Pennsylvania
Green Hotels & Motels
Tourism and the Environment
Download Turning
Luxury Green, a report by students at Lafayette College
What
Is a Green Hotel?
Increasingly,
consumer attitudes are favoring environmentally responsible
businesses, and consumers are considering environmental issues
when making travel plans and purchases. Environmental tourism
has grown exponentially over the past 10 years. The lodging
industry has responded to this trend with the development of
strategies and practices for making a hotel or motel more environmentally
friendly, or "green." Download the
DEP Green Hotels brochure (Adobe Acrobat required)
Green
hotels are properties managed according to business practices
that help improve the environmental performance of the facilities.
Whether a guest stays in a small bed and breakfast or a luxury
resort, a lodging property is in fact a small community that
purchases goods and services, creates and disposes of waste,
uses electricity and water, and, just like any individual, leaves
a distinct environmental footprint. In addition, the lodging
industry is one of the most dynamic in terms of new construction
and renovation. From carpets to paints, from heating and cooling
units to televisions, the lodging industry is a large consumer.
Operating in a more environmentally responsible fashion, hotels
and motels can demonstrate leadership in ecological sustainability
while enhancing competitiveness through cost-effective procedural
and facility improvements. The benefits of starting or expanding
a green hotel program include:
