I recently read plans for an “Eco Hotel” that is to be built in my area and I decided to do some research.  The term “Eco Hotel” seems pretty vague to me.  It turns out that it is!  There do not appear to be any standards in place for that a hotel needs to follow in order to be able to declare itself an “Eco Hotel”.  However, there are some standards you can use to judge if a hotel that advertises itself as “green” or “eco” really is.

U.S. Green Building Council has a certification process called The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.  This is a very complicated system, but lets just say that it mainly consists of a checklist that developers and builders have to follow while they are building and requirments that the building has to meet once it is finished.  I waded through some of it and it includes categories for alternative transportation, erosion and sediment control, reduced site disturbance, water-efficient landscaping, and the use of rapidly renewable materials.  If you’d like to delve into it all, check out the LEEDS website.  Although this system is not only used for hotels, knowing that your hotel has been certified through this process is a great piece of information to have when researching the hotel you’d like to stay in.

Be careful to do your own research!  There is also a group called the Green Hotels Association.  As far as I can tell from reading their membership application, you don’t actually have to prove anything to be a member of this group.  So just because a hotel claims to be a member of this association, doesn’t mean that they actually do anything special to be “green”, although membership does give them access to special prices on green building materials and hotel supplies.

In short, my recommendation is to do your own research.  It’s easy to be attracted by the terms “green” and “eco-friendly” and business like hotels know that!  Somewhere in the back of your mind also remember the term “greenwash”.  Hotels that are setting standards for sustainability and recycling are going to want to brag about it, so check out the website for the hotel you want to visit.  If they say they are a member of an organization or certified by a certain group, be sure to visit that organization’s website and see what their criteria are.  The hotel you stay in can be an important part of any trip or vacation so if you can, take it one step farther and find a place to stay that promotes sustainability and a cleaner environment.