Is your ecohotel really green? How to tell

Helpful tips to help you make an informed decision when booking an eco hotel

With pollution and climate change as ever-growing concerns, it is evident that every social sector needs to play a more active role in mitigating the negative impact of their actions and strive for sustainability. The tourism industry is stepping up to the plate in this struggle for sustainability and setting environmentally sound goals and standards. 

In this context, the ecohotel is gaining rapid popularity. Consumers are becoming more aware of their impact on the environment, and are opting for green accommodations that tend to minimize their environmental footprint when traveling. But what are green accommodations? How can travelers know when they’re choosing eco hotels and not conventional hotels that simply advertise an eco friendly image? It’s necessary to provide a concrete definition of what an eco hotel actually is, so that travelers can make more informed decisions when booking accommodations and hotel owners can better understand how to provide for consumer demands. Generally speaking, Ecotrotters defines ecohotels as those which:

• Make important environmental improvements to their structure and practices in order to minimize their impact on the environment
• Place an emphasis on sustainability and environmental conservation
• Consider the needs of local communities and promote fair trade
• Promote knowledge and understanding of sustainability and ecological practices

When booking your accommodations, try to look for hotels that minimize their impact by employing simple practices such as using natural cooling as opposed to air conditioning, replacing incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lamps, installing low-flow shower heads and toilets, and offering a sheet and towel reuse program whereby guests have their linens exchanged every few days instead of daily. All these simple actions provide great benefits to the environment by reducing the amount of energy needed. Recycling is another sound practice, which can include composting kitchen materials and recycling waste water. Something else you can check for when making a decision as to whether your accommodations are eco friendly or not is the hotel’s use of its grounds. Hotels are moving a step closer to sustainability, and are thus greener, when they grow their own produce or buy ingredients produced locally to prepare the food offered to their guests.

Social responsibility is another key factor when determining how green a hotel is. Eco hotels must have a deep respect for local culture and traditions and provide jobs for the local and/or indigenous populations. They should also offer environmental training programs for staff and environmental courses and seminars for hotel guests, as well as participate in ecological projects off hotel property. Check if your choice accommodations follow any of these practices. 

These are just some examples of eco measures employed by green hotels. However, the consumer must be careful not to fall prey to those establishments that claim to be environmentally friendly when in fact they are not. Guests shouldn’t hesitate to ask if a hotel has a written policy concerning environmental initiatives and relations with local people. As there are currently more than 100 eco certification programs worldwide with different standards, perhaps what guests must first do is familiarize themselves with the general criteria that make a hotel green, and decide which suits their needs and objectives. 


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How to add fair trade to your ecovacation

Easy ways to promote the cultural integrity of local communities during your travel

When thinking of eco vacations, unspoiled natural environments and green hotels are what probably first comes to mind. However, eco holidays also entail a certain respect and concern for the local communities we are visiting. By directly supporting local communities as much as possible during our travels, we are contributing to the preservation and improvement of the area, and thus helping to create benefits for the locals as well as future travelers. But how can we support local communities during our travels? One simple, transparent way is by adding fair trade to our eco vacation. 

Fair trade is an international certification program that aims to alleviate world poverty by empowering small producers and eliminating the middleman, supporting environmental sustainability in the process. Farmers and laborers in developing countries are more often than not paid extremely low wages that cannot cover their daily expenses. Through fair trade practices, however, wages paid must allow workers to at least cover the cost of sustainable production. By earning appropriate wages, producers may spend more, which helps the community as a whole. Workers also receive an added premium to promote the community’s economic growth. Working conditions are also improved through specific health and safety requirements that must be met. 

Although fair trade leads to fair wages and better working conditions, it provides an added bonus- environmental protection and sustainability. Most fair trade products are organic, and those which are not usually follow specific production practices that are environmentally sustainable. For example, although the farm itself may not be certified as organic, chances are that the farmer will still be practicing organic farming techniques such as minimizing pesticides and herbicides. This leads to more natural crops and a reduction of the negative environmental impact resulting from human activity. And as consumers, we enjoy healthier, more delicious products. 

Considering the obvious benefits of fair trade, then, we should try to participate in the process during our vacation. We can do this by thinking about where our money goes before buying anything. We must ask ourselves, was this piece of jewelry/craft/souvenir made by local artisans? Was this fruit/vegetable grown by local farmers? Buying from local artisans and producers, eating at local restaurants that buy from local producers, and staying at hotels that both employ locals and buy from locals are some simple ways of contributing to the fair trade ideal. Both at home and away, we can maintain the principles of fair trade by taking a look at what we buy. The easiest way to buy fair trade items is to look for the Fair Trade certified label. And we must remember- not only by participating in environmental projects or reducing our energy consumption are we helping the world become a better place.

Ecotrotters.com - Eco Articles - How to add fair trade to your ecovacation