resort - Utah                  79.1%
5. Squaw Valley USA - California                         78.3%
6. Alpine Meadows Ski Area - California             77.4%
7. Aspen Highlands Ski Resort - Colorado           76.7%
8. Bogus Basin Mountain Resort - Idaho             74.8%
9. Mount Bachelor Ski Area - Oregon                  74.8%
10. Telluride Ski Resort - Colorado                      74.3%

Those listed above are the most eco-friendly ski resorts in the US. And the SACC has also been kind enough to provide a list of the worst ski resorts, as far as the environment is concerned.

Photo courtesy Squaw Valley USA

Unless you’re kitted out with the right kind of eco-friendly travel gear, it’s futile to even attempt for a zero-carbon day out while you’re on the road. For that, you’ll be needing the right gear, and that’s just what we have for you today.

Here’s a list of travel gear items that might come in handy in your fight against the omnipresent evil of carbon consumption.

1. Solar Charger:- Even President Barack Obama - who is always on the move - has a Solio Classic. Get yours now, while it’s still hip.

2. Water Bottle:- Stop buying bottled water and get yourself a nice and clean water bottle which you can fill up soon as you get off a flight or reach a reststop. TIME.com has a a nice list of the top 5 eco-friendly water bottles, which includes our personal favorite - Klean Kanteen (no BPA).

3. Food & Snacks:- Don’t feel safe unless you’re packing food? It’s your body, but our earth - so remember to use eco-friendly reusable wraps or pouches (wrap-n-mat), and stock up on your favorite brand of organic snack bars and drinks.

4. Camping:- If you’re going camping and want to be absolutely zero-carbon, then here’s what you need, in addition to all the aforementioned gear.

1. Solar Tent - These are your choices for currently available solar powered tents -  Eureka Solar Intent Tent (LED lighting and battery charger), WingnutGear (heavyduty - includes solar powered airconditioning).
2. LNT Products - Leave no Trace (think of it as potty training for campers) is the latest in eco-etiquette for the outdoors. Way it works is that you pack the necessary gear - including biodegradable ‘no trace’ bags and tissue, and avoid polluting fresh streams and causing the denizens nearby to gag on the foul odor. Get your LNT training before you set foot in the wild. 

We’re not going to extend your pain by adding the usual stuff like eco-friendly luggage, hippie clothing and biodegradable towels & soap to this list. It is expected that a self-respecting eco-conscious citizen such as you will already be sporting all the latest eco-chic fashion accessories.

Photo credits - Solio charger by Uncleweed; Sigg bottle by hirotomo; Solar tent by One Village Initiative

Last month, Travel + Leisure ran a story on its Top 15 green hotels in the world and the associated press release was picked up by a number of sources including USA Today. The list was assembled by the magazine in collaboration with Conservation International, which is dedicated to environmental preservation and issues of sustainability. Current benchmarks for the hotel industry developing a level of sustainability involve their disposal of waste, reduction of water and energy use, and improving how the businesses interact with the local community.

The list is geographically broad, drawing hotels from a wide variety of regions and five continents. What isn’t quite as varied is the level of comfort and cost–which is certainly in keeping with Travel & Leisure’s target demographic. Three of the first five hotels listed have nightly rates that start at $700 and go up from there!

I can imagine how an average reader who saw this story in USA Today or Travel & Leisure might be alarmed to find the best green hotels in the world are ones that are well beyond the means of many eco-conscious travelers. Are “green services” in the hotel industry becoming just another luxury item hotels charge massive premiums for? I don’t have the answer, because the industry is just now starting to get mobilized on its environmental initiatives.

Tune back into this space over the next week and coming months. We’ll look at what the major hotel chains are doing in terms of green initiatives, and I will be going on a site visit later in the winter to the LEED Platinum certified new boutique hotel in San Francisco, The Orchard to see first hand what this is all about.