‘Green’ lodging – at the Ritz?

Many people going on vacation or traveling for pleasure or business may immediately shrug off the idea of sustainable tourism or green lodging as some crazy hippie idea, that will have them staying in a hut or tent in the middle of nowhere without the ability to shower. But this isn’t necessarily the case at all. Doing your part to better the environment and preserve the world your children and grand children will grow up in doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.

Sustainable tourism should be a concept that anyone who has been on a few foreign vacations can appreciate. Traveling to Greece or Mexico expecting to find natural beauty and a true getaway, could easily find you arriving in a tourist hot spot overrun by commercialism and the mayhem of drunk college students. Sure, it could be fun, but not exactly what you were looking for when you paid several thousand dollars to explore the culture of another country.

According to National Geographic’s website, sustainable and Geo-tourism is simply based on the principal of ‘First, do no harm’, preserving the destination so that others can benefit from it’s beauty and culture. This also means dining at local restaurants and buying from local stores instead of supporting outside commercial intruders. Yes this is especially important if you are traveling abroad to unspoilt tropical locations whether it’s Peru or Brazil, but can also be just as applicable to traveling to places like Key west, Florida are even a weekend getaway a few hours from your home.

Of course if you want to rough it out in the jungle in a hammock or tent that is great, but what if you are traveling on business to a big city? Yes, pretty much no matter where you go these days, you can do something to help improve the environment. And even if you aren’t so concerned about the environment, certainly supporting the effort to conserve waste and energy usage by your hotels should help keep down the gas prices so you can fill up that giant SUV when you get home. ‘Green’ lodging and hotels don’t have to be small bed and breakfasts run by people in tie-dyed shirts. For example, the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has created a voluntary initiative, called the ‘Green Lodging’ program. This recognizes hotels and other places of accommodation that have made a commitment to conservation and prevention of waste of resources and energy. You can find a list of the ‘Designated Properties’ that are part of this program at www.MyFlorida.com. And I am sure you will be surprised! The list includes everything from bed and breakfasts all the way up to some of the most magnificent hotels. These hotels include the likes of Best Western, Marriott, the Diplomat, one of Donald Trump’s hotels, and even the Ritz! Ok, so some conservationists may call this heresy, but the point is you may have already stayed in one of these green hotels without even knowing it, and if they are really doing more for the environment than their competition, then why not stay there.

Obviously it would be great if we could all travel and explore the wonders of exotic places while doing our part to improve the world we live in, but if you don’t have the opportunity to do that, then at least know that wherever you are going there is something you can do to make a difference or at least support those committing to move in the right direction. So before you turn up your nose at your partners next suggestion of taking a green holiday, don’t worry you can still take your laptops and briefcases with you and enjoy the luxuries you are used to.

Tim Houghten writes for Briefcases Direct, a website that offers luxury briefcases direct from the manufacturer. Tim picked up the travel bug at a young age from his missionary parents. He is now a Freelancer, business consultant, and travel writer who has adventured through much of Europe as well as North and South America. Tim has now joined the ranks of those living the jet-set lifestyle as an international nomad on the constant exploration of new sights, sounds and tastes.