To honor Earth Day, today’s post is merely about saying “Well done and reach farther” to a few U.S. hotels that are making their lightest environmental footprint one critical step at a time.

From offsetting power consumption to using nontoxic cleaning supplies and organic, locally grown produce, it’s not hard (any more) to find a hotel that truly is aware and somewhat responsible for its environmental impact. Being green is a trend that is here to stay in hospitality, and as you travel the globe, enjoy finding these gems (and there are more every day) that make being good to the environment so amazingly cool. For example, The Standard Hotel, both the West Hollywood (Ca.) as well as the Downtown Los Angeles location, just made Boxed Water, because it really is better, available in every hotel room.

Here are a few more hotels that I found (I checked the Green Hotels Association, Green Seal, istaygreen.org, etc.) that are truly committed to being green, while delivering a great customer hotel experience:

• The Orchard Garden Hotel, San Francisco. This LEED-certified (U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design program) hotel embodies the green concept in its construction and operations.
• Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa, American Canyon, CA. Nearly three years old, this hotel was created with as many recycled materials and as little energy that could be used.
• Hilton Vancouver (Wa.). This LEED-certified hotel offers a refueling station for electric cars, a heat-reflecting roof and uses local organic growers to supply its restaurant.
• Hotel Monaco, Chicago.  Soy ink, recycling bins in the rooms, donation programs and non-toxic cleaning supplies are just a few of the eco-finds in a Kimpton Hotel. Many of Chicago’s hotels are also making green waves. And all of Kimpton’s 42 hotels are not only chic and customer-centric but they even have Kimpton’s EarthCare standards of environmentally friendly products and practices.
• Habitat Suites, Austin, TX. This hotel’s efficiency programs conserve big: nearly 2.4 million gallons of water and 38,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
• The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii. This resort uses biodegradable cleaning products, pesticide-free landscaping practices and supports a local university program that monitors the nearby coral reefs. Fairmont Hotels are hospitality eco-pioneers.  All hotels offer sustainable, locally sourced and organic products, wherever possible.

So remember when you travel, it’s not just about traveling light, it’s about having the lightest travel footprint, too!

 

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