4 Ways to Reduce Your Next Hotel Stay’s Carbon Footprint

I find that travel is an essential part of the human experience. Seeing people and places that are not like those just outside our door stirs a sense of camaraderie with other humans and fosters understanding and curiosity for those who are not like us.

As a self-described tree-hugging Earth-lover, I hate to admit that the travel industry is a huge contributor to carbon emissions and is therefore contributing to the rise in global warming.

“Tourism is responsible for roughly 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. From plane flights and boat rides to souvenirs and lodging, various activities contribute to tourism’s carbon footprint. The majority of this footprint is emitted by visitors from high-income countries, with U.S. travelers at the top of the list. As the number of people who can afford to travel grows, so will tourism’s environmental footprint.” -Sustainabletravel.org

So, am I going to stop traveling? Nope.
I firmly believe that travel is important for human growth and empathy.

Do I have some ideas for how to lessen the impact we have on the Earth as we travel it? Of course I do.

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For this post, let’s talk about accomodations like hotels and resorts.

Many lodgings such as hotels and resorts use energy-intensive heating and cooling systems, water heaters, electricity, harsh cleaning products, single-use toiletries, and other modern amenities to make these enormous buildings more comfortable for guests.

Obviously, these systems and products emit a lot of CO2 and other pollutants, but there are ways you can make small efforts to mitigate this damage during your stay.

The next time you book a hotel, consider a few of these tips to reduce your carbon footprint and help to keep our fragile Earth inhabitable (and travelable!)

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1. Don’t allow the cleaners in the room every day.

For a lot of reasons, but also to keep your stay eco-friendly.  

Do you need fresh sheets and towels, empty trash cans, vacuumed rugs and a new bar of soap every day at home? Of course not. (and if you do- see me after class. We need to chat.)   Why would you need it in a hotel room?  

Hang your towels to dry.
Clean up your own mess.
Bring your own soaps. 
Make your own bed.

Reducing or removing the need for daily housekeeping in your hotel room cuts down on ALL sorts of energy-wasting things from water waste in linen laundering to plastic pollution from trash bags and single-use toiletries to energy consumption from unnecessary vacuuming.

Some hotels even give incentives to waive the daily maid service like loyalty points or food and drink vouchers- making it appealing even to those least concerned with their environmental impact.  Look out for these incentives at check-in or printed on the “Do Not Disturb” door hanger in your room. They’re usually very prominently displayed.

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2. Turn off/unplug electronics and adjust the thermostat when you leave home and also in your hotel room.

This one seems obvious, but it needs to be said.  

It can be tempting to think “Crank it down! I’m not paying for it!” and set the thermostat WAY down in your hotel room so you return from a sweaty day of exploring to a soothing polar vortex.  

Well.. you kind of are paying for it, in a more irresponsible, global impact-y kind of way. 
A hotel’s heating and cooling system alone can be responsible for almost 50% of its total emissions.

Keeping your hotel room thermostat at a reasonable, maintainable temperature (think 74-78ºF or about 23-25ºC) puts less stress on the hotel’s MASSIVE HVAC system, thereby reducing the emissions of the system.

Doing the same at home while you’re away (and while you’re home!) is equally as important, and hey- you actually ARE paying for it there!

Turning off and unplugging electronics while you’re away or while not in use can also make an impact.  Turn off lights, lamps, and TVs in your hotel room while you’re out for the day. Unplug your electronics (like hair dryers and battery chargers) while not in use (they draw power even when they’re turned off!).  Do the same at home.

Reducing your draw of power on the grid in any way you can will help to reduce energy waste and therefore reduce your carbon footprint.  

And, TRUST ME I get it– it may seem tempting to leave a light or two on at home while you’re away on a grand adventure. 

My home base is in Atlanta and the crime rate is no joke. 

It’s not a crazy thought for me to be concerned about my condo appearing to be empty for long periods of time.

If I’m gone for more than one night, I’ll use very simple lamp timers in a few exterior-facing rooms around my home.  I set them to turn on around sundown and turn off around midnight.  This gives the appearance of someone being home while I’m away and means I’m only pulling power for a few hours each evening.

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3. Stay in a green hotel when you can.

You can look for eco-effort information on the hotel’s website (such as a promise to use renewable energy, green cleaning products or recycling and composting programs). 

Also- look for hotels that are LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

It’s an international certification in which building projects (including hotels) are judged on their environmental friendliness on a scale of 1-100 (Based on the number of points achieved, a project earns one of four LEED rating levels: Certified: 40-49 points, Silver: 50-59 points, Gold: 60-79 points or Platinum 80+ points).  “LEED certification means healthier, more productive places, reduced stress on the environment by encouraging energy and resource-efficient buildings.” –Leed.usgbc.org

LEED-certified hotels emit a fraction of the carbon that typical hotels do and are making a difference in the environmental impact of the travel industry.  Even huge corporations like Marriott are making the effort to incorporate more eco-friendly hotels into their chains. 

A quick google can help you find LEED certified hotels and many booking sites such as Travelocity have green hotel search options.

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4. Do your own laundry.   

I mentioned this in my post on packing light, and I’ll say it here again- I ALWAYS travel with a little packet of laundry detergent in my travel kit. 

This comes in handy so often, it’s as much of a staple for me as toothpaste and dry shampoo. 

Chocolate gelato spilled on the white shirt you’re hoping to wear another 2-3 times?  Stain treat it overnight with a dab of detergent and rinse in your bathroom sink in the morning before hanging to dry.  BOOM fresh again. 

You can also do this for socks, underwear, t-shirts, or anything else that you decide needs a wash before you can wear it again. Just throw a few travel hangers into your luggage to be sure you have a good place to hang your freshly washed items to dry.   

If hotel bathroom laundry isn’t your jam or isn’t entirely necessary, you can still freshen up that sweaty pair of shorts or jacket that smells like the smoky bar you were in last night. 

For these kinds of things that don’t warrant a full wash, I use a wrinkle and scent remover for a quick refresh and revival before hanging the item to air out near the AC vent or on the balcony in my hotel room.

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