Green Hotels and Motels:

Naturally, it is prudent for environmentally conscious travelers to support facilities that have programs in place, but what are some good indicators to look for?

• Does housekeeping request reuse of towels rather than daily refreshing and that bed linens be changed every three days? This step, alone, conserves almost 30% in water usage and a large amount of detergent going into the water system.
• Are complimentary sundries (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion) Eco-friendly?
• Is the room equipped with aquamiser filters on the faucets and showers?
• Are the cleaning chemicals classified as environmentally friendly? This is one of the most important indicators and difficult to discover without asking. The majority of pollutants generated from hotels/motels are from the chemicals used to clean rooms.
• Is there a voluntary recycle program for guests in the common areas?
• Are the lights in the rooms CFL's or are incandescent light bulbs still being used?
• Are the fluorescent lights low mercury? The easiest way to tell is to look at the end of the bulb and look for a green end or green printing on the side of the bulb.

There are many factors to qualify a hotel/motel as being truly "Green"; therefore, the easiest way to find out just "how green they are", is to ask what third party certification they have.