Hotels Can be Green Too

There is nothing better than spending a satisfying night in your home made leaf shelter, eating a wonderful array of freshly picked edibles, serenaded by woodland sounds while under a blanket of stars. We all know Ancestral Knowledge teaches these skills well.

Escaping on a wonderful vacation, in a beautifully appointed hotel room with all the creature comforts, isn’t so bad either. But have you ever wondered though where the hotel obtains those beautiful woods floors, dressing cabinets, marble counters, bed linens, and other lovely accoutrements and what it is doing to our environment? Eco friendly accommodations are becoming increasingly popular and include more that snuggling up in a cozy tent. Now you can see green beyond the trees outside your tent. For those whose “greendar” is increasingly on alert, many hotels are also seeing green and employing eco-friendly strategies.

Hotels are now including a variety of elements such as locally woven fabrics, regional woods, foods and other materials, low flow toilets, solar heating, gray water, and even providing informative global warming literature in individual rooms.

The following questions might help to gauge a hotel’s environmental commitment:

• Does the hotel use renewable energy sources like small hydro, solar, wind or geothermal systems?
• Are harsh chemicals used, such as scented laundry supplies, carpet cleaners and air fresheners?
• Does the hotel make charitable donations such as extra food, old linens, and towels?
• Does the hotel support local causes and community conservation efforts?
• Does the hotel provide education materials or information about green?

If you can’t find a hotel that meets your green standards, come with your children to AK classes to learn how to build a home away from home - like a brush shelter or leaf hut equipped with the latest in wilderness commodities.

See you outdoors.

Additional Resource: EnvironmentallyFriendlyHotels.com provides a list of over 2800 green hotels worldwide and ranks them based on 29 criteria.

Ref: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/travel/16green.html