Traveling the world has a huge environmental impact. For those who want to travel but are aware of the great environmental impact that a trip can have, they can opt for a stay in an “Ecohotel.” Ecohotels are accommodation facilities committed to respecting high standards of environmental and social sustainability and they usually guarantee the possession of a LEED certification.
LEED and Ecolabel
In summary, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary certification program that can be applied to any type of building. It covers its entire life cycle, from design to construction. This type of certification promotes a sustainability-oriented approach, evaluating the performance of the buildings. It verifies the saving of energy and water, the reduction of CO2 emissions, and the improvement of the ecological quality of the interiors. It also refers to the materials and resources used, as well as the design and choice of location. Like LEED certification, the eco-label certifies that the hotel meets minimum standards in terms of environmental performance. The first hotel to be Ecolabel certified was the Sunwing Resort Kallithea, located in Rhodes (Greece), in 2003.
Ecohotel: What is it?
An Ecohotel is an eco-friendly hotel, a structure capable of mitigating its impact on the environment through good eco-sustainable practices. Many ecohotels are presented as EcoLodges due to their location perfectly integrated into nature, but it is not required to be in the jungle or in a pristine place to be able to define it as eco. To understand if a hotel falls into the category of Ecohotels, we can examine its characteristics. For instance, the hotel has a waste-sorting program for guests. For breakfast and other meals, it offers locally produced food. It has a LED lighting system or energy-saving light bulbs installed in the facility that turns off and on automatically. The hotel has solar panels or gets power from clean sources and housekeeping cleans the rooms with non-toxic hygiene products. These are some of the options that make the management of the hotel green. Other criteria may be the frequency with which bed linen is changed in the rooms or providing alternative means of transportation (such as a bicycle) for guests to visit the city.
The harmony and balance of an Ecohotel
Saving energy, resources, and money – These are the main reasons that should lead millions of tourists to a more sustainable choice every year. Choosing an Ecohotel will contribute to maintaining the natural ecological balance of the environment. It will help preserve the planet, its natural systems, and its precious resources. Ecohotels make sure that water and electricity are not wasted. Unused items get recycled, stopping their proliferation and lowering the amount of energy consumed since the manufacture of new products from raw materials requires a greater consumption of resources. If hotels reduce waste through the recycling process, our green decision to stay in one of those can help free up substantial space in landfills. Ecohotels that are committed to creating a better quality of the natural environment, contribute to avoiding two million premature deaths that occur every year worldwide that is caused by pollution.
More comfortable habitats
The use of organic or biological products is, not only good for the environment but also, synonymous with a higher quality of health and a comfortable habitat. As Kengo Kuma observed about his Ecohotel project in Paris: “The warm materiality of the wood is combined with the soft reflection and ethereal touch of the metallic panels. The building comes alive and comes alive with natural light.” This life and light brighten the rooms on the lower floors where, beyond the full-height windows, a series of dedicated areas for catering, sports, and coworking will open up. The hotel is located near the Seine, on Avenue de France, in the Rive Gauche district.
The conscious side
It must be reminded that the cost of staying in an Ecohotel is higher than those standard hotels industry. Only eco-hardcore customers are willing to pay more for Ecohotels. According to Marco Lemmers (CEO of the hotel company Conscious Hotels in Amsterdam), it is foreseeable that guests will be willing to pay more for sustainability in the future. “I think people will be willing to pay more for a sustainable solution. We are not there yet because the hotel industry is still quite sensitive about prices. You have to be aware of wanting to pay ten euros more for a sustainable stay, but, little by little, it is moving in that direction.” When you choose an Ecohotel, you reduce the overall pollution emissions, and this is easier than cleaning and recleaning the environment after your visit, so I’ll give you a little tip: the next time you want to spend a few days on vacation, take a few more minutes to choose your hotel. Check out what eco-friendly property is available in the area and discover the conscious and harmonious side of traveling.
To know more: My Ecohotel
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