From Guest Blogger Amy Morin: Are Resorts Going Green?

Many U.S. resorts are choosing to go green.

By making their resorts environmentally friendly, they can save money, as well as the planet.

Whether a resort is located in the middle of a desert or on the top of a snow-capped mountain, there are many ways for a resort to go green and show their visitors they care about the environment.

Energy-Saving Features

Many resorts are replacing their light bulbs. Energy-efficient light bulbs throughout an entire resort can lead to a huge energy decrease.

Sensor-controlled lights can also be an eco-friendly option. Often, visitors aren’t as motivated to turn off the lights. So, motion controlled sensors can easily shut off by themselves when no one is in the room.

Maintaining good control over the heating system is another way resorts can save a lot of energy. Ensuring that corridors aren’t becoming overheated and keeping pipework well-insulated can make a big difference.

Refrigerators and appliances should also be serviced regularly to ensure that they aren’t wasting unnecessary energy. Replacing outdated appliances with energy efficient models can result in large energy savings.

Water Reduction

Some resorts are giving guests the option to decline having their sheets changed each day. Decreasing the amount of laundry not only conserves water, but it also reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals used by the resort.

Many resorts are encouraging guests to report any water leaks immediately. When leaking faucets or running toilets are repaired quickly, it can save thousands of gallons per water.

Replacing shower heads with low flow devices can save a lot on a resort’s hot water consumption. Low flow toilet devices can also make a huge impact on the amount of water a resort uses each day.

Recycled Materials

Many resorts are also using recycled materials. For example, instead of giving guests plastic utensils, some resorts are offering utensils made from biodegradable materials, such as potato, sugar cane and corn starch.

Ski Resorts

Many ski resorts are using green energy to meet their electricity demands. Of course, it makes a lot of sense for winter resorts to go green. After all, their business would be most affected by global warming.

Ski resorts by nature tend to use a lot of power. Snow making machines and ski lifts tend to require a lot of energy. Solar panels and windmills can help ski resorts meet their own electricity demand.

Many ski resorts open to the public during the summer months. These resorts can benefit from finding ways to make their land environmentally friendly.

Some resorts are taking steps to landscape their facilities in ways that will help them protect the environment. Others have created fish and wildlife management projects.

There are some ski resorts that are even encouraging its customers to go green by offering incentives. For example, some resorts give discounted ski lift tickets to customers who carpool.

Any type of resort can begin taking to go green.

Sometimes, small changes can have a big impact on the environment.

About the Author: Amy Morin writes about psychology, business and travel destinations such as Bluegreen Resorts.