By: Jenny Bengen on 10 26, 2009
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
By: Jenny Bengen on 10 19, 2009
Don’t let any mental pictures of LA’s summer smog cloud your thinking about the city’s commitment to environmentally friendly hotel options. In fact, LA is making many good green choices, and the eco-friendly Hotel Palomar is only one example. The Palomar has a program in place called EarthCare which puts to use over 40 eco-friendly practices in and around the hotel. For example, their website lists:
* In-room recycling bins
* Energy efficient lighting
* Water efficient fixtures
* Toiletries made from natural ingredients by earth-friendly manufacturers
* Organic food and beverage options in our mini bars
* The restaurant adjacent to our hotel follows the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch’s sustainable seafood guidelines
* We are a 100% non-smoking hotel
I found it particularly interesting that this hotel works with an environmentally friendly restaurant - overfishing our oceans is a large problem, and it’s inspiring to see a hotel and a restaurant working together on this front.
These efforts resulted in the hotel being awarded the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership award by the California Environmental Protection Agency.
The hotel itself is beautiful and classy - don’t neglect to check out the artwork before you leave; it provides an interesting reflection on the area’s Hollywood scene.
Photo: Todd Jones Photography
By: Jenny Bengen on 10 12, 2009
As re-reported by Bnet.com, Oklahoma has unveiled a series - seven, to be exact - of sustainable travel programs designed to meet the growing needs of consumers interested in sustainable and eco-friendly lodging and travel options. I found this article to be interesting on a number of fronts, including this statistic:
“…U.S. Travel Association research shows that 51 percent of consumers would continue to patronize sustainable travel service suppliers regardless of an economic downturn, and 48 percent said continued support of sustainable travel is a necessity.”
51% is an astonishingly high number to me, and it’s encouraging.
The article highlights the potential partnership between Oklahoma’s Colcord Hotel and Clean the World, non-profit which provides third-world countries with “gently used” hygiene products like soap and shampoo from hotels around the world.
It appears as though a major push to increase recycling will be the first component of these sustainable travel programs. This is a good first step, and it will be interesting to see what the next steps will be. We’ll have to wait for feedback from the programs to determine how these efforts are being received and what new efforts will be made in the future.
Photo: Serge Melki
By: Jenny Bengen on 09 02, 2009
Traveling with a pooch? As someone who does often, I was interested to see that Loews hotels, already known for their green policies and commitment to the environment, are now offering a “Grrreen Dog” package.
Rates start at $119/night, but the actual rate depends on the hotel you choose.
What might this include? Well, you get a specially crafted room service meal for your pet which contains ingredients that all come from local farms. Vet-approved, of course, so your night in the hotel room with them won’t be a bad one. You also get a 100% organic cotton bandanna made by Doggie Go Green as well as a Zogoflex Huck dog toy, which is apparently not only indestructible, but it floats and bounces, too. This seems to be a very hand toy to have in a hotel room when you leave your pet alone; coming back to a chewed up bed or sofa would be a touch stressful.
Cute? Yes. But on a more serious and significant note, this program is just another way that this hotel chain is demonstrating their commitment to making every part of their guests services more environmentally friendly. It would be easy to provide low-grade dog food and toys made out of non-biodegradable materials. But, Loews went the extra mile, and I like that.
You can book this package until December 19, 2009.
By: Tom Mercer on 03 30, 2008
Back from an all-too-long hiatus, and I wanted to recommend a new site that really ties into a lot of things we’ve tried to do with SimpleGreenChoices. It’s WholeTravel, a new website that’s trying to integrate environmental criteria into travelers’ decision-making process. For example, check out this page devoted to the Lapa Rios Eco Lodge in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. There is an overview of the property as a whole, as well as a list of amenities, while there’s a whole separate section listing the hotel’s sustainability practices. If the biggest hurdle to making more environmentally-friendly travel decisions is lack of information, then this site could be a big part of the solution.
WholeTravel is starting mainly with ecotourism properties in Central America and planning to build out from there. If anyone reading this post owns a hotel/resort/accommodation that fits the Whole Travel profile, you can send them an e-mail requesting a self-evaluation questionnaire and start the process of getting listed on their site.
By: Yen Lee on 10 12, 2007
Whereas the environmental impact of transportation is fairly clear-cut, other travel decisions can be significantly more fuzzy. Lodging is a good example. What is it that makes a hotel environmentally friendly? Sure, it’s great to give guests the option of reusing towels, but what else should hotels be doing to minimize their impact? And how can you pick a hotel that is genuinely minimizing their environmental impact?
The first thing to look for is whether a hotel in your destination has been certified by a Green Lodging organization. Although there is not a universal standard for hotel certification, there are several smaller organizations that certify hotels on a regional basis. Below are a few of the organizations to try first:
Once you’ve exhausted these organizations, you have a couple of options. First of all, you could try booking hotel chains that have made a public commitment to environmental practices, such as Hilton. Motel 6 has even professed to be “born-again” green, but as with all non-certified properties, you should ask what they are really doing beyond the bare minimum to reduce their energy and waste streams.
Finally, your last resort is to book your lodging independently and do your own research. “Research” means calling your top contenders and asking some hard questions. In an interview with MSN, Ronald Sanabria, the director of sustainable tourism for the Rainforest Alliance in Costa Rica, suggests the following questions:
How does your property contribute to the local community?
- What is your property doing to conserve energy and water?
- What does your property do to minimize waste and its impact on the community?
- How does your property promote sustainable travel?
Finally, if you’re staying in a lodge that claims to be an eco-tourist retreat and is located in an environmentally important or sensitive area, it’s especially important that you do your due diligence and make sure that they’re living up to their “eco-tourist” label, because if they don’t, they may be doing serious damage to the ecosystem and the local communities. ResponsibleTravel.com has a list of 10 additional questions to ask, including how many locals (including guides) the facility employs and what education programs they have on local ecology and culture, among others.
